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graham[_4_]

On 18/12/2014 11:27 AM, Janet wrote:
> In article >,
> says...
>>
>> My wife sent me to the store to pick up ingredients for a potluck dish.
>> One was fresh basil. I saw a vast array of fresh herbs in plastic boxes
>> in the chilled section, but no basil. I also noticed clumps of flat and
>> curly parsley, as well as cilantro, but no basil. I tracked down an
>> employee and asked.
>>
>> "Oh, it's over there," pointing at the shallots. Sure enough, there were
>> plastic boxes filled with shriveled, blackening basil between the garlic
>> and the shallots.
>>
>> My next stop was Trader Joe's. Same deal -- far from the other herbs;
>> next to the potatoes, not chilled. This basil looked worth buying, however.
>>
>> Why is this one fresh herb treated so poorly, when all the other herbs
>> are at least chilled, if not actually spritzed with water periodically?
>
> Parsley, sage, rosemary, chives etc can all stand frost so being kept
> in a chiller section does them no harm.
>
> Basil is far more temperature sensitive, the first garden frost will
> kill it dead. Putting fresh basil in a chiller would blacken the leaves
> in no time.
>
> Janet UK
>
Have you tried the Italian small-leaf variety? It looks as if it might
be tougher than the usual kind.
Graham