Herb of the Week ‘Sweet Dani’ Lemon Basil
(Ocimun basilicum ‘Sweet Dani’)
In 1998, just a few years after I started
my first herb garden the All-American Selection was ‘Sweet Dani’, a vigorous,
large-leaved green basil with a strong, fresh lemon scent. At the time it was a new basil hybrid with characteristics
of Ocimum basilicum
and O. americanum. Having an intense
lemon flavor owing to a high concentration of citral, up to 65 percent, in the
essential oil. That year it was grown
from seed by the volunteers at the Oak Park Conservatory and I purchased my
first Sweet Dani Lemon Basil.
As lemon basil’s go it has the
strongest lemon taste and is reminiscent of a lemon oil. All-America Selections is a nonprofit
organization that tests and introduces new flower and vegetable varieties, evaluating
their performance in trials across North America. ‘Sweet Dani’ was selected as
a winner in the vegetable category in 1998.
James E. Simon, a research professor
at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and his colleague in the
horticulture department, Mario Morales was the creator of ‘Sweet Dani.’
It grew out of a bigger project Simon was working on during the late
1980s on basils’ essential oils. He became interested in breeding basils for
their ornamental value and spent 6 years perfecting this plant.
Simon’s idea was to put together a
diverse group of basils, let them cross-pollinate, and see what happened. He
and his staff rounded up eighty different basils—deep purple basils from Iran,
treelike green camphor basils from Africa, handsome cinnamon basils with glossy
green leaves and dark purple flower spikes, and many others—and grew them
together on a plot at Purdue’s O’Neall Vegetable Research Farm. At the end of
the season, they gathered seed from the plants and mixed them together in a
paper bag.
The following year, they sowed the
seeds, and soon the experimental field was full of strange and beautiful
basils. The wide sweep of color, form, and bloom in the field suggested basils’
uncommon diversity. Simon prowled the field, checking the form and aroma of
every plant, and selected a handful as worthy of further study. One of these
was a tall plant with a lemon aroma that later became ‘Sweet Dani’.
The chosen plants were dug up, brought
into a greenhouse, and separated to discourage further cross-pollination. Seed
was collected from each plant, and the long process of reselection and
stabilization of each plant’s characteristics began. Building up a plentiful
supply of reliable seed took many plant generations, and it was several years
before ‘Sweet Dani’ was ready for commercial release.
Delaware State University botanist
Arthur O. Tucker identified the probable parents of the hybrid, and Simon named
his plant to honor his daughter, Daniella.
To Grow
‘Sweet Dani’ is as easy to grow as
other basils, either from seed or plants, both of which are readily available
in garden centers or by mail order. Start seeds indoors a few weeks before the
frost-free date. Keep the seedlings in a warm place and give them plenty of
light. Harden them off gradually and wait to transplant them outside until
nighttime temperatures are reliably above 55°F.
This is a fast-growing basil with
germination happening in as few as three days.
Seedlings grow quickly and can be transplanted as soon as they have 4
true leaves which can happen in two weeks.
As with all basil’s do not transplant them outdoors until all
possibility of frost has passed and the overnight temperature does not dip
below 40 degrees. This Lemon Basil will grow
to 30 inches tall and 15 inches wide.
They start producing flowers early, small white flowers on 5- to 8-inch
spikes, so need to be clipped often. The
mature green leaves are egg-shaped and strongly veined, reaching 2 inches long
and 1 1/2 inches wide.
Like other basils, ‘Sweet Dani’ needs
full sun for compact, strong growth. Water the plants regularly and fertilize
every two weeks and after extensive harvests. Leaves may be harvested
regularly, even from young plants, to encourage branching and maximum regrowth
and to discourage flower formation. The finest
growth occurs during periods when night temperatures are above 60°F. In most
areas of the United States, basils have a limited period of rapid growth.
Basils
grow best in a site with daylong sun, but most varieties can subsist on as
little as three to four hours of direct sunlight. They will tolerate a wide
range of soil conditions but will grow best in a well-drained, loamy, nearly
neutral soil (pH 6 to 6.5) that is well endowed with nutrients. Good air
circulation discourages fungus diseases.
During
their summer growth, basil plants are desperate to flower and set seed. That’s
the way to preserve the species, and it may help farmers and florists, but it
sure cuts down on the amount of pesto that can be made from a single plant. As
soon as stems begin flowering, their foliage production ends; however, home
gardeners can combat basils’ drive for flowers by pruning plants heavily to
keep them producing foliage all summer. Start pruning when the plant has six to
eight pairs of leaves. Don’t just nip the flowers as they form; instead clip
off all but two to four leaves. Within as little as three weeks, the pruned
stem will have regrown two to four new, harvestable branches.
TO USE
Sprinkle leaves or flowers in salads,
steep them in hot water for a tea, or add them to dishes that call for basil or
lemon, such as fish and chicken. Add basil at the end of the cooking period to
retain as much flavor as possible.
Basil
is best when used minutes after it is picked. To keep basil fresh for a day or
two, place the stems in a jar of water away from sunlight. To have it fresh for
seven to ten days, cover the jar and stems loosely with a plastic bag and place
in the refrigerator.
Keeping
basil for longer periods of time can be a problem. Freezing turns the leaves dark
and flavorless.
Perhaps
the best way for most people to preserve their basil harvest is to make and
freeze batches of wonderfully flavorful pesto, which can be thawed easily and
used in many ways. When freezing pesto, leave out the garlic; instead, chop and
add some fresh garlic when you’re ready to use the pesto. Adding a small amount
of chopped fresh parsley to the thawed pesto will give it a greener, fresher
taste; you can also add more Parmesan cheese.
Basil
is also traditionally preserved by hanging in bundles to dry or by laying stems
on screens in a well-ventilated spot away from direct sun. When they are
crispy, strip the leaves from the stems, pack the whole dried leaves in clean
jars with tight lids, and store them in a cool, dark place for as long as a
year. Always dry your basil leaves whole, then crumble them into your
preparation as needed. Once crushed, dried leaves lose their essential oils and
fragrance rapidly.
Cooks
around the world use basil with fresh and cooked vegetables, in salads, with
eggs, meats, and seafood, in soups and breads, with all kinds of cheeses, and
for seasoning vinegars and oils. Accompanied by fresh tomato slices, it is
wonderful in a sandwich in place of lettuce, and it adds a pleasant flavor to
butter, vinaigrettes, marinades, and sauces.
Cook
fresh basil only briefly or add it as a garnish to long-simmered dishes. In
some recipes, such as in pesto, dried basil just won’t work: the fresh herb is
essential. Otherwise, when substituting dried basil for fresh, use only about a
third as much as you would fresh. It is always best to season lightly at first,
taste, and then add more dried basil if necessary.
If
a recipe calls for packed basil leaves, press them down in the measuring cup to
measure.
You
can use any basil you choose to make pesto, so using a lemon basil will give
you a sweeter less pungent pesto. I much
prefer it to regular basil pesto, especially as a topping on chicken or in a
pasta served with chicken. Traditionally, pesto is served with flat noodles
such as trenette, fettuccine, or linguine. Try it also as a tasty sauce for
grilled or roasted fish and vegetables, or as a savory garnish for vegetable
soups such as minestrone. Mix equal parts of sour cream to pesto to create a
smooth green dip for crudités.
Lemon Basil Pesto
3
c. packed fresh lemon basil leaves
1
c. fresh loosely packed parsley
3/4
c. grated parmesan cheese
1
T. olive oil
3
T. pine nuts
Place
all above ingredients into blender, except cheese. Blend thoroughly and add cheese. Blend well again. Stir into warm pasta or spread over chicken
and fish in the last few minutes of cooking.
Pour olive oil over surface until covered to store in refrigerator for
up to 3 weeks. You can freeze the pesto
once the oil covers the top and keep it for about 3 months.
LEMON BASIL PESTO
DRESSING
1/3
c. lemon basil leaves
1
small clove garlic, minced
1/2
t. finely chopped fresh oregano or 1/5 t. dried
3
T. olive oil
2
T. vegetable oil
1
1/2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4
c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
freshly
ground pepper
optional:
1/4 c. pine nuts
Combine
ingredients in blender and blend unto emulsified. Serve over fresh lettuce.
Lemon
Basil Butter
Great on cooked vegetables or pasta or on
top of poached eggs or fish.
1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
2 t. lemon juice
1 T. chopped fresh parley
3 T. chopped fresh lemon basil
salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Cream the butter and beat in the lemon
juice a little at a time. Beat in the
parsley and basil and season. Serve in a
serving dish or place on wax paper and roll in a log. Chill overnight and slice
and serve. Butter can also be frozen for
up to two months without loosing flavor.
Lemon Basil Fruit Salad
2 cups fresh raspberries or blackberries
2 cups fresh strawberries - hulled and sliced
One (15 ounce) can mandarin oranges - drained
One (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks - drained
2 tablespoons white grape juice
¼ cup fresh lemon basil, minced
Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Chill
in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Lemon Basil
Facial Mask
handful of lemon basil leaves
1/2 of an avocado
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
Pulverize the fresh lemon basil leaves in a blender or food processor. Peel
the avocado and mash. Add avocado to basil in blender, along with
lemon juice and honey. Blend until smooth.
Smear this mixture all over your face, don't get
too close to your eyes. Then leave on 15 to 30 minutes or as long as you
want. Rinse off with lukewarm water. Follow with a
moisturizer.
** Some of the information on the history of this basil came from a 1998 article by Thomas DiBaggio in Herb Companion Magazine.
This was the view from one of the shaded benches. I liked the fact that this garden had a number of herbal plantings. The flowers were mostly spent so I did not find much fragrance in a overcome your senses sort of way, but the bees and the butterflies were everywhere!
This was the view from one of the shaded benches. I liked the fact that this garden had a number of herbal plantings. The flowers were mostly spent so I did not find much fragrance in a overcome your senses sort of way, but the bees and the butterflies were everywhere!
