question: Why can't you buy bunches of basil at the grocery like how you can buy parsley and cilantro?
comment: Perhaps it has to do with your area? We very well can were I live, there’s plenty. The conditions for growing may not be ideal were you live, or demand may be low, causing the low amounts to be bought up by restaurants, etc. and never make it to stores. Might be good to specify your area or ask on a local sub
passages: Once the plant is allowed to flower, it may produce seed pods containing small black seeds, which can be saved and planted the following year. Picking the leaves off the plant helps promote growth, largely because the plant responds by converting pairs of leaflets next to the topmost leaves into new stems.
  
  Basil is popularly recommended as a companion plant to the tomato. Common claims are that basil may deter pests or improve tomato flavor. However, in double-blind taste tests, basil did not significantly affect the taste of tomatoes when planted adjacent to them.
  
  Section::::Cultivation.:Diseases.
   Non-pathogenic bacteria found on basil include "Novosphingobium" species.
  
  Section::::Uses.
  
  Section::::Uses.:Culinary.
  
  Basil is most commonly used fresh in recipes. In general, it is added at the last moment, as cooking quickly destroys the flavor. The fresh herb can be kept for a short time in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or for a longer period in the freezer, after being blanched quickly in boiling water. The dried herb also loses most of its flavor, and what little flavor remains tastes very different, with a weak coumarin flavor, like hay.
   Basil is sensitive to cold, with best growth in hot, dry conditions. It behaves as an annual if there is any chance of a frost. However, due to its popularity, basil is cultivated in many countries around the world. Production areas include countries in the Mediterranean area, those in the temperate zone, and others in subtropical climates.
   Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto—a green Italian oil-and-herb sauce.
   A slightly different version of this sauce exists in Provence, where it is known as "pistou". In contrast to "pesto alla genovese", "pistou" is generally made with olive oil, basil and garlic only: while cheese may be added, usually no nuts are included in a traditional "pistou" because no pine trees grow there to provide the nuts. "Pistou" is used in the typical "soupe au pistou", a hearty vegetable soup with "pistou" flavour. The sauce did not originally contain basil, however; instead, cheese and olive oil were the main constituents.
   There are many varieties of basil, as well as several related species or hybrids also called basil. The type used commonly as a flavor is typically called sweet basil (or Genovese basil), as opposed to Thai basil ("O. basilicum" var. "thyrsiflora"), lemon basil ("O. × citriodorum"), and holy basil ("Ocimum tenuiflorum"). While most common varieties of basil are treated as annuals, some are perennial in warm, tropical climates, including holy basil and a cultivar known as "African blue basil".
  
  Section::::Description.
   Basil suffers from several plant pathogens that can ruin the crop and reduce yield. Fusarium wilt is a soil-borne fungal disease that will quickly kill younger basil plants. Seedlings may be killed by "Pythium" damping off. A common foliar disease of basil is gray mold caused by "Botrytis cinerea"; it can cause infections post-harvest and is capable of killing the entire plant. Black spot can be seen on basil foliage and is caused by the fungi genus "Colletotrichum". Downy mildew caused by "Peronospora belbahrii" is a significant disease, as first reported in Italy in 2004. It was reported in the U.S. in 2007 and 2008.
   Basil can also be propagated reliably from cuttings with the stems of short cuttings suspended for two weeks or so in water until roots develop.
  
  Once a stem produces flowers, foliage production stops on that stem, the stem becomes woody, and essential oil production declines. To prevent this, a basil-grower may pinch off any flower stems before they are fully mature. Because only the blooming stem is so affected, some stems can be pinched for leaf production, while others are left to bloom for decoration or seeds.
   The Chinese also use fresh or dried basils in soups and other foods. In Taiwan, people add fresh basil leaves to thick soups. They also eat fried chicken with deep-fried basil leaves. Basil (most commonly Thai basil) is commonly steeped in cream or milk to create an interesting flavor in ice cream or chocolates (such as truffles). The leaves are not the only part of basil used in culinary applications, the flower buds have a more subtle flavor and they are edible.
  
  Section::::Chemical components.
   A living tradition, such as cooking, is always subject to variation and re-creation. For example, in his memoirs, the late Pierre Franey, former chef at Le Pavillon and long-time New York Times columnist, vividly recalled his trepidation when as an teenaged apprentice chef, he was ordered to prepare a simple ""omelette aux fines herbes"—three eggs, chervil, parsley, tarragon, chives—the first omelette I was assigned to prepare for paying guests, after a considerable amount of practicing on others." In his anxiety he almost spoiled the dish. Yet, in his accompanying recipe for Americans printed in the same book, Franey substitutes basil for the chervil, doubtless because especially in the United States, chervil, unless home grown, can be virtually impossible to obtain when fresh and is virtually useless when dried.
   The most commonly used Mediterranean basil cultivars are "Genovese", "Purple Ruffles", "Mammoth", "Cinnamon", "Lemon", "Globe", and "African Blue". The Chinese also use fresh or dried basils in soups and other foods. In Taiwan, people add fresh basil leaves to thick soups. They also eat fried chicken with deep-fried basil leaves. Basil (most commonly Thai basil) is commonly steeped in cream or milk to create an interesting flavor in ice cream or chocolates (such as truffles). The leaves are not the only part of basil used in culinary applications, the flower buds have a more subtle flavor and they are edible.
   Basil (disambiguation)
  
  Basil is a plant and seasoning.
  
  Basil may also refer to:
  
  BULLET::::- Basil (name), people named Basil
  
  BULLET::::- Basil, California, former name of Redwood Valley, California
  
  BULLET::::- "Basil" (novel), by Wilkie Collins
  
  BULLET::::- "Basil" (film), a 1998 film by Radha Bharadwaj starring Jared Leto
  
  BULLET::::- Basil (Sesame Park), the main character on the Canadian children's show "Sesame Park"
  
  BULLET::::- Basil Fawlty, the main character in "Fawlty Towers"
  
  BULLET::::- Saint Basil (disambiguation)
  
  BULLET::::- "The Great Mouse Detective", also known as "Basil the Great Mouse Detective", an animated film by Disney
  
  BULLET::::- A type of leather tanned with redoul
   Many people in Greece don’t eat basil because of its association with a religious event known as the “Elevation of the Cross.” Although there are no set religious-related rules against eating this herb, many Greeks haven’t developed the flavor for eating it. According to the story, Empress Helene in 326 A.D. is said to have found the original cross that Jesus was crucified on. When she found it, basil was growing in the earth in the shape of a cross. She named the plant “Vasiliki”, or basil, which means, “of the king.” She realized that the cross she found was Jesus’s because when a sick woman kissed it, she was made well.
   Although basil grows best outdoors, it can be grown indoors in a pot and, like most herbs, will do best on a sun-facing windowsill. It should be kept away from extremely cold drafts, and grows best in strong sunlight, therefore a greenhouse or row cover is ideal if available. It can, however, be grown even in a basement, under fluorescent lights.
   Several other basils, including some other "Ocimum" species, are grown in many regions of Asia. Most of the Asian basils have a clove-like flavor that is, in general, stronger than the Mediterranean basils. The most notable is the holy basil or tulsi, a revered home-grown plant in India and Nepal.
   Section::::Uses.:Culinary.:Seeds.
  
  When soaked in water, the seeds of several basil varieties become gelatinous, and are used in Asian drinks and desserts such as "faluda", "sharbat-e-rihan", or "hột é".
  
  Research studies of the essential oil showed antifungal and insect-repelling properties, including potential toxicity to mosquitos.
  
  Section::::Uses.:Folk medicine.
  
  In folk medicine practices, such as those of Ayurveda or traditional Chinese medicine, basil is thought to have therapeutic properties.
  
  Section::::Culture.
   BULLET::::- Pico de gallo
  
  BULLET::::- Potato salad
  
  BULLET::::- Ratatouille
  
  BULLET::::- Rojak
  
  BULLET::::- Salad Niçoise
  
  BULLET::::- Samlar machu
  
  BULLET::::- Sauerkraut
  
  BULLET::::- Sicilian orange salad
  
  BULLET::::- Sorrel soup
  
  BULLET::::- Spinach salad
  
  BULLET::::- Stuffed peppers
  
  BULLET::::- Stuffed zucchini
  
  BULLET::::- Sweet potato pie
  
  BULLET::::- Sweet sour and spicy vegetable gravy
  
  BULLET::::- Tabbouleh
  
  BULLET::::- Texas caviar
  
  BULLET::::- Tomato omelette
  
  BULLET::::- Tomato soup
  
  BULLET::::- Turnip cake
  
  BULLET::::- Ulam (salad)
  
  BULLET::::- Urap
  
  BULLET::::- Utan
  
  BULLET::::- Vegetable chips
  
  BULLET::::- Vegetable sandwich
  
  BULLET::::- Vegetable soup
  
  BULLET::::- Vegetable tarkari
  
  BULLET::::- Vegetarian chili
  
  BULLET::::- Vichyssoise
  
  BULLET::::- Waldorf salad
  
  Section::::Vegetable dishes.:Eggplant dishes.
  
  BULLET::::- Eggplant salads and appetizers
  
  BULLET::::- Eggplant omelette
   Outside of Italy, sometimes almonds are used instead of pine nuts, and sometimes mint leaves are mixed in with the basil leaves. It has been pointed out that pesto is essentially a combination of flavourful leaves, oily nuts, hard cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt and lemon juice; any ingredients meeting this description can produce a pesto-like condiment.
  
  "Pesto alla siciliana", sometimes called "pesto rosso" (red pesto), is a sauce from Sicily similar to "pesto alla genovese" but with the addition of tomato, almonds instead of pine nuts, and much less basil.
   BULLET::::- Es campur
  
  BULLET::::- Es teler
  
  BULLET::::- Eton mess
  
  BULLET::::- Flaugnarde
  
  BULLET::::- Frogeye salad
  
  BULLET::::- Fruit butter
  
  BULLET::::- Fruit fool
  
  BULLET::::- Fruit preserves
  
  BULLET::::- Fruit relish
  
  BULLET::::- Fruit salad
  
  BULLET::::- Fruitcake
  
  BULLET::::- Green papaya salad
  
  BULLET::::- Hagebuttenmark
  
  BULLET::::- Kissel
  
  BULLET::::- Kompot
  
  BULLET::::- Lekvar
  
  BULLET::::- Lörtsy
  
  BULLET::::- Mincemeat
  
  BULLET::::- Murabba
  
  BULLET::::- Peach Melba
  
  BULLET::::- Pickled fruit
  
  BULLET::::- Pineapple cake
  
  BULLET::::- Pineapple tart
  
  BULLET::::- Po'e
  
  BULLET::::- Poire à la Beaujolaise
  
  BULLET::::- Poire belle Hélène
  
  BULLET::::- Pork chops and applesauce
  
  BULLET::::- Pum cot
  
  BULLET::::- Rødgrød
  
  BULLET::::- Rojak
  
  BULLET::::- Seafoam salad
  
  BULLET::::- Sicilian orange salad
  
  BULLET::::- Smulpaj
  
  BULLET::::- Sour cherry soup
  
  BULLET::::- Spotted dick
   Basil
  
  Basil (, ; "Ocimum basilicum"), also called great basil or Saint-Joseph's-wort, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae (mints).
  
  Basil is native to tropical regions from central Africa to Southeast Asia. It is a tender plant, and is used in cuisines worldwide. Depending on the species and cultivar, the leaves may taste somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, often sweet smell.
   Most culinary and ornamental basils are cultivars of the species "Ocimum basilicum", but other species are also grown and there are many hybrids between species. Traditionally a green plant, some varieties, such as 'Purple Delight' have leaves that appear purple.
   Mammoth basil
  
  Mammoth basil is a lettuce leaf basil variety, originating from Italy. Like many culinary basils, it is a cultivar of "Ocimum basilicum" (sweet basil). The plant grows to approximately 18 inches tall, and produces large ruffled leaves with a jagged edge. The flavor is similar to, but stronger than the flavor of Genovese basil. The leaves are used in pesto or whole, in salads.
   Basil should never reach flowering during the harvesting periods. If given a chance to flower, its flavor will be sacrificed and the leaves become smaller, dry and leathery. Once the flower clusters form, they should be removed so the plant will continue its vegetative growth. It is, however, a good idea for it to be left to flower and set seeds that will be collected during fall, because the cold winter frosts will kill the basil plant anyway. Harvesting the seeds two weeks before the last frost, and sowing them indoors in the spring will provide next year's harvest.
   Basil Pizza &amp; Wine Bar
  
  Basil Pizza & Wine Bar is a restaurant in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
  
  Basil is credited with "ushering in the new era of fine kosher dining in the neighborhood, " so that by 2017 The Jewish Week described Crown Heights as "an eating destination." The menu features a range of vegetarian and fish dishes, in addition to pizza baked in a wood-fired oven.
   Common garnishes for an Old Fashioned include an orange slice or a maraschino cherry or both, although these modifications came around 1930, some time after the original recipe was invented. While some recipes began making sparse use of the orange zest for flavor, the practice of muddling orange and other fruit gained prevalence as late as the 1990s.
  
  Some modern variants have greatly sweetened the Old Fashioned, e.g. by adding blood orange soda to make a Fizzy Old Fashioned, or muddled strawberries to make a strawberry old fashioned.
  
  Section::::Cultural impact.
  
presuppositions: Can't buy bunches of basil at store. Bunches of basil are not available in stores.
corrections: You can buy bunches of basil at some stores just not this one.  Bunches are basil are available in some stores.
raw_presuppositions: Can't buy bunches of basil at store. Bunches of basil are not available in stores.
raw_corrections: You can buy bunches of basil at some stores just not this one.  Bunches are basil are available in some stores.