Welcome to this post about whether basil is bad once it has turned brown. Unfortunately it is bad at this stage. Now it can either be after you have picked it and the leaves have been sitting for too long and started wilting. Or it can be because some insects have gotten to your plant and they are now harassing it. Fortunately there are some things you can do to prevent this from happening. Both in keeping the harvested leaves longer and fresh. But also about preventing future insect attacks.
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Is Basil Bad When It Turns Brown
Once basil has gotten to the point where it’s brown, either after being picked or when still growing you should eat it. It can be caused by a number of different things. Below we will lay out some of the common ones and how you can fix them and prevent them from happening.
If your basil has turned brown after being picked it’s most likely due to bad storage. Basil kept in the right way will stay good for about 2 weeks. It will admittedly be pretty dull in the flavor and nowhere near as exchanging and punchy as a fresh leaf. The way we recommend people storing harvested basil is in a container that has a lid to it. Then you will want to have paper in there. This can suck up all the excess moisture in the air. Moisture is the biggest enemy to keeping basil or any herb for that matter for a long time. It makes for a perfect environment for bacteria to grow in.
Basil can also be turning brown on the plant as well. This is often caused by insect attacks. They will start eating away on the leaves, in tiny tiny amounts at a time. If this is left to go on then the leaves will get a brown look to them. We recommend picking off the affected leaves and then hoping that the plant won’t suffer any more attacks. The best way of preventing them is by having a healthy environment for it to grow in. This includes a healthy soil that regularly, about 3 – 4 times a year gets fertilized with beneficial bacterias. But also watered properly.
I also want to say that basil can become brown in color because it’s simply getting too old. The leaves might start being very large and then they will eventually want to fall off and with time turn into soil. Same goes for picked leaves. They will also dry out and go brown once some time has passed.
What To Do With Basil That Is Turning Brown
Let’s summarize a bit again on what we have been talking about in this article here. Basil is a plant that can easily get affected by insect attacks and have the leaves turned brown. But if you keep it in the right condition then it shouldn’t happen. Storing the picked basil is also very important. This includes keeping it in a sealed box with some paper in it. Exposing it to too much moisture in the air will shorten the lifespan of it pretty drastically.
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