Yesterday afternoon, while I was brushing out a maze of old cobwebs in the big shed, I came across a large paper bag filled with dried branches of Sweet Basil. They’d been neatly cut and stored there, ready to be dealt with. I think I must have put them there last Autumn… or perhaps the Autumn before that.

It’s all very well saving seeds but sooner or later they need to be sorted and stored. After such a long time, I hope they’ll still be viable when I plant them.

I carried the bag up to the deck and emptied the branches onto some newspaper on the table. I stared at them for a while. Then I put the branches back into the bag.

Today I’m determined to tackle them. All I have to do is pull off the old seeds, separate them from the chaff and other bits of plant, and store them till late Spring. Simple, si?

Picking the seeds off a dried plant is one of those contemplative jobs that’s lovely to do on a mild Autumn day. But you really have to be in the mood.

As you do when you plant them. I once read that to grow successfully, basil seeds need to be thrown down in anger. Living in such an idyllic place, that’s quite a tall order and one we’ve never quite managed to achieve. Our basil seeds are usually planted with loving care in well-prepared soil. They don’t seem to suffer for it.

In the past I’ve used a colander to winnow the seeds onto a piece of newspaper. I then funnelled them into a small paper bag and stored it in a plastic box in the laundry.

I’ve also read that you can separate seeds from their husks by using a scraper. I knew those bits of card from tea bag boxes would come in handy one day.

We still have basil growing in the garden. Or rather, we have basil growing again.

Like many of its relatives, Sweet Basil is an annual and needs to be re-planted each year, ideally with tomatoes where it will repel pests.

But growing tomatoes here has been pretty hit-and-miss during the scorching Summers we’ve had in the last few years. So we’ve just planted basil on its own.

If you live in the northern hemisphere, I strongly recommend you plant Greek Basil. A perennial, it has a more robust flavour than Sweet Basil and grows well in cool climates, even through Winter.

Lately, we’ve been going a little bit Italian (or un po ‘italiano). Yesterday we had bruschetta for lunch. And last night we watched the first episode of Italian Food Safari. We now want to move to Italy.

But seeing as we can’t, tonight’s dinner will be pasta with pesto. My partner makes the pesto with our own basil, in a mortar and pestle. E ‘delizioso!

Apart from being a natural with pasta, pesto can be spread on lamb cutlets before they’re grilled, and slathered on fish and chicken after they’re cooked. It turns an ordinary meal into una festa. It also makes a tasty dip, served with warm crusty bread.

The great thing about Italian food is that it’s so delectable and it takes so little time to prepare. That’s actually two things. Oh well… as they say in Rome, chi se ne frega.

Italian translations are from Google Translate.