18 May 2010

Where's the Basil?


Last summer, I breathlessly covered the bloody, violent, costly (OK—mildly amusing) Basil Wars of Carroll Gardens. Basil was brazenly stolen from a planter outside a green-brick building on President Street near Henry. Parents were angered. Children wept. An angry sign scolded the herbaceous thieves. And then the greenery was completely withdrawn altogether! Peace returned to the valley when an Good Samaritan anonymously donated new basil.

Whew! What a summer that was. I anxiously awaited a possible repeat. It was way past the time when basil-planting should be done with. (My own basil is flourishing.) But there was no basil in the planter outside the box. There was—what is that? Not parsley. Lemon Verbena? Maybe not a herb at all. What produce robber would want to steal that? Ah, no fun.

5 comments:

Beth in the Bronx said...

The plant in the photo looks like cilantro to me.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the owner of the planter has
felt safer planting Cilantro ,that
Basil is sure a cash crop.

Brooks of Sheffield said...

It's not cilantro. I tasted a leaf. Couldn't identify it.

Gena said...

Looks like a chrysanthemum. Probably planted last fall, and resprouted with the nice weather.

Gena said...

Eating large quantities of mums can cause rashes, vomiting or diarrhea, so I wouldn't taste too liberally!