Basil is a versatile herb that imparts a fresh, sweet flavour to many a dish, ranging from Italian pasta sauces to Thai curries – and now you can have an infinite supply
The delightfully fragrant basil lends a fresh, sweet taste to a variety of dishes, from Italian pasta sauces to red and green Thai curries. Its essential oils are also utilised in traditional medicine for their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
Despite being primarily used to add an extra kick to our meals, it’s surprising how often we find ourselves short of this versatile herb when cooking at home. We frequently need a leaf or two to enhance our dish, only to discover our lone store-bought plant looking droopy and lifeless. So, we dutifully trek to the shops to purchase yet another replacement.
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But hold on. What if there was a method to generate an endless supply from just one plant? Well, there is, with TikToker creative_explained amassing over 284k views on his video explaining how to accomplish this seemingly impossible feat.
How to do it
Simply pick up a pot of basil from the shop, firmly press on all sides of the plastic container, then gently remove the plant from the pot. Carefully press around the outside of the roots in the mud, then divide the plant into smaller pieces to yield several ‘mini’ basil plants, each rooted in their own section of soil.
Next, grab some plant pots and place each basil plant into its own container, adding in high-quality top soil to keep each plant comfortably accommodated. In no time at all, each small basil plant will flourish into the size of your original plant.
Creative_explained dished out an herb-boosting tip saying: “If you repeat the process with your new plants, you’ll end up with so much basil! So next time you buy a pot of basil, do this and you’ll never have to buy it again!”
But as one TikTok user soon found themselves questioning – what happens when you’ve got too much basil on your hands? Enter sage advice from a fellow user, Malpat, who posted: “Take the leaves off and put in a Ziploc bag and into the freezer. Dry – not at all wet. Mine lasted months and months and months.
“I love it! Basil is my favourite herb!” The video has since gone viral, leaving hundreds of TikTokers in awe. Here’s a taste of the praise being lavished in the comments.
MrNiWi said: “This guys is just brilliant with everything he does.” PoeticaRose chimed in: “I love it! Basil is my favourite herb!”
Homerunned declared: “Bro found the infinite basil glitch.” Jimmy exclaimed: “You are an amazing tiktok creator! Your transitions are always on point! ! Thanks for sharing!”
Calliekennedy2 complimented: “You are fantastic.” Saralynnwade shared: “I now have more basil than I care to. Great companion plants for strawberries and tomatoes though!”
