Towards the end of the season I start using my excess basil to make a basil-infused vodka drink – basilcello – that I store in my freezer. If you are inclined towards alcoholic beverages, here is a recipe for it from the Wall Street Journal that I adapted last year:
BASIL-INFUSED VODKA (BASILCELLO)
(adapted from the Wall Street Journal, 07/16/22)
Ingredients:
375 ml vodka (i.e., ½ of a fifth of vodka)
2 cups of loosely packed basil leaves (can include green stems, but no woody stem parts)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
Directions:
(1) In a quart-sized sealable Mason jar, combine the basil and vodka. Use a muddler or a wooden spoon to gently muddle the basil until it is very lightly bruised, about 10-15 seconds. Seal the jar and shake gently; then refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 1 week. (I put mine in the fridge for a week; if you leave the mixture in the fridge for that long, you will have a darker infused vodka but that’s okay because you will be mixing it with other liquids, so the resulting apertif will be lighter in color.)
(2) When you are ready to use the basil-infused vodka, make a simple syrup by putting the water and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, and stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves. At that point, remove from the heat, and let cool.
(3) Strain the basil-vodka mixture, reserving the vodka and discarding the basil.
(4) Rinse out the Mason jar, and pour the resulting infused vodka back into it; then add the simple syrup. Seal, and shake to combine; store in the freezer (it won’t freeze, because it’s alcohol).
(5) For the basilcello that I get from keeping the basil-infused vodka in the fridge for a week, I mix it with lemonade and/or seltzer water in these proportions: 1 part vodka infusion + syrup, 2 parts lemonade, 2 parts seltzer water; or, 1 part vodka infusion + syrup, 4 parts seltzer water. (If the latter, maybe add a slice or two of lemon.)
Over 20 yr living in AZ and am finally going to try growing a banana. Got this 15 gallon sized plant last weekend for only $25, so if it dies, I’m not out a lot of $$!
My tomatoes are slowing down. Finally! I will have to clear them off the deck sooner than usual because the deck is being rebuilt. The project was supposed to start much earlier but got delayed. So I got a full growing season out of my deck!
I’m visiting my daughter this week and she bought in a huge beautiful watermelon from outside. She told me it started in her horse manure pile. She isn’t sure how a watermelon seeds ended up in the pile. They got two watermelons, one wasn’t good but the one she picked today is bright red and delicious. It has no seeds. My husband won’t eat it since it grew out of the horse manure.
I have used a lot of manure in my gardens over the years. I guess it’s hard for some to wrap their head around it being a source of nutrients and not something necessarily harmful.
Per “Dr Google” - When growing crops where the edible portion is in contact with the soil (such as carrots, beets, or potatoes) fresh manure applications should be made at least four months prior to harvest. On other edible crops, fresh manure applications should be made at least three months prior to harvest.
So for the example of full growing season, the manure sprouted produce should be fine.
My daughter said the manure had been spread in that area quite a number of months earlier. She knew that since they had stopped spreading in that area months ago prior to the winter rains.
What are we growing in this pot?! It’s a pot full of dirt in a fairly shady corner of the deck. We likely tossed decorative mini gourds and pumpkin in there sometime during the winter. A few weeks ago, three vines started growing and now they’re going crazy! Some kind of squash?
Long time no post. Garden is a dying jungle. We still have green tomatoes and peppers. Hoping there’s some time before frost. It’s 40s at night though, so I should really pull everything and deal with what it is.
Wanted to mention that now is an awesome time to haunt the regular outlets to rescue perennials from the dumpster. I just scored five two-gallon pots at Walmart for $4 apiece. Happy hunting!!
Thanks for bumping up. My garden was neglected for the last 6 weeks or so (moving) and didn’t get watered as needed so seems my tomatoes became DOA early. Pulled out most of the garden this weekend except for carrots and some peppers that were still producing - when I plant my garlic by the end of the month I’ll pull the carrots and rest of it!
Thinking of putting some garden space in a spot at our new house…BUT I’m pretty sure that deer frequent that part of the yard like it’s their yard as indicated by some bushes that are heavily munched. Figured I’d do some research over the winter but are there any crops that are NOT interesting to deer to munch??? Of course there could be other critters too and I’m considering some sort of screen on the garden but deer are harder to keep out because they have a height advantage!
I’ve lived in Deer Central for over 20 years (NE PA).
Deer will eat anything when they’re hungry enough; I’ve even had my daffodils nibbled, and those are poisonous. They eat bark in the middle of winter.
That said, aromatic herbs are a safer bet than other plants. (But, my lavender was also eaten).
Can you put up a tall fence? For years, we did not have the money, nor a sunny spot, but the pandemic got us motivated and we cut down some trees and bought inexpensive rolls of galvanized fencing from Tractor Supply. We mostly use trees to support it, T-posts where the gap would be too big. It maybe cost $500 all in for a solid half-acre of space. Must be at least six feet; really should be eight feet, though I’m not sure TSC sells that height (we supplemented with cheaper black plastic deer fence, doubled over and zip-tied).
It does not look pretty, though it does blend into the woods where we live. But if you have neighbors or HOA concerns, it might not work for you. But I really wouldn’t bother without a serious fence.
Yeah , 1. The space is not that large - maybe 2 or 3 raised beds and. 2. I don’t think they would fly in the neighborhood! We also would not want to block our view.
There are screen covers for raised beds. I’ll think about it this winter!
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I just scored five two-gallon pots at Walmart for $4 apiece. Happy hunting!!
