The cut stems and leaves are your basil harvest. I have almost a dozen plants and these provide enough basil every time I harvest to make two batches of pesto � one to eat fresh, one for the freezer. Besides girls and pesto and Italian food, here�s another reason to grow basil: Bees. Bees love basil. While we humans love growing basil for its pungent leaves, the bees love it for the... MINT, BASIL, AND OTHER LEAFY HERBS. Clip the stalk of your herb. The key to this step is to make sure each of these two new stalks has at least one set of two leaves, enough for each new plant to collect enough light to grow.
Basil can be a bit high maintenance to revive & store- if it�s exposed to cold water for too long, the leaves will turn black. My recommendation is to shock them (not soak) for 1-2 minutes, or just enough to perk them up. Pat dry and use right away. Washed basil does not keep very well. Get a plant ;)... Most herbs are easy to grow, requiring nothing but sunshine, water, and a little care. Basil is particularly low-maintenance, and given the right conditions will reward you with a wealth of bright, fragrant, and flavorful leaves.
If basil is not the most popular culinary herb in the United States, it certainly comes in near the top of the list. The basil leaves used in cooking grow on the basil plant (Ocimum basilicum).
Prune the basil plant by cutting three inches up from the bottom, leaving a few inches of leaves left on the plant. You will need to do this every month or so. You will need to do this every month or so.