Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
Tulsi, also know as Holy Basil or Sacred Basil, is a perennial plant in tropical climates and is grown as an annual in our garden. Used for thousands of years in India and SE Asia as a tea or tincture to treat a range health conditions, this beautiful plant is considered sacred in Hinduism, earning the name Holy Basil. Tusli is a wonderful companion plant and hums with pollinators when blooming.
Origin: We collected the parent seeds to our tulsi many years ago on a trip to Cambodia. We harvested the seeds from a plant near the temples of Ankor Wat in the city of Siem Reap. The leaves are green and the flowers range from dark to light purple.
(Approximately 100 seeds per packet)
Planting Instructions: sow 2 tiny seeds 1/4" deep 12" apart when danger of frost has passed in spring. Full sun.
Recipe Ideas:
Tulsi make a wonderful tea and we find it to be very calming. Just pick a bunch of tulsi leaves and dry them either in a food dehydrator, or you can put them in the oven at the lowest temperature (usually around 150 - 200 F) for about an hour until they're very dry but not browned. Then just chop or crumble the leaves up and store in a jar until tea-time! We like to make a mix of dried chamomile flowers and tulsi leaves for winter teas.
