Basil blooms: should you cut off the flowers?

Anyone who has cultivated Ocimum basilicum in the garden bed will ask themselves by summer at the latest whether they should leave the flowers on the basil or cut them off. Contrary to the still popular belief that flowering basil becomes poisonous, here’s the all-clear, because this is misinformation. However, the king herb stops growing when it flowers and the taste becomes less aromatic. On the other hand, the flowers provide food for many insects as well as new seeds for the next sowing. There are the following options for how to deal with the basil in your own garden:

• prevent flowering
• Let the basil blossom and enjoy the visuals of the blossoms
• harvest seeds
• make flowering basil edible

prevent flowering

Basil usually flowers in July. This should attract bees and other insects for pollination. This allows fertilized seeds to be formed, which the plant can then use to multiply further. However, basil also needs all of its energy for flowering, which can then no longer be put into the leaves. So that flowering does not occur in the first place and basil can continue to be harvested, avoidance and delay should already be started in spring as follows:

• Harvest royal cabbage regularly
• Use five centimeter long drive pieces for this
• cut with scissors
• keep at least two eyes
• do not pluck individual leaves
• Shoots without leaves will die
• harvest at the latest when the first buds can be seen
• by cutting the tops, basil grows more compact
• Freeze or dry excess leaves

When the flowering starts can be estimated quite well with a little trick. Because this begins when seven pairs of leaves have been formed on the shoots. If these shoots are then cut again at the top, flowering can be prevented.

Allow basil to bloom

In a farmer’s or natural garden, it is a good idea to let the basil bloom. Because optically, the herb can become a feast for the eyes in the garden bed or pot. Depending on the variety, pink, violet or white flowers appear. In addition, the flowers are quite edible. However, its taste cannot be compared to the aroma of the leaves, which is also slightly bitter. But the flowers can be put to good use as a decoration on hot or cold dishes. Even though flowering basil loses flavor in the leaves, you can use it to make the following:

• Basilikumblütenessig
• about 80 flowers in 200 ml white wine vinegar
• Add 15 basil leaves
• few peppercorns
• leave for four weeks
• strain through a sieve and fill into a bottle

harvest seeds

Once flowering occurs, seeds for the next season can also be harvested here. Because most varieties of basil are not hardy in the local latitudes and have to be sown again every year. But even those who overwinter the plants inside can secure a larger harvest by sowing next year. When harvesting and using the seeds, proceed as follows:

• formation of full seed pods in autumn
• after the flowers wither
• Fruits ripen within the calyx
• pluck withered petals
• Wipe over container with fingers
• Rub flowers between hands
• Sieve the seed and flower mixture several times
• leave black seeds to dry for a few days

The dried seeds can be stored in a dark screw-top jar in a cool place, such as a basement or garden shed, until sowing next spring.

Blossoming basil edible?

Contrary to popular belief, flowering basil does not become poisonous. The leaves can still be used and harvested during or after flowering. Unfortunately, since the plant puts all of its energy into producing the flowers, this is at the expense of the tasty aroma of the leaves. So it makes more sense to harvest several parts of the plant before flowering and freeze or dry the leaves. So the following can be said about the flowering royal herb:

• Flavor is lost through flowering
• Smell and taste diminish
• still easily recognizable
• Leaves become bitter
• this bitterness dissipates when cooked
• therefore use longer for hot food
• natural aroma reappears when heated
• Bitter substances dissolve when heated