Sunday, June 26, 2011

Obsessing about Purple Basil at the Atlanta Underground Market!

Last week started like any other week… I knew that the Atlanta Underground Market (AUM) was coming up on Saturday, June 25th, but I kept thinking, “Hey, it’s only Monday!”… then Tuesday… then Wednesday… then Thursday… “Oh-oh!  It’s Friday and the Market is TOMORROW!”  My friends kept asking me what I was making – and truth be told, by Thursday morning, I still had not committed to a menu!  I’m naturally competitive – even with myself, so I think my “block” was that I was trying too hard to out-do myself from last time… though I don’t do this professionally, I’m keenly aware of the fact that a “one trick pony” gets tired after a while… so I wanted to keep it fresh!  By Friday morning, I had formally committed to beets and purple basil… Beets are fairly easy to find these days, but purple basil – not so much!  


I have been obsessing about purple basil since early spring.  At the end of the organic market “season” last fall, I bought a huge bunch from a Ukrainian couple at the East Lake Farmer’s Market (http://elfmarket.org/).  I was at their stand admiring the deep purple color and sweet smell of the basil leaves when I wondered aloud, “What would I do with all this basil other than make a huge batch of pesto?”  That’s when I learned about Purple Basil Lemonade!  It’s genius!  Basically, after steeping the basil leaves in water to make a concentrate or “tea” – which results in a very ugly black water, you add simple syrup to sweeten and then the lemons… OMG!  The citric acid in the lemon juice reacts with the basil water and turns the water FUSCHIA!  It’s an absolutely beautiful, natural chemical reaction!

So, back to my obsession (indulge me… recipe later…).  I began hunting down purple basil plants when the garden centers first began their spring offerings… I’d park my car and head straight to the herb section and…. No purple basil!  One place after the other, I struck out!  Green basil was everywhere!  (Yes, I could make it with green basil, but then I wouldn’t be able to watch the pretty colors!)  My friends were also on the lookout with instructions to purchase without question… Got one at Whole Foods in Midtown… 3 at Hastings in Buckhead… 2 at Intown Ace Hardware in Decatur… and we even bought seeds – which went nowhere my garden!  I ended up with 3 curly-leafed, purple basil plants… but not nearly enough for “tea” for the AUM… What could I do?  Well, if you did the math, there were a total of 6 plants…  I had 3… my friends had the others, but we had just “raided” their plants for Father’s Day gatherings…. Thus began the hunt on Saturday morning (yes, the day of the AUM) through the local farmer’s markets.  After visiting several and calling a handful of herb farms, I finally found 2 lonely, small bunches from the folks at Ora Farms (“Backyard farm that also uses its operation to educate neighborhood children on the techniques of urban farming”) which are located in the East Lake neighborhood of Atlanta.  I cost me a whopping, $1.00/bunch!  Little did they know that I would have paid anything!  I played it cool as I handed them my money… then made a dash for the car before my excitement took over!  I was ready to make my Purple Basil Lemonade!


A BIG SHOUT OUT TO MY FRIENDS, LINDA CHAPLA AND KYRA VICORY (check out Kyra’s blog at www.themoddog.blogspot.com!)


On the Menu - Atlanta Underground Market 6/25/2011:



Purple Basil Lemonade
Makes 1 Gallon of Lemonade

Ingredients
2 bunches of Purple Basil, including stems
10 lemons, seeded & juiced
2 cups confectioner’s sugar (or other sweetner to taste)
Water
Ice
1 lemon sliced thin
1 bunch green basil, leaves only

Directions

  1. Simmer the purple basil in 4 cups of water until the color is mostly “drained” from the leaves – DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. 
  2. Pour basil water into a 1 gallon pitcher. 
  3. Add confectioner’s sugar/sweetner, using a whisk to ensure all lumps are dissolved.….here it comes! 
  4. Add the lemon juice and watch as the mixture turns a bright pink… which is best observed in a glass pitcher! 
  5. Fill the pitcher with ice and water to your taste… being careful not to dilute the concentrate too much. 
  6. Tweak the sweetness to your liking! 
  7. To serve:  Fill a tall glass half with ice.  Place a basil leaf and lemon slice on top of the ice and pour lemonade into the glass.  Voila!  Purple Basil Lemonade!
Tips:

  • If you can’t find purple basil, you can use green basil… Thai Basil is a terrific substitute! 
  • Online recipes call for just “muddling” the basil and sweetner, rather than steeping… In my opinion, steeping the basil creates a deeper flavor and aromatic flavor. 
  • Try this recipe with limes or a combination of lemons and limes!

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