As local as it gets. "Everything" seems to dry up and blow away on my deck, so I was a little hesitant to attempt to keep a basil plant alive out there. And since I've managed to keep it alive for about a month now, I thought I would proudly unveil it to you. How much more local than food grown on your deck? I thought it would be an extra-special kick off to my Weekend Herb Blogging post the week I'm hosting the round up. Naturally, basil is my herb of choice.

Basil is originally native to India and other warm Asian climates, and has been cultivated for over 5,000 years. Basil comes from a Greek word meaning "King". Basil is often paired with tomatoes, as in my recipe, and is best used fresh. It loses its savor when dried. Wikipedia has an interesting cultural note "...African legend claims that basil protects against scorpions, while the English botanist Culpeper cites one "Hilarius, a French physician" as affirming it as common knowledge that smelling basil too much would breed scorpions in the brain." Well, I don't think Northern California has scorpions so the African legend won't be useful, and I've been smelling my basil a lot, and there are no symptoms of scorpions in the brain! And this is not the end of surprises for this post!

Those who have been following this blog can't have missed that I'm on Phase I of the South Beach Diet. No pasta! I've gotten over the yearning for the carbs of noodles, but not with the form factor or mouth feel. Kelp noodles to the rescue! The entire 12 oz package has only 18 calories, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, and is full of trace minerals, especially iodine. These noodles also contain calcium and iron! The transparent tendrils are tasteless and take on the flavor of the broth or dressing you use. However, these are not very absorbent, so it's really the seasoning that briefly clings to the outside as you bring them to your mouth that gives the flavor.

Why do I include that detail? Well, if you follow the recipe here that replicates the Basil Kelp Salad I made for dinner last night, you'll think you've put in too much dressing. But it is designed that way to intensify the flavor, otherwise the salad is pretty bland. As it is, it's very light and refreshing, a perfect dish for a hot summer day. I served it with grilled halibut steak. The noodles are also "raw" food, for those trying that kind of diet.

Basil Kelp Salad

1 12 oz package kelp noodles, rinsed in cool water and drained
1 large yellow tomato, diced
1/4 cup fresh sliced basil leaves
2/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup walnut oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Put the first three ingredients into a bowl and toss.
2. Combine the white wine vinegar and walnut oil in a container with a leak-proof cover, and shake together to blend
3. Pour dressing over the salad, salt & pepper to taste. The dressing will look like soup in the bottom of the bowl.
4. As it is served pull the portions from the bottom first to bring more dressing with the noodles.

Next week, Weekend Herb Blogging goes back home to its founder for the round up, Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. Watch Sunday afternoon for my round up of the week's herb blogging creations!

UPDATE: Simona gave such an excellent resource on seaweed that I wanted to include a working link in the body of the post to Kelp Wanted.