Mother's Herb Garden : BASIL

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To dry the herb, gently gather up small bunches (basil bruises easily), tie the stems with string, and hang them upside down . . . in a dark, well-ventilated place with a temperature that ranges between 70 and 95°F. Then, when the leaves crumble easily, strip them from the stalks and pack them whole into containers.

For a real treat, mix cider vinegar with the green basil varieties (or dark opal basil in white vinegar) to create a versatile and delicious herbal liquid. Bruise the leaves and stems of about 1/2 pound of fresh basil (use a rolling pin for the job) and place them in the bottom of a plastic pail with a tight-fitting lid (the kind that bulk peanut butter comes in). Pour a gallon of vinegar on top, put on the lid, and let the mixture steep for at least two weeks. Then strain off the liquid and bottle it ...along with a sprig or two of fresh basil for continued flavor.

There are more uses for this herb vinegar than you can shake a stick at: It makes an excellent (two calories per tablespoon) salad dressing. (Add tamari soy sauce and olive oil for extra taste and richness.) Fresh carrots, cucumbers, green peppers, summer squash, etc. can be marinated in the "basil-ade" to produce crunchy "overnight" pickles . . . and a sprinkle of the vinegar mixture adds a subtle tanginess to your soups, stir-fry cooking, and casseroles.

And by the way, an old New Mexico legend says that a bit of this fragrant herb—carried in your pocket—will attract money.

On top of that, it's long been rumored in Rumania that if you offer a sprig of basil to the man or woman you fancy—and if the herb is accepted—true love will follow . . . while Hindus consider the basilicum plant to be a pass into paradise!

Flavor, fortune, love, and paradise! Basil is hard to beat!

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