(Parts of this essay and exercise are adapted from Integrative Nutrition: The Future of Nutrition, by Joshua Rosenthal)

Basil, to me, is one of those essence-of-summer foods. Just the smell of it, at any time of year, is evocative of the warm sun, long days and delicious meals. It's an ancient and highly-lauded herb in many cultures. The Greek name for basil means "king" or "royal"; in India, basil was cherished as an icon of hospitality, while in Italy, it was a symbol of love.

It's used in many cuisines, in cultures around the world. As Italian cuisine fans know, basil has an incredible affinity for tomatoes; gives a wonderful kick and fragrance to spicy Thai food; Indians revere the healing properties of Holy Basil (Tulsi) in teas and Ayurvedic preparations; tiny-leafed Greek basil flavors fresh fish beautifully.

Turns out that this delicious herb is also incredibly health-supportive. Lab studies have shown that the volatile oils in basil leaves have anti-bacterial properties, and the flavinoids contained in it help reduce inflammation. It's a good source of Vitamin A, magnesium, iron and Vitamin C - so use it liberally!

Basil is easy to grow in the ground or a pot, too - your garden center may still have plants available, and they'll produce all summer long. To keep the leaves coming, simply pinch off the flowers as they start to grow in a spike (once the flowers bloom and produce seeds, growth virtually stops). In the northeast, basil is an annual, which means you'll have to plant new seeds or plants next year - it won't survive the winter.

When you buy basil in the supermarket, it's usually the generic "sweet basil" variety; this is why it's fun to experiment by growing your own, since there are more than 60 varieties to choose from, each with its own character: lemon basil, spicy globe basil, cinnamon basil to name a few - with flavors that subtly reflect their names. Most basil is bright green, but at least two varieties - Purple Ruffle and Dark Opal - are a dramatic brown-purple color, so it's fun to mix and match them, depending on the dish you're making. Since the oils get destroyed easily by heat, for the maximum pop of flavor it's best to simply add fresh, cut or torn basil leaves at the end of cooking, or sprinkle on top of the finished dish .

Here are some easy ways to enjoy basil while it's plentiful, and later on:

--To store in the refrigerator, trim the stems and place in a jar of water; cover the tops with a plastic bag or wrapped in a lightly dampened paper towel. This will help keep it fresh for a week or longer.

--Freeze fresh leaves for later use by stripping them off the stems, packing in ice cube trays, topping them off with water, and freezing. When solid, pop them out of the trays and store in freezer containers or bags. To use, just add a cube or two to soups and sauces, or thaw, drain and chop.

--You can also make what I call "half-pesto" by simply filling a food processor with washed and stemmed basil leaves, a few cloves of garlic and some olive oil. Mix until finely blended. Pour into a jar, top it with a layer of olive oil, and store in the fridge or freezer. You can bring it to full-pesto glory by thawing, adding pine nuts (or any nuts, really), parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and reblending. Presto!

--Nothing compares to fresh basil in terms of flavor, scent and benefit, but dried can be convenient for use in sauces, so consider drying your own (that way you know how old it is, which you can't really tell when you buy commercially dried herbs). Simply tie the stems of a bunch of fresh basil together with twine; hang upside-down in a dry, cool place. When fully dried, remove the leaves, crumble, and store in an airtight jar.

It's easy to tell that basil is closely related to mint, and some varieties resemble that plant. We tend to associate mint with sweeter preparations, and basil with savory - when experimenting with foods, how about changing things up a bit, and trying basil where you'd use the sweeter herb, such as with yogurt, ice cream or finely chopped and sprinkled on watermelon?