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Fresh and Dry Basil in the Winter

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Fresh and dry basil in the winter

Basil is a great culinary and medicine herb. Fresh and dry basil are both great to use. Not just the taste, but also the smell is unique. Fresh basil adds a summary smell and taste to any salad. A real treat in the middle of winter!

Basil is traditionally used for supplementary treatment of stress, asthma and diabetes. Basil oil is supposed to be antioxidant, antiviral, and antimicrobial.

Basil can be grown in the summer and all winter indoors.

How to grow Basil

Basil is a warm weather herb. It does not like the cold. It hardly grows in our area even in the summer, but it does grow in a greenhouse and in the winter indoors in container. Since Basil changes its taste when it is dried, it is worth to grow it fresh. Basil can be harvested multiple times: cut it back and it will grow new leaves and look even better.

Basil is a beautiful plant. Different basil has different flowers so it makes a lovely flower to plant as well. Purple basil has beautiful lavender flowers while green basil has tiny white flowers.

Basil is easy to grow, but I find it hard to start it from seeds. You can grow basil from cuttings, which is pretty exciting. Just take a cutting to multiply a plant in the fall for a winter indoor plant and in the spring again for a summer garden. Whenever  a plant gets leggy or old just cut a new cutting and you will have a beautiful plant all throughout the year.

Fresh and dry basil in the winter

Take a cutting from the existing plant and put it in water to grow roots. In about two weeks the basil cutting will developed healthy roots and will be ready to grow into a new plant. Plant the basil seedling into a pot with good potting soil or grow it in water (hydroponic / aeroponic) and it will add a little summer to the winter.

Basil grows very well in the Aeroponic Tower Garden. The Tower Garden is a easy way to grow a herb and salad garden all winter long.

Fresh and Dry Basil in the Winter - Aeroponic

Here a Kratky method basil that we grow in our kitchen window in a recycled glass jar, that stays in an ornamental hanging pot. It is the same hydroponic solution as the Aeroponic Tower Garden. Learn more about Kratky hydroponic here.

Growing Food the Kratky Hydroponics Way - Basil

How to dry basil?

Dried herbs are great, they are already harvested and clean and ready to use. To dry herbs like basil is very easy. You actually do not need to have a Dehydrator to be able to dry basil. Simply harvest and clean the stems and leaves, then take of the leaves and spread them on a baking sheet with a clean towel. Do not cut the leaves, they keep better if they’re left whole. After a few days the basil leaves will be dry. Now you can store them in a jar for several months. This method has worked great for us.

Fresh and dry basil in the winter

Dry herbs are stronger than fresh ones. So be sparing. Taking a few leaves out of the jar, crush them in your hands, the preserved aroma will be released.

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Grow an indoor edible garden

Start growing food for your table in depth of winter. Take a look at all the posts we already shared about growing food indoors, and seedlings for the summer garden.

An Alternative to a Passive Solar Greenhouse - Indoor Window Garden

An Alternative to a Passive Solar Greenhouse – Indoor Window Garden

For starting seeds indoors you will need pots, good potting soil, seeds and a sunny window or grow lights. With Free Seed Starting Schedule Printable.

Starting Seeds Indoors (Free printable schedule)

Controlling aphids with No-Pest strips

Controlling aphids with No-Pest strips

Growing sprouts at home is the easiest way to grow nutritious food right in your kitchen. No green thumb is needed, as well as no soil, no grow lights, and no extra space. You can start today and become a gourmet sprout grower in less than a week.

Growing Sprouts at Home

Indoor Garden Update – Winter 2018 on Video

Indoor Garden Update – Winter 2018 on Video

Trouble-shooting in an Indoor Edible Window Garden

Troubleshooting in an Indoor Edible Window Garden

What to Grow in an Indoor Edible Window Garden. Over the years we have grown a whole lot of plants indoors at a window: Microgreens, herbs, Aloe Vera, strawberries, lettuce, winter greens like kale, root vegetables like carrots, winter vegetables like broccoli, summer vegetables like tomatoes and even water melons.

What to Grow in an Indoor Edible Window Garden

Temperature and humidity for an indoor edible window garden is important. You want to adjust what you grow to how warm or cool your room is.

Temperature for an indoor edible window garden

Additional light for an indoor edible window garden

Additional light for an indoor edible window garden

Growing an indoor edible window garden in water

Growing an indoor edible window garden in water

In this post wee talk about growing an indoor edible window garden in soil. Learn what soil and containers to use, how to water and fertilize an indoor garden.

Growing an indoor edible window garden in soil

Location is everything! Not every window is equally good for a window garden, let's see where to grow an edible window garden.

Where to grow an edible window garden

Edible Window Garden

How to Grow Tomatoes Indoors

How to Grow Tomatoes Indoors

Another indoor edible garden update. It was more successful for us than ever before, and we are sure it can get even better.

Indoor Edible Garden Update

In this video I take you on a tour to inspire you to be growing an indoor edible garden in the kitchen and food production garage. Hope you enjoy it.

Growing an Indoor Edible Garden – Video

The benefits and medicinal uses of Aloe Vera are almost endless, a real must have plant. Here is how to grow, plant, transplant, Aloe Vera in cold climate.

Growing Aloe Vera in Cold Climate

3 Reasons To Grow Your Own Salad and How To Do It in soil in a square food garden or in hydroponics using aeroponics or the kratky method.

3 Reasons To Grow Your Own Salad and How To Do It

Start growing food the the Kratky hydroponics way today! It is a simple and fun container gardening method suited for off-the-grid and water saving growing.

Growing Food the Kratky Hydroponics Way

Planting a Hydroponic Garden from seeds, seedlings, or cuttings for an year round aeroponic garden in the Tower Garden system, or any system you have.

Planting a Hydroponic Garden

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Filed Under: Food Preserving, Gardening, Growing, Growing Food, Indoor Garden Tagged With: Container Gardening, Gardening, Herbs, Indore Garden

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristen from The Road to Domestication says

    at

    Great post, Anna! And congrats on your move! Hope you’re settling in well 🙂

    Reply
  2. Shirley Wood says

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    Thanks for that info on growing Basil. It sounds easy enough, I may try that.

    Reply
  3. Sarah says

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    LOVE basil! I am missing it, and need to plant some indoors soon…once I get my lights set up again. We don’ t have the best of sunny windows!

    Reply
  4. Renew Your Space says

    at

    I just love basil – our CSA group supplied a LOT of it this year and I thought we would have to freeze it, but managed to use every last bit for meals. I had no idea it has so many health benefits! ~ Renee

    Reply
  5. tessa says

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    Pinned this one – thank you!

    Reply
  6. Alice Clark says

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    Basil is great to add to your garden among tomatoes to help ward of insects. Try growing different types of basil for different flavorings. I use dried basil all winter in soups, spaghetti or whatever you would use the seasoning in & have found one plant dried will last usually till spring for my family of 5. Way cheaper than buying from the stores & you know what is in the seasoning as well. Different basil has different flowers so it makes a lovely flower to plant as well. Purple basil has beautiful lavender flowers while green basil has tiny white flowers. Hope this is of help.

    Reply
    • Anna says

      at

      Thank you Alice, great info about growing different types of basil.

      Reply

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Jakob und Anna winter 2Northern Homestead is a blog about urban homesteading in a cold climate. We write about growing, raising, preserving, and preparing our own real food.
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