Welcome to the very first episode of Plant to Plate! Join Amber (your resident nutritionist) and Alyson (your go-to gardener) as we dive headfirst into everyone’s favorite classic herb: Basil.

We’re bringing you a lively, fun chat packed with practical tips, culinary ideas, and a few silly ponderings along the way.

What We’re Digging Into:

• Growing 101: How to keep your basil thriving (and what not to do!).
• Varieties & Flavors: Exploring different types of basil and how to use them.
• Harvest to Table: Best ways to pick, cook, and devour your harvest.
• Save It for Later: Easy tips for preserving, storing, and gifting basil.

Love the vibe?

If you enjoyed our chat, we’d love for you to stick around!

• 📌 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
• 👯 Share this episode with a fellow plant lover or foodie.
• 💬 Connect with us online:

Amber: WholeYouNutrition.com

Alyson: SassyDaffodil.com | Instagram: @sassydaffodil

📚 Books Mentioned in This Episode:

• Freeze Fresh: The Ultimate Guide to Preserving 55 Fruits and Vegetables by Crystal Schmidt
• Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
• Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
• Culinary Herbs – Grow. Preserve. Cook! by Yvonne Tremblay

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Welcome to

Plant to Plate, the podcast that shares

2

the love of growing and eating food.

3

This season, we're exploring herbs.

4

I'm Alison, the garden

consultant, designer, and

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educator behind Sassy Daffodil

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: And

I'm Amber, a licensed nutritionist

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and founder of Whole You Nutrition

and Meal Planning Collective.

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In today's episode, we're exploring basil.

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But first, I think it'd be helpful

to share with the listeners

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how we got here, Allison.

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Like, why are we making this podcast?

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: yeah, I think

besides just having, an obvious connection

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in our businesses, everybody needs to eat

and the food has to come from somewhere.

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I think that we also have a very

similar style and personalities,

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and we like to have fun, right?

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Absolutely.

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we first partnered, on a microgreen

and sprouts grow along in the

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cold winter months in Minnesota.

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I think it was back in

February, wasn't it?

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yeah

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: and as we're

recording this now, it is officially

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summer, which is very and means that we

can actually turn our, our plant eyes to

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the outside, 'cause we definitely weren't

growing sprouts and micr- microgreens

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outside in February in Minnesota.

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651:

And that's true.

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We're both in Minnesota, so if people

are listening elsewhere, obviously

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growing herbs isn't something that

has to happen only in certain months,

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'cause you can do it inside too.

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But maybe that's another episode.

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Yeah,

I actually would love to talk about

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that at some time 'cause I feel like

I can grow herbs in my sleep outside,

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but when I try to bring them in

the house, it's a different story.

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So see, there's just so

much, so much to talk about.

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yes

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: in

each of these episodes, we're

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gonna do kind of mini seasons.

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We don't really have a firm structure

in place of how often we will

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release episodes, but we're planning

to do, like, four herb episodes.

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So we'll release those weekly while

we're doing it, and then depending

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on what people are interested or

what they wanna hear more of, we'll

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kind of pop back in occasionally

with some follow-up episodes too.

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but in the herb episodes specifically,

we're gonna talk about different

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varieties of each herb, so

today that will be basil, flavor

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profiles, potential health benefits.

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Caveat, this is not us recommending

specific herbs or herbal treatments

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for any sort of conditions, just

general information and knowledge.

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plus when we were talking about herbs, we

had a lot of fun with talking about them

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in terms of, like, their personality.

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so we'll highlight that a little bit,

talk about growing conditions, and then

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of course, like, how to store, eat, all

of the, all of the good things with herbs.

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let's start with that personality thing.

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Allison, how would you describe

the personality of basil?

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Basil,

you know, it really feels like that

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steady, loyal pal, It's probably

the one that most people grow.

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But every once in a while, it might throw

on an ascot and take you to the jazz

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club, and we're gonna talk about that.

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

Uh, I love that.

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Hi, basil.

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Who knew?

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Who knew?

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we are definitely starting with

Alison's, area of expertise, not mine.

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What are some of the different varieties

of basil that we can grow, either from

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plants that we're purchasing at a nursery

or from seeds that we might be buying

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651:

what I recommend is if you're

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comfortable starting from seed,

basil is an easy one to start with.

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but the thing about buying a seed

packet is you get more than one seed.

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You actually get quite a few, which,

maybe it's a couple bucks, depending

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if you're getting it on sale or,

ordering it online or whatever.

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But most nurseries will

have all kinds of seeds.

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And if you can find it, the Everleaf

Emerald Towers basil is, like,

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the, the easy, like, you can't…

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I, I don't ever wanna say

you can't kill it, because in

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gardening you can kill anything.

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there's sweet Genovese, basil

that is a very standard one.

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But then there's also Thai

basil or tulsi and holy basil.

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So, you can get packets of those.

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But if you know you really want,

sweet basil, get a packet of that.

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And then if you wanna try something, that

might be the way to, get a seedling or the

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start or the small plant at the nursery.

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You know, 'cause there's different

flavors, different colors, different

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aromas that all of these herbs have.

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And so that's a way, instead of buying

a whole seed packet and then putting

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it in soil and waiting for it to grow,

you have something that you could

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ar- actually start with pretty soon.

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So, I kinda recommend purchasing

plants for some of those things.

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When I started growing basil,

I discovered there's not only

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a standard loyalty pal, right?

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There's all these different kinds, and

that's the fun part about growing from

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seed, 'cause sometimes you can do a lot of

different things when you grow from seed.

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but what should somebody know about these

different varieties and flavor profiles?

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Yes.

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I have to admit, I have not been

brave enough to start growing

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most things from seed yet.

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that's definitely a goal of mine.

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So all of the basil that I have this

year has definitely been purchased

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starts from the nursery, and they

offer so many, so it is nice.

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Like you said, if you don't need

an entire plot of basil, sometimes

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the seeds and the number you

get aren't necessarily worth it.

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Although in my experience, those

seeds last pretty well, and you

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can use them year after year.

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But experience is very limited.

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651:

when stored correctly, right?

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So making sure they aren't getting

wet or in a humid location.

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So generally, uh, a dry, darker

location is best for your seed storing.

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And yes, you're right, they

can last for a long, long time.

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the indigenous f- folks have been hoarding

them in different areas for years and

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years and years and years and years

to help us, uh, actually have things

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that can grow at any point in time

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

That's amazing.

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So in terms of flavor profiles, I

will talk kind of about the most,

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I don't know if they're the most

popular, the most easily found ones.

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So I think the, the version of ba-

basil that most of us are most familiar

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with is that Genovese or basil.

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That's the standard sort of green leaf.

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And the flavor, which I'm guessing

most of our listeners are familiar

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with the flavor of basil, but it has

kind of a sweet anise or licorice

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flavor and a little bit of clove.

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And I do find, we'll talk more about

kind of storage later, but I do

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find basil is one where the flavor

changes pretty dramatically if you're

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looking at dried versus fresh basil.

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So I think we can talk a little

bit more about that later.

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another type of basil that I am also

growing this year is Thai basil,

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and that has a stronger flavor.

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It still has that sweetness, but

there's like more of that anise

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or licorice flavor, and there's

even a hint of mint in there.

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And as the name probably gives away,

it's used frequently in Thai food.

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Um, and then which is another favorite

of mine, is often used more, I would say

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my experience with it is in a tea form.

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But that has almost a little bit more

of like a peppery clove flavor and maybe

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a little bit of like lemon and mint

and anise as kind of the undertone.

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It doesn't have quite the same flavor as

that sweet basil I think most of us know

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: See,

this is where I love having your

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perspective because I don't understand

flavor profiles very well, and I don't

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understand how to mix them when eating.

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So this is why I do love doing this,

is because I can grow the stuff, but

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then I don't know what to do with it.

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And I would, I would never be able

to call out those different flavors.

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I, like the sommelier when they

ask what the wine tastes like,

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and I'll be like, "Uh, grapes?"

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I think

herbs are really interesting because

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I'm guessing if we polled a handful

of people just like, you know, person

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on the street style, a lot of people

would say that they don't care for

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the flavor of licorice or anise.

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But that is a flavor that comes

up so often with different herbs.

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Basil's a great example.

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I think a lot of people say they

love basil, and those same people

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would be like, "I can't stand

the taste of black licorice."

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But there are some of those same subtle

flavor profiles that come in there.

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They're just not quite as strong,

and they're layered with some of

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those other things like the sweetness

and the little bit of clove and

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sometimes a little bit of citrus, too.

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So it's really interesting.

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This is not the last, uh,

herb I will be talking about

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anise and licorice flavors in.

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: That is,

it is kind of mind-blowing because

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I would never want to have Good

& Plenty candy with a tomato, right?

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So it's kind of blowing my mind right now

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

Just chop 'em up and sprinkle

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'em over your caprese salad.

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Mm.

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Little texture as well as flavor.

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So again, I'm not an herbalist,

but there's definitely some herbal

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traditions that spill over into nutrition

training, and I have taken herbalism

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classes and do some ongoing education

with somebody who is an herbalist.

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So I do learn about different, ways

that herbs can be used for health

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and wellness, during different

continuing education classes.

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And one of the ones that I actually

recommend to quite a few clients

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is tulsi, so that holy basil.

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And usually I recommend this in

the form of a tea because it's a

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really great nervous system support.

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if somebody tends towards a more anxious

personality or is feeling just a little

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bit wound up or a little stressed out,

having a cup of tulsi tea, both the

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ritual of like making the cup of tea,

but then also the action of the herb

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itself in the body really helps to

calm and soothe the nervous system.

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Now, it's not like you're popping a Xanax,

so not gonna be this immediately n- night

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and day difference, but it does have

this nice soothing effect on the body.

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and then this other one,

I've never tried this before.

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So Alison, when we were kind of

researching our herbs, one thing

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that we came across in, some of the

books, and we'll put recommendations

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for the books in the show notes too,

but one of them recommended using a

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basil poultice for mosquito bites.

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a poultice is essentially like chopping

up the herb and like kind of making

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sort of like a rough paste out of it.

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Is that how you would describe it,

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yeah.

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I mean, it just sounds really old

school, But I mean, some of the- to

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g- we are going back more to natural

remedies, so the idea of the tulsi tea.

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I haven't grown tulsi basil yet.

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Definitely need to try it now.

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I don't know how often I'm

gonna reach for it to chop it

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up and put on a mosquito bite.

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I feel like I have some other

things that I'm cool with there.

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I mean, if

it's the only thing I have, I, I get a

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lot of mosquito bites, so if it's, uh…

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Maybe I'll give it a try sometime

this summer and see how it works.

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I'll report back if I try it.

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yeah.

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Take it on a hike with you.

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: yeah.

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Just a little baggie of smashed

up basil to smear on my ankles.

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Nobody asked

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651:

Oh, did you get bit?

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I have some basil poultice here.

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Give it a try.

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Okay, so those are just

kind of a few things.

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And then herbs in general, we'll talk

more about this in some of the other

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herbal episodes that we have, but, they

have a lot of, anti-inflammatory, and

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antioxidant types of properties Herbs only

benefit us in, I would say, most ways.

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They add flavor, they add some nutritional

benefit, they add some potential, wellness

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or medical benefits in some ways, too.

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So how do we grow these things?

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Basil in particular, how do we

keep our basil plants happy?

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yes.

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the other thing is having fresh herbs,

like you said, not just affecting flavor,

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but also the amount of benefit that you

get from it, because you are getting

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the highest benefit the fresher it is.

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And so if it hasn't gone through an

entire supply chain in the grocery

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stores, it's come straight from your

backyard grocery store, that's awesome.

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like I said, basil is a pretty

easy one to start from seed.

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Then as it grows up, it becomes

a teenager and, you know, it,

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it struggles with a few things.

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first of all, it wants a lot of sun.

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So full sun is at least

five hours or more.

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But don't give it too much sun because

then it's gonna get burnt, right?

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It doesn't … And it doesn't

do well d- well in cold.

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So it gets burned if it's too

cold, if it gets burned, if it's

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too, has too much direct sun.

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So a d- a little bit of dappled sun and

warmth is kind of the perfect place.

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Now, I s- anything that I say

about this is the perfect gardening

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condition, I don't want anybody to

stress out about that because I try

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all kinds of things and I figure

out what works for me and my garden.

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you'll do the same thing.

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So, those are just some

things to, to know.

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pairing basil with tomatoes, actually i-

not just on the plate, but when you're

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planting, can help improve the flavor

of the tomato and help repel insects and

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pests that would want to enjoy munching

on the tomato plants, but the basil,

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generally things that kind of smell,

maybe like a anise, they don't really

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love, and so it can help those go away.

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it is an annual, and what annual means

is that it's not gonna make it through

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our winter and come back next year.

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There are different herbs, and we'll talk

about those later, that will actually

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come back, so put them in a place that

you want to have them back over years.

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but an annual means it's just

gonna, plant for that year, and

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then you can start the next year

with new seeds or a new seedling.

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if those things aren't options, the other

thing, uh, besides just buying it at a

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s- a nursery, farmers markets, CSAs, or

co-ops are awesome options for buying it

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and getting a much fresher version than

at, like, a big box store or grocery store

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Quick question

related to annuals and perennials.

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yeah

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

an annual everywhere?

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Like, do we always need to replant

the seeds, or do you know if

252

there are certain, growing zones

where it would just, continue on?

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Like, if it never gets cold, would it

just keep growing, or does it have…

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totally asking

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: No, that's

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

out of the box here.

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651:

No, that's good.

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That's good.

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: wondering,

like, south from here, is there some

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place where basil just kind of hangs

out year-round and doesn't die?

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651:

I don't know about that.

262

I'm Instagram friends and followers

with people in Florida and California,

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and I've heard of some things, like

rosemary, it can be shrubs in Arizona.

264

here there's some different things

we can do to make it work in

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Minnesota, but it has to come inside.

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Basil though, I don't f- I feel like

even in the, the southern climates, even

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their winter does get too cold for it.

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somebody in Florida and the

basil would be like, "Oh, it's

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50 degrees and it's too cold."

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Yeah,

it, it is a little sensitive to,

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: no.

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amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

temperature changes, as you mentioned.

273

I would also guess, this is the part of

the show where Amber just says things

274

that she has no way of backing up.

275

I would also guess from, like, a

culinary perspective that if it did

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continue growing, that unless you're

really tending to it and trimming it

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and, like, staying on top of it, that

the leaves would get to a point where

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they don't have the same, like, sweet

flavor and, light, delicate texture.

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Like, they might get kind of woody

or bitter if it just kept growing

280

without a lot of attention paid to it.

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651:

Yes, I totally agree.

282

and that could even happen within a

regular summer season with a lot of herbs.

283

They want you to cut it a lot.

284

And then it will keep making leaves,

and then once you stop cutting it,

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it's like, "Okay, I need to make

flowers and make seed in order to…"

286

Well, unfortunately, this thing thinks

it's g- that it's going to re-seed itself.

287

In Minnesota, it's not going to.

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But that's what it will do,

and it creates the flowers.

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That changes the flavor

profile of the herb as well.

290

The flowers can be beneficial for

our insects, but they also, they

291

make the plant itself bitter,

and then they're making seeds.

292

So the energy in the plant is going

to a different part of the plant.

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But that is a place where you can save

seed, and then you don't have to buy seed,

294

and you're actually getting a stronger

seed because you got something from

295

a plant that survived in your garden.

296

And so we can talk

about that sometime, too

297

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Yeah.

298

Man, plants are just so cool.

299

okay, so we kind of talked a little

bit about how if it does start

300

to flower, it changes the flavor.

301

But what about harvesting in general?

302

Like, how do I keep my backyard

basil plant so that I can make those

303

caprese salads throughout the year

and not have the flavor change?

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alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yeah.

305

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I do?

306

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: it is hard.

307

We, we think, "Oh, let it grow.

308

Let it grow."

309

No, you actually, in plant

world, you want to cut.

310

But where you cut, you just wanna

make sure there's still a leaf

311

set at the bottom of that stem,

so cut above the lowest leaf

312

set, and then let it keep going.

313

do it even if you don't need basil that

day, because it is going to help the plant

314

be healthier and bushier instead of just

having one single stem that's constantly

315

putting additional leaves on it.

316

that encourages the new growth, and we

already talked about it going to seed.

317

if you are saving the seed, label

the envelope that you put it in.

318

Some people think they're gonna

remember what the seed is.

319

Guess what?

320

You're, you're not.

321

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Yeah,

the same way that I don't remember

322

what's in that jar that I put in

the freezer if I don't label it.

323

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yep, yep, yep.

324

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: soup is this?

325

okay, so I don't know where I heard this

first, but I have found that when I am

326

cutting my backyard basil and bringing

it into the house, if I'm not using

327

it that day, I was told at some point

to store it like a bouquet of flowers.

328

So stick the stems into water and

then just leave it on the counter.

329

I, I do notice that it helps solve

the problem of basil turning black

330

in the refrigerator, which I've

definitely had both from homegrown

331

basil and grocery store basil.

332

and I guess the grocery store kind

of gives us a clue of that because

333

most often, or many times, grocery

stores have basil, like, by the

334

tomatoes and not in the refrigerator

section with the other herbs.

335

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: I love it,

of course, being a flower girl myself.

336

so a couple things.

337

that is actually one of the ways that

you can propagate or make more basil,

338

because if you have kept it in a vase on

your windowsill or on your counter for a

339

long enough time, you'll start to see it

growing roots at the bottom of the stem.

340

you can then pop that plant back

into the soil if you want to.

341

you're essentially growing it and

you're encouraging it to stay alive,

342

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I love that.

343

So if I don't get around to using it, I'll

just literally start growing more basil,

344

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yes

345

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

plant that I can use.

346

with propagating basil, will it

just start coming out of the bottom?

347

I know like when I cut my, I don't

know, like philodendron or whatever,

348

I'm supposed to leave like one

of those little nodes, and that's

349

where the roots tend to start coming

out of if I'm propagating that.

350

Will basil…

351

Does it need to have one of

those like growth points to start

352

rooting in water, or will it

353

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: No.

354

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

the stem eventually?

355

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: It will yeah.

356

it will eventually, and some

take longer to produce roots.

357

Like, even if you grow from seed, it

can take, talk about a time window,

358

it can take somewhere from three days

or 30 days to germinate, and that can

359

depend on the type, I mean, the type

of basil that you have, how old the

360

seeds are, what the conditions are,

361

I said, it's, kind of a teenager

before it even, starts growing.

362

But, um, same type of thing,

363

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I know

this, I'm, I'm taking us back in time to

364

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yes.

365

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

the plant again, but one

366

just came to, to mind for me.

367

Is there anything special

that I need to do?

368

Like, if I'm starting basil from

seed, should I be starting it indoors

369

while it's still chilly outside?

370

Or is it one…

371

'Cause you just said it could

be, like, three days or 30 days.

372

Is it one that I could, like, pop it

into my soil outside as a seed after,

373

like, the f- last frost has passed?

374

What is your recommendation?

375

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: So I'm

gonna try to keep the answer simple,

376

but a lot of things depend, right?

377

Depending on where you live, what your

zones are, what your average … You

378

mentioned average last frost date.

379

That might be not, might not be

something everybody understands.

380

You can look it up on, the

Farmer's Almanac website.

381

But, yes, you can, and I

do start stuff in- indoors.

382

That's a whole nother thing because

you do have to keep it watered.

383

It is a baby that you're

taking care of inside that is

384

really wanting to be outside.

385

So it needs light, it needs water.

386

It needs not too much water,

And so, like, four to six weeks

387

before your average last frost.

388

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Okay

389

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: if you

were to sow it outside after frost,

390

germination, if we say up to a month,

then you might start getting a few leaves.

391

You'd be able to harvest

it, say, six weeks in.

392

Again, all of this depends on

weather conditions, of course.

393

and then, you kinda

have a month to harvest.

394

Where the Emerald Towers, Everleaf

Emerald Towers is really special is,

395

they've done some different testing

and, and hybridization to get to

396

the point where this one doesn't

flower for another up to 12 weeks.

397

And we don't even get that

much in Minnesota, though.

398

But it gives you a lot more time to, to

cut back from, from the, the basil itself

399

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Oh, that's I'm

gonna have to try some of that, 'cause I'm

400

not always so great about pinching back

those flowers as quickly as I should be.

401

if I'm growing it from seed inside,

do I need to do anything to,

402

ease its transition to outdoors?

403

I know some plants need,

404

what the technical term is, where you,

like, bring it outside for a little

405

bit, but then bring it back inside.

406

Do you have to…

407

Is that with literally, like, every

408

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yes

409

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: you're

growing from seed, or is it only certain

410

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651:

Nope, it is all plants.

411

we call it hardening off, and what

it means, it's not just for the

412

hot weather, it can be wind, hot

weather, and sometimes in Minnesota

413

it could be the cooler weather.

414

But think about you're growing things in

an incubator, essentially, indoors, and

415

if you just immediately pop it outside and

it gets a windy day or a really sunny day,

416

it's like, "I've never seen this before.

417

What the heck?"

418

so what you do is you, over two

weeks, you take it outside, give it

419

a little bit of shade time, bring

it back inside overnight, take it

420

back outside the next day, give it a

little bit more shade time, maybe one

421

hour of sun, bring it back inside.

422

So we call it the dance, right?

423

You're, you're shuffling

things in and out- outside

424

for es- essentially two weeks.

425

But, yes, they need a transition time

as they go outside, and that is for all

426

plants that you start growing indoors.

427

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

That makes a lot of sense.

428

so now that we've got our plants and

they're happy, whether we figured out

429

how to grow them from seed and harden

them off ourselves, or we got them

430

from the nursery who took care of

kind of that behind the scenes work

431

for us, what do we do if we want to

preserve and store basil for future use?

432

I mean, if we're supposed to be trimming

these plants on a pretty regular basis

433

to keep them from flowering, to help

them grow more, feels like I might end

434

up with a lot of basil at one time.

435

How can I make it last longer?

436

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yes.

437

I, and also we want to be using that

throughout the year if we can, right?

438

We would love to have a

fresh-ish or at least something

439

that we grew in the winter.

440

That's nice to have.

441

And so th- there's two main ways.

442

I mean, drying, obviously that's

generally what you buy on the

443

shelves at the grocery store.

444

You're getting a dried version.

445

So if you wanna dry it, you

can just take the branches.

446

take an entire branch.

447

You don't need to just take the

leaves, but cut the branches, tie them

448

together and hang them up in a … You

don't wanna do it in a sunny spot.

449

You want them to just dry, naturally.

450

You can also put them into a

dehydrator, or put them on sheet

451

pans into your oven or toaster oven.

452

That's a great way to do it as well.

453

and then you basically mince it up, with

a grinder or in a food processor, crush

454

it by hand, whatever is fun for you.

455

Add it to a spice, spice jar.

456

And what did we say?

457

Label it.

458

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Yay.

459

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: It's kinda

like when you were in kindergarten

460

and you always had to put your

name at the top of the paper.

461

Label and date your spices.

462

Label and date your food.

463

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

Yeah, seriously.

464

Okay, so is one option.

465

I don't love dried basil.

466

I feel like it doesn't

taste like fresh basil.

467

Although I guess I've

never dried my own basil.

468

I've just bought dried basil,

like, at the grocery store

469

already in the little spice jar.

470

And it tastes fine, but it does

not remind me of actual basil.

471

So what are other ways that we could

maybe store basil that might capture a

472

little bit more of that, freshness in a

473

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yes.

474

and let's be honest, when you have

to buy an entire jar of basil, maybe

475

it has been sitting there a while.

476

I know I could probably use a,

a clean-out of my spice jars.

477

So it's nice to have a refresh every year

if you are gonna do some of the dried.

478

But here's what I love, and there's

a book called Freeze Fresh, and We

479

will link that in the show notes.

480

it is freezing your basil.

481

And the best way to do this is stripping

the leaves off of the stem, discard

482

the stems, mince those leaves with

a, a sharp knife, and then freeze

483

them in olive oil in ice cube trays.

484

And then you've got basically ready

u- to use portions to throw in

485

your pot when you're making pasta.

486

and you can seal them in a, a freezer

bag or some kind of container, label and

487

date that, and then you know what it is.

488

And yeah, I love having

an ice cube or two.

489

Ice cube, we say, but it's an

olive oil cube of basil that

490

can go into any of your dishes.

491

that's awesome to have

in the winter for sure

492

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I love that

so much, and I think this means it's time

493

to talk about how to eat basil, right?

494

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yes.

495

That, I was gonna say, that's

your area of expertise.

496

I'm not giving anybody recipes here.

497

You're gonna do this.

498

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: when we

think about different ways to use basil,

499

I'm guessing for most people the first

thing that comes to mind is pesto.

500

I feel like that is the

tried-and-true way to use fresh basil.

501

And there's a lot of fun ways that you

can, like, do a twist on pesto too.

502

So you could mix multiple

herbs together with the basil.

503

You could swap out the traditional

pine nuts for a different kind of nut.

504

You could swap out the, Parmesan

cheese for a different kind of

505

cheese or leave it out altogether.

506

And similar to how you were describing

freezing the fresh basil in olive

507

oil, pesto freezes really well too.

508

So if you know you're a pesto lover,

you could just jump to full-on making

509

pesto when you're harvesting your

basil and freeze that and be able to

510

pull that out and just like, you know,

toss it with some pasta in January

511

and feel like there's a little hint

of summer somewhere out there still.

512

another way that I really like to use

herbs, basil, yes, but so many other

513

herbs, would be to make an herb oil

that you're planning to use, within the

514

next like week or two versus freezing.

515

My favorite combo is basil,

rosemary, parsley, and garlic.

516

this was the secret to all of

the food at a catering company

517

that I used to work for.

518

Like this was the thing that they put

on all of the proteins before grilling

519

or searing them, all of the veggies

before steaming them, And essentially

520

you can just throw it all into a blender

and just buzz it up until the herbs are

521

finely chopped and the garlic is finely

chopped and store it in the refrigerator.

522

Again, put a label on it with the date.

523

but just put, a couple of spoonfuls

onto veggies before you throw

524

them on the grill or onto your,

chicken before you're popping it

525

in the oven or searing it in a pan.

526

Season with a little bit of salt

and pepper and you just have such

527

a great base flavor to start from.

528

the flavor just gives you kind of that

nice like herbal well-seasoned base

529

without being really strongly flavored

of like a certain region or cuisine.

530

So that's really nice.

531

As we've talked about several times,

basil is like tomato's best friend.

532

So like

533

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Oh

534

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: anything.

535

Yeah

536

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Before

you move on to tomatoes, it- you,

537

you just said herb oil, so is there

a certain type of oil that you

538

recommend using, or is it up to your

own discretion, it doesn't matter?

539

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Yeah,

my preferred oil, I like to use

540

an avocado oil to keep the oil

base really, mild in flavor.

541

I feel like avocado oil has that really

nice neutral flavor, and it can be

542

used on high heat applications too.

543

But you could certainly do it with an

olive oil, either a mild olive oil,

544

to keep that flavor neutral, or if you

just really love that flavor of like a

545

stronger olive oil, you could use that.

546

You know, be slightly aware of smoke

point in terms of how you might think you

547

use it, but it can be really versatile.

548

I mean, I think back to my catering

days, I believe it was a mix of like a

549

neutral canola oil kind of thing with

a little bit of olive oil, so you kind

550

of got the best of both worlds in terms

of like smoke point and then a little

551

bit of that olive oil flavor in there

too without it being too overwhelming.

552

So yeah, try things out

and see what you like.

553

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: I love having

the secret to make me feel and maybe

554

even taste like I knew what I was doing.

555

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Yes, I know.

556

Isn't it fun?

557

And let's face it, no one actually knows

what they're doing, so just own it with

558

confidence and people will believe it.

559

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yeah.

560

So let's talk about tomatoes,

'cause obviously we can grow

561

the tomatoes, we grow the basil.

562

Now what do we do with them?

563

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: E-

everything and, and anything.

564

I feel like there's no wrong

way to use basil with tomatoes.

565

In the summer, the classic, caprese

salad is the first place that I go.

566

slices of tomato, slices

of fresh mozzarella, just

567

nice fresh leaves of basil.

568

Finish that with a little

olive oil, salt, and pepper.

569

Chef's kiss.

570

Delicious.

571

and any variation of that, different

tomatoes, chopping it versus

572

slices, like, all of those things.

573

I also feel like so at

home in tomato soup.

574

I mean, you see that a lot, like a

tomato basil soup, or in a tomato

575

sauce, like a marinara type of thing.

576

And I find if I'm making those things

from scratch or even starting with canned

577

tomatoes, I will throw, like, a whole

branch of basil in while the tomatoes are

578

either, simmering, to reduce, or I often

roast the tomatoes in the oven to get rid

579

of some of the excess water before I turn

it into something like a soup or a sauce.

580

And that whole branch, because that

branch does have a lot of flavor, even if

581

it's woody and you wouldn't necessarily

wanna, like, chew on it, it works really

582

well in that cooking method because

then you just pull it out at the end.

583

Like, the basil has given up its flavor

to this mixture of tomatoes, and then

584

you can just kind of toss that away.

585

And if you wanna add a little bit more

fresh chopped up basil in at the very

586

end before serving, you can do that too.

587

But I don't think you can go wrong

with any tomato basil combination.

588

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: For sure.

589

Well, that's good to know that

you can put the whole branch in,

590

'cause usually I always leave…

591

I usually always leave the, basil

until the end because I'm worried

592

about disrupting its flavor profile.

593

So that's also good to know

594

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I think

one of the nice things about that is

595

you get different layers of the flavor.

596

Like, if you throw in the whole, branch

with a few leaves during, the slow

597

simmering process of making a sauce or

a soup, and kind of pull that out and

598

discard it, and then finish with fresh

basil, it's like you're getting basil

599

in two different flavor profiles of

basil, so it just adds to that, layered

600

complexity of the food, which again, kind

of going back to what you were saying

601

before, makes you feel like you're an

expert and that you know the secret to,

602

making something just that much better.

603

So it gives you that more rounded

depth of flavor with things.

604

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: This is

just an example of how it is your

605

steady, loyal pal, but it's gonna

surprise you with an adventure once in

606

a while if you wanna use it that way

607

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I had

mentioned at the beginning that tulsi or

608

holy basil is most often used for tea.

609

I've never made the tea myself.

610

I've always purchased tulsi

tea, but I really do love it.

611

It just has a really nice mild flavor,

and like I said, that benefit of helping

612

just relax the, nervous system is great.

613

We had mentioned with Thai basil, most

often it is used in Thai dishes and

614

really several Southeast Asian countries

that use a lot of herbs will use it.

615

Like, I've definitely seen Thai

basil show up in, Vietnamese

616

recipes and, restaurants too.

617

would say Thai basil chicken is

probably one of the most popular and

618

well-known, so pad krapow I have no

idea if I'm saying that properly.

619

I'm guessing my enunciation

is not point there.

620

the dish is delicious.

621

It's essentially chicken and some

spicy chilies with a of Thai basil.

622

So you just get that really strong kind

of, like, licorice-y, minty fresh flavor

623

with this, spicy, savory chicken dish.

624

Absolutely delicious

625

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: You know what?

626

Now that makes me wonder if Thai basil…

627

Now I want to know the origins

of it, and I want to know if it

628

grows year-round in Thailand.

629

So I don't know, maybe,

630

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Yeah

631

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651:

can email us and let us know.

632

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

That's a great question.

633

I never, yeah, I've never

really thought about that.

634

I also find that Thai basil tends to

flower sooner, but I don't know that

635

it necessarily changes the flavor as

much as I notice with the sweet basil.

636

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Okay

637

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

So I don't know.

638

Again,

639

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651:

We have more to learn.

640

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

Yeah, absolut- I'm

641

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Always.

642

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Always.

643

Thai basil is also great in like

a fresh spring roll or summer

644

roll, so just getting that like

really fresh herb flavor in there.

645

It pairs really nicely with, mint

and cilantro and kind of all of

646

those other fresh herb flavors that

you would put in a spring roll.

647

Italian seasoning.

648

So you described how to dry it.

649

It can be mixed with other dried

herbs, so things like oregano or

650

some thyme, even some dried garlic.

651

You know, mixing all of those

things together to make, some

652

kind of dried Italian seasoning.

653

And then herbed salts

is another great one.

654

And again, some of these apply to

multiple herbs that we'll talk about,

655

so we'll probably mention them maybe

more briefly in future episodes.

656

but herb salts, when you put the herb

into salt, like chop it up and mix it with

657

salt, the salt draws out the moisture from

the herb, essentially drying it, but then

658

also it is flavoring the salt itself too,

and then you can use that to season your

659

food and get some of that delicious herb

flavor at the same time that you're adding

660

that salty seasoning to your food too

661

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: You

just, you kind of unlocked a new

662

thing for me because I'm thinking

cocktails and like potentially doing

663

like an herb salted rim on something.

664

And then what if on the other side,

because I also have a sweet tooth, you

665

could do a sugar, like a basil sugar

that would be a rim or, for something

666

on a basil lemonade or something.

667

That would be fun, too

668

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I didn't

have this on my original list, but this

669

conversation just reminded me, a couple

of years ago I was developing a recipe

670

for a client, and it was essentially a

strawberry shortcake, but I made a basil

671

simple syrup that I swirled into the

whipped cream that went on top of it.

672

So I had this bright green, swirl in

the, bright white whipped cream, and

673

then this, delicious basil flavor

with a little bit of sweetness

674

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651:

That sounds amazing

675

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: Yeah,

it was beautiful and delicious

676

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Cool.

677

Oh my goodness.

678

Okay, so obviously these aren't things

that we have to keep to ourselves, right?

679

We could, but we can also gift them, and

that's what I, I actually find, especially

680

when I have an abundance of something, uh,

you better believe you might be getting

681

something with something from the garden.

682

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I love that.

683

And so I'm guessing you have a bunch

of ideas on how we can gift some herbal

684

delicacies to friends and family.

685

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: And It

can be as simple as, we talked about

686

propagating basil, putting that in

a l- cute little pot and giving it

687

to a friend, so then they get basil.

688

and they can do some of their own

things, or you can do them together.

689

even at the herbed salts or the Italian

seasoning, make that, put a, type up a

690

little recipe, which I know we can get

lots of recipes on wholeyounutrition.com,

691

and I've used one today actually.

692

I made, artichoke, the artichoke

spinach farro salad with dill.

693

So it had a, you know…

694

They all have some kind

of seasoning in them.

695

Anyway, so have a little recipe or some

dry pasta and put that all together with

696

your personally grown herbs that are

put in a little cute jar with a ribbon.

697

I grew up, on a farm and ranch, and I feel

like we would do some of these things.

698

You'd make chocolates or whatever, but

make things cute with little mason jars.

699

but also being the flower girl, we talked

about propagating, but also if you do let

700

the basil go to flower, they are pretty

and aromatic in a bouquet of flowers.

701

And so I actually grow some of the purple

basil varieties specifically for it to

702

flower and go into some small posies

703

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

Really love that.

704

That also reminds me when I was in

culinary school, oh, so many years ago,

705

there was a chef instructor who was, I

think, engaged at the time, and their

706

wedding was maybe, like, the summer after

whatever class I was taking with him.

707

And he said that his bride was

carrying flowering herbs as her wedding

708

bouquet as a nod to their, shared

love of, of cooking and culinary arts.

709

And I just thought that

was, like, such a cool idea

710

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yeah

711

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: filed

it away as like, "Oh, you could

712

even have cute little, flowering

herbs on the tables," like in

713

little, mason jars or whatever too.

714

Like, how fun to take

advantage of the flowers.

715

So if it got a little out of hand, you can

still use the basil in a really fun way.

716

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Absolutely.

717

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

okay, so question for you.

718

If you could only grow one kind of

basil for the rest of your life, we've

719

talked about a few different varieties

today, what variety would you choose?

720

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: I've

mentioned it a few times, so it's

721

probably not gonna be a surprise, but

the Everleaf Emerald Towers basil is,

722

it's a steady Eddie that you can, it

will grow tall, and it will just keep

723

pumping out leaves for you to use.

724

I've had the most luck

with it in my garden.

725

Sometimes I feel like because I don't

cut things back as much as I should,

726

this one just is, it's prolific.

727

So if you want a lot of basil, and

you wanna store basil and give basil

728

away, that's the one to go with

729

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I think I'm

going to have to, get over my fear of

730

growing things from seeds next year and

really give it a try and add this basil

731

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yeah.

732

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: to that list

733

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: So,

okay, you asked me what I would grow.

734

I'm gonna ask you how you would

eat it if you only had one, one way

735

to eat basil the rest of your life

736

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I know

this feels a little bit like cheating,

737

but I'm gonna go with it anyways.

738

Uh, with tomatoes.

739

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yep.

740

All right.

741

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652:

It might be a little broad,

742

but I'm gonna stick with that.

743

So I will only eat it with tomatoes.

744

I will give up my, Thai chicken and spring

rolls and stick with the tomatoes, but

745

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: Yeah

746

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: I think

that covers the basics of basil today.

747

if you liked today's episode, you

can support us by telling a friend

748

about the show, and if you have

any questions, please do reach out.

749

You can find me online

at wholeyounutrition.com.

750

alyson_1_06-17-2026_130651: And you can

find me on Instagram at Sassy Daffodil

751

amber-_1_06-17-2026_130652: All right.

752

Until our next herbal

episode, have a great day.

753

Bye