Basil (March)

Only market basil now the garden basil’s used up. Their pots have been turned over for autumn parsley. Ants march in, testing for crumbs. All summer we live on pesto, the sharp Greek basil, mild purple basil, though mainly the soave Italian. It’s like a little kingdom at our place: summer evenings when the heat is gone, we enjoy supper of white cheese, sliced tomatoes, bowls of nutty pesto. Even better when others come over. Summer of hot streets, crazy pools and long shaded reads is gone. Tiered abundance of basil is reduced by demand, uprooted before nights turn cold.