The Basil Book by Marilyn Hampstead (1984)

A review

I love a good book that speaks to the soul and “The Basil Book” [Isbn 0-671-50685-4, published by Pocket Books New York] does just that. It’s a slim volume only one hundred forty five pages long but it’s one hundred forty five pages of love for a very special herb.

To be honest, I don’t really spend a whole lot of time thinking about herbs and basil is no exception. I grow it in my garden, slap it in my food and that’s as far as I go.

Marilyn Hampstead on the other hand, has an enthusiastic love affair with this herb and shares it with us in her book. She describes fourteen different species of basil giving their botanical names, their origin, uses for each one and a description of each plant. Fourteen species, who knew?

“The Basil Book” has tons of recipes from just about every way possible to make pesto to ‘Linda’s Basil Beer Bread’ to ‘Cheesy Basil Puffs’. The book even has recipes for using basil for breakfast.

This is not just a cookbook however. It contains hints for planting, growing and harvesting basil, how to grow a basil maze, how to make potpourri, hair rinses, facials and even a basil amulet.

The book is written with intelligence, humor and love. My only complaint is that it isn’t longer and one gets the feeling that if she had wanted Ms Hampstead COULD have written a lot more.

For more information on this book and how to get a hold of a copy click on the book graphic:

Let me warn you right now, there are limited quantities of this book, so if you are really interested in getting a copy, I wouldn’t hesitate too long.

Cheers!

Kathleen Petrides