Basil

“The Basil plant is gods abode
Trinity’s blessings in it endowed
Blessed is the place where it grows
Air purifies where its fragrance flows.”
~C.P. Sharma~

     My first experience with planting basil was of the globe variety. My mom had let me begin transforming our childhood sandbox into an herb garden, and with a plentiful supply of organic matter in the cow pasture, Dad dumped in manure with the loader. After the hard work of culling out sand and grasses, adding and mixing manure and soil and laying down cross-sections of a felled tree for a walkway, the real fun could begin!

     I had two globe basils to mark the entry to my herbal fairyland, flanked on either side by catnip and mints, both of which I soon discovered had a habit of tenaciously spreading, either by seed or root, to claim dominance over my little territory. Those basil plants were so lovely, and their Lilliputian leaves were the perfect accent for my garden.

     Try as I might, I didn’t find the globe basil variety again until years later, by which time I opted for the sweet basil, whose large leaf is efficiently low-maintenance when it comes to harvesting and drying.

     C.P. Sharma’s poem could be a proverb in and of itself, as he boasts of basil’s attributes. It is a:

“Panacea for ills of physique and mind;
softens speech, prompts actions kind…
It cures all cold, coughs and hiccups.”

If only we could eat it to procure the fruits of the spirit, even as we heal any ailment! Feeling frustrated, or just under the weather? Pass the pesto, please!

     Well, we don’t have a magic basil wand, but we do have the Holy Spirit who gives us “everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). And just as all flavors of the perfect pesto meld together, so we are continually perfected in His nature when we meditate on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” (Phil. 4:8).

Cheesy Potato Soup

4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
2 cups peeled and chopped carrots
1 onion
Minced garlic
½ cup chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 tbsp. Cornstarch
2 cups shredded cheeses (Velveeta, cheddar, Colby jack)
2 tbsp. Dried basil
2 cups peas
2 cups cubed ham
Kale (optional)

In large pot, chop and sauté onion and garlic. Toss potatoes and carrots in with chicken broth and simmer. Whisk cornstarch in cold milk and add to cooked vegetables. Add cheeses and ham, crumble in basil leaves, and add peas and kale, if desired. Serve with cornbread muffins.