Jim Carlock wrote:

What exactly does pinching basil mean? I know what a pinch
is, meaning to compress painfully, or a small amount.

Someone told me to pinch basil. And the only thing that comes
to mind is to pinch and twist but what exactly is pinch ? Online
references mention to pinch basil, but I can't find a detailed
definition on what it exactly means.

Pinching a plant means to remove the growing tip of a shoot. I use
my thumb nail against my index finger to cut off the tip.

If you do this to young basil, it makes the plant bushy. You get
many shoots and leaves. I have enough in a 10 inch pot that I
throw a bunch of basil leaves into the water when cooking pasta.
Chopped fine with a sharp knife, basil is a good herb to add when
making a cheese omelette.

As the plant grows, pinch away the flower buds before they open.
The buds are bitter and should not be used in cooking. More
important, basil is an annual. Once it actually flowers, it starts
to die. By removing the flower buds before they open, you can keep
it going until a frost kills it.

Also, when picking basil for cooking, cut a stem with leaves.
Remove the leaves in the kitchen and discard the stem. By cutting
the stem, you encourage even more growth of the plant.

--

David E. Ross
http://www.rossde.com/

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