The Quest for Basil...
When I first came to France, I was excited and surprised how inexpensive cheese was. Especially fresh mozzarella cheese. I love a good Caprese salad and was quite looking forward to eating it quite a bit. If only I could find fresh basil...
I finally found some at the Carrefour in Les Ulis (about 40 minutes away from my place) but it was tres expensive and went bad before I could get the ingredients together. Sigh.
I found some again last month when we went to Tang Freres in Chinatown, Paris. It was really cheap - about $1.50 for 100g of fresh Basil, but it went bad very quickly again. I thought there HAD to be a better way to do this.
I remembered seeing some packets of seeds at the grocery store across the valley (about a 2km up and down hill round trip). So I carefully went through the display and found basil plant seeds! So I bought a packet.
Back home, I poked around the yard for a suitable flower pot (my land lady has all kinds of... stuff lying around her yard). I needed something not too shallow, not too deep, and with some drainage on the bottom in case I over watered the thing. I found something suitable, but then it was a matter of finding dirt.
This brought to mind a quote from The Secret Garden
“Don’t look so frightened,” he said in a worried voice. "You could not do any harm, a child like you! You may do what you like.”
Mary put her hand up to her throat because she was afraid he might see the excited lump which she felt jump into it. She came a step nearer to him.
“May I?” she said tremulously.
Her anxious little face seemed to worry him more than ever.
“Don’t look so frightened,” he exclaimed. “Of course you may. I am your guardian, though I am a poor one for any child. I cannot give you time or attention. I am too ill, and wretched and distracted; but I wish you to be happy and comfortable. I don’t know anything about children, but Mrs. Medlock is to see that you have all you need. I sent for you to-day because Mrs. Sowerby said I ought to see you. Her daughter had talked about you. She thought you needed fresh air and freedom and running about.”
“She knows all about children,” Mary said again in spite of herself.
“She ought to,” said Mr. Craven. “I thought her rather bold to stop me on the moor, but she said-Mrs. Craven had been kind to her.” It seemed hard for him to speak his dead wife’s name. “She is a respectable woman. Now I have seen you I think she said sensible things. Play out of doors as much as you like. It’s a big place and you may go where you like and amuse yourself as you like. Is there anything you want?” as if a sudden thought had struck him. “Do you want toys, books, dolls?”
“Might I,” quavered Mary, “might I have a bit of earth?”
In her eagerness she did not realize how queer the words would sound and that they were not the ones she had meant to say. Mr. Craven looked quite startled.
“Earth!” he repeated. “What do you mean?”
“To plant seeds in-to make things grow-to see them come alive,” Mary faltered.
He gazed at her a moment and then passed his hand quickly over his eyes.
“Do you-care about gardens so much,” he said slowly.
“I didn’t know about them in India,” said Mary. “I was always ill and tired and it was too hot. I sometimes made littlebeds in the sand and stuck flowers in them. But here it is different.”
Mr. Craven got up and began to walk slowly across the room.
“A bit of earth,” he said to himself, and Mary thought that somehow she must have reminded him of something. When he stopped and spoke to her his dark eyes looked almost soft and kind.
“You can have as much earth as you want,” he said. "You remind me of some one else who loved the earth and things that grow. When you see a bit of earth you want," with something like a smile, “take it, child, and make it come alive.”
“May I take it from anywhere-if it’s not wanted?”
“Anywhere,” he answered. “There! You must go now, I am tired.” He touched the bell to call Mrs. Medlock. "Good-by. I shall be away all summer.”
Anyways...
I couldn't figure out where in the yard I could take a "bit of earth" from without it being noticed or without introducing unwanted visitors in my little house. The thought of cutting a big fat slug in the process didn't quite appeal to me either. So I just held onto the basil seeds.
A week later, I went to the Carrefour, and wandered through the newly-stocked gardening aisle looking for a small bag of potting soil. No such luck, and I wasn't about to buy 10kg of soil let alone drag it down to my little place... But upon looking further, I found a section with cute little "just add water" herb growing kits. I found basil, and bought one of the little containers. It was only about $2.25, and I figured it was worth a shot. The soil came with it - probably freeze dried and the size / shape of a hockey puck. The kit had the hockey puck of soil and a small packet of seeds. It said to put the soil puck into the container, add 100mL of water, and then plant the seeds. It was amazing how fast the soil "expanded" (and a wee bit frightening too, I might add). I planted the seeds and set the little kit on top of my closet (its not very high and in front of a window that gets direct sunlight most of the day). The little seedlings sprouted really fast and so far I've got pea-sized leaves and the shoots are about 1 inch high. Quite cute really. But it will be some 8-10 weeks before I have something worth harvesting, according to the kit instructions. Hmm.
Last weekend I wandered over to Palaiseau (ok it was a 7km walk with glorious blue skies and lovely sunshine) to buy some fruits and vegetables. I was minding my own business gathering some potatoes (about the only starch I can still eat it seems), when I happened to look in someone else's grocery basket.
What was this? A full grown Basil plant?!?
I literally dropped my own basket, shoved it under a display and went searching. If this other person had found a basil plant, they HAD to be here somewhere. But where?!?
I finally found the display - I had walked right past it before. For about $2.25 were little herb plants, including basil. Yay! I picked the nicest one and took it home.
The same evening I made myself a caprese salad, having bought some mozzarella cheese and tomatoes as well. Finally. And it was tres delicieux. It was also quite something to pick fresh basil leaves from my own little plant and eat them.
So the two little plants are on top of my closet, and I'm taking care of them and watching them grow.
The quest for Basil is over, and I now have my salad...
I finally found some at the Carrefour in Les Ulis (about 40 minutes away from my place) but it was tres expensive and went bad before I could get the ingredients together. Sigh.
I found some again last month when we went to Tang Freres in Chinatown, Paris. It was really cheap - about $1.50 for 100g of fresh Basil, but it went bad very quickly again. I thought there HAD to be a better way to do this.
I remembered seeing some packets of seeds at the grocery store across the valley (about a 2km up and down hill round trip). So I carefully went through the display and found basil plant seeds! So I bought a packet.
Back home, I poked around the yard for a suitable flower pot (my land lady has all kinds of... stuff lying around her yard). I needed something not too shallow, not too deep, and with some drainage on the bottom in case I over watered the thing. I found something suitable, but then it was a matter of finding dirt.
This brought to mind a quote from The Secret Garden
“Don’t look so frightened,” he said in a worried voice. "You could not do any harm, a child like you! You may do what you like.”
Mary put her hand up to her throat because she was afraid he might see the excited lump which she felt jump into it. She came a step nearer to him.
“May I?” she said tremulously.
Her anxious little face seemed to worry him more than ever.
“Don’t look so frightened,” he exclaimed. “Of course you may. I am your guardian, though I am a poor one for any child. I cannot give you time or attention. I am too ill, and wretched and distracted; but I wish you to be happy and comfortable. I don’t know anything about children, but Mrs. Medlock is to see that you have all you need. I sent for you to-day because Mrs. Sowerby said I ought to see you. Her daughter had talked about you. She thought you needed fresh air and freedom and running about.”
“She knows all about children,” Mary said again in spite of herself.
“She ought to,” said Mr. Craven. “I thought her rather bold to stop me on the moor, but she said-Mrs. Craven had been kind to her.” It seemed hard for him to speak his dead wife’s name. “She is a respectable woman. Now I have seen you I think she said sensible things. Play out of doors as much as you like. It’s a big place and you may go where you like and amuse yourself as you like. Is there anything you want?” as if a sudden thought had struck him. “Do you want toys, books, dolls?”
“Might I,” quavered Mary, “might I have a bit of earth?”
In her eagerness she did not realize how queer the words would sound and that they were not the ones she had meant to say. Mr. Craven looked quite startled.
“Earth!” he repeated. “What do you mean?”
“To plant seeds in-to make things grow-to see them come alive,” Mary faltered.
He gazed at her a moment and then passed his hand quickly over his eyes.
“Do you-care about gardens so much,” he said slowly.
“I didn’t know about them in India,” said Mary. “I was always ill and tired and it was too hot. I sometimes made littlebeds in the sand and stuck flowers in them. But here it is different.”
Mr. Craven got up and began to walk slowly across the room.
“A bit of earth,” he said to himself, and Mary thought that somehow she must have reminded him of something. When he stopped and spoke to her his dark eyes looked almost soft and kind.
“You can have as much earth as you want,” he said. "You remind me of some one else who loved the earth and things that grow. When you see a bit of earth you want," with something like a smile, “take it, child, and make it come alive.”
“May I take it from anywhere-if it’s not wanted?”
“Anywhere,” he answered. “There! You must go now, I am tired.” He touched the bell to call Mrs. Medlock. "Good-by. I shall be away all summer.”
Anyways...
I couldn't figure out where in the yard I could take a "bit of earth" from without it being noticed or without introducing unwanted visitors in my little house. The thought of cutting a big fat slug in the process didn't quite appeal to me either. So I just held onto the basil seeds.
A week later, I went to the Carrefour, and wandered through the newly-stocked gardening aisle looking for a small bag of potting soil. No such luck, and I wasn't about to buy 10kg of soil let alone drag it down to my little place... But upon looking further, I found a section with cute little "just add water" herb growing kits. I found basil, and bought one of the little containers. It was only about $2.25, and I figured it was worth a shot. The soil came with it - probably freeze dried and the size / shape of a hockey puck. The kit had the hockey puck of soil and a small packet of seeds. It said to put the soil puck into the container, add 100mL of water, and then plant the seeds. It was amazing how fast the soil "expanded" (and a wee bit frightening too, I might add). I planted the seeds and set the little kit on top of my closet (its not very high and in front of a window that gets direct sunlight most of the day). The little seedlings sprouted really fast and so far I've got pea-sized leaves and the shoots are about 1 inch high. Quite cute really. But it will be some 8-10 weeks before I have something worth harvesting, according to the kit instructions. Hmm.
Last weekend I wandered over to Palaiseau (ok it was a 7km walk with glorious blue skies and lovely sunshine) to buy some fruits and vegetables. I was minding my own business gathering some potatoes (about the only starch I can still eat it seems), when I happened to look in someone else's grocery basket.
What was this? A full grown Basil plant?!?
I literally dropped my own basket, shoved it under a display and went searching. If this other person had found a basil plant, they HAD to be here somewhere. But where?!?
I finally found the display - I had walked right past it before. For about $2.25 were little herb plants, including basil. Yay! I picked the nicest one and took it home.
The same evening I made myself a caprese salad, having bought some mozzarella cheese and tomatoes as well. Finally. And it was tres delicieux. It was also quite something to pick fresh basil leaves from my own little plant and eat them.
So the two little plants are on top of my closet, and I'm taking care of them and watching them grow.
The quest for Basil is over, and I now have my salad...