The street basil tasted really, really good.
As I've mentioned once or twice, I had a busy weekend last weekend. Loraine's brother Joe was up, and in an attempt to not eat out at every single meal I made pasta for dinner one of the nights he was here. It's a dish I make quite often, with ground turkey in the sauce and lots of sage stirred in to make it yummy.
It also uses basil, and usually when I make it I just use the dried stuff. Of course, we all know fresh basil is a whole lot more flavorful, and as we were walking through downtown Marquette a few hours before dinner I suddenly realized that I DID have some fresh basil lying around--
Street basil.
Lest you think I'm insane, I'm not. If you've walked at all through downtown Marquette recently, you may have noticed these flower boxes--
Instead of having decorative flowers in them, for the past couple of seasons the Marquette Downtown Development Authority has stocked them with herb and vegetable plants. Once they've ripened, anyone is welcome to grab a leaf of basil or a tomato and use it however they see fit.
In other words, street basil. I tore a couple of leaves off, brought them home, washed them, cut them up, threw them in the pasta, and, as usual, marveled at how much better fresh basil tastes than the dried stuff. Not only that but it also makes your fingers smell like fresh basil for a few hours, and what's not to like about that?
I have to commend the DDA for thinking outside the (flower) box in this instance. They actually started it because of the food security issues that many people are facing these days. Fresh vegetables can be expensive, and if someone in need wants a carrot or a tomato, they should be able to have them. And that's why anyone is welcome to help themselves from whatever's in the downtown garden boxes.
To me, it's a very Marquette way of creatively dealing with a situation, in the hopes that it lessens the burden on others.
The boxes are on the 100, 200, and 300 blocks of Washington Street, so when you're downtown, check 'em out. While the vegetables still have a way to grow, the herbs are ready, and if you don't need any, just stick your nose in them and catch a whiff of nature--and humanity--at its best.
And if you just happen to find yourself needing a leaf or two of fresh basil? Feel free to grab them. After all, that's why they're there.
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