Spring just started, and a good a way to get rid of winter gloom is to grow fresh herbs. They are cheap and easy to grow in a dorm or apartment, so students can add a variety of herbs to any meal for a taste of spring.
Minnetrista is a handy source for learning more about culinary herbs. According to Minnetrista's Web site, its culinary herb garden provides information on how the herbs grown and where they come from.
Herbs can be grown annually, but a common herb seen in spring is sweet basil. Sweet basil is the type usually thought of as "basil." Its leaves are dark green and different varieties of basil have distinctive smells.
Herbs are especially convenient for college students on a low budget. Herb seeds are inexpensive and they are easy to grow.
Basil needs warmth, so be sure to set the pot by a window where it can get plenty of sunlight. Be sure to pinch off any flower buds that appear; this will ensure a better taste. When you are ready to use it, just pull off the leaves and add them to your meal.
Fresh basil is better to use than dried. According to an article from timesdaily.com, "many tender summer herbs, such as basil ... warrant fresh-only status because they lose so much flavor once dried."
Cooking with basil is simple and gives an extra flavor to everyday dorm food. It can be added to anything from sandwiches and salads to pasta and chicken.
Many people also use herbs for medicinal purposes. Basil in particular helps ease a number of conditions and ailments like headaches, sinus congestion, herpes, nausea and indigestion, according to healthy.net.
Basil helps emotionally, as well. According to healthy.net it helps rid low self-confidence, stress, negative thoughts and mental fatigue.
For Harry Potter fans, there is one myth that the word basil is a shortened form of basilisk. According to botanical.com, "This theory may be based on a strange old superstition that connected the plant with scorpions."
It was believed that if a sprig of basil were left under a pot that it would turn into a scorpion over time, the article said. This superstition later escalated to say that smelling basil might put a scorpion in your brain.
Basil originally came from India and is also grown in the Mediterranean and parts of North Africa, according to healthy.net.
It symbolizes a variety of things in cultures throughout the world.
The herb was sacred to the Hindu gods Krishna and Vishnu. Today, basil is considered a sacred plant in the Hindu religion.
Italians today see basil as a symbol of love, according to herbsprial.com. Suitors in Italy showed their love by sporting a sprig of basil in their hair.
Easy olive oil, tomato and basil pasta, allrecipes.com
1 (16 ounce) package pasta2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced-+ cup olive oil2 cloves garlic, minced-+ cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin stripsSalt and pepper to taste
Bring a pot of slightly salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook for eight to 10 minutes, then drain. In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
Makes eight servings.
Alex Audia is a freshman journalism major and writes 'Scrumptious' for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write to Alex at aeaudia@bsu.edu
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