I recently started researching how to prune basil – my interests are more domestic than I would like to admit, nothing pleases me more than cooking, or planting a new herb, or the chance to not leave home – and it seemed like now was the right time. Basil must be regularly pruned and must be prevented from flowering as it will lessen the intensity of flavor and leave a bitter note at the end.
I brought out the scissors, ready to cut the plant at the stem. As a child, I had heard that one must apologize to the plant before picking its fruits or leaves.
I cut the plant right at the stem. I made no apology. The rule is that life must be sustained by life. One cannot be alive except by inflicting death on others.
On some days, I cut the basil. On some days, I am the basil.
Beyond Six Rivers 