Can this basil be helped?

[Plant]

Hi,
Around June purchased this grown container basil plant. Recently the leaves have come in small, there is a bit of brown on the stems, and they taste bitter. Noticed some of the larger leaves seem a bit puckered too. Pruned it recently. Can it be helped? It tasted great before. Thanks!

 

[Chuck]

Hi,
Around June purchased this grown container basil plant. Recently the leaves have come in small, there is a bit of brown on the stems, and they taste bitter. Noticed some of the larger leaves seem a bit puckered too. Pruned it recently. Can it be helped? It tasted great before. Thanks!

It bolted which means a stem or stems were going to flower. This happens when the temperatures get too warm. If you had not pruned the stems it would have flowered and went to seed and reseeded itself. All you can do now is either get another baby plant or get some seeds and sprout your own. Basil is easy. Just use the soil in the container, sprinkle a few seeds around in it and keep it moist. When it sprouts and grows a few leaves fertilize it with a liquid fertilizer.