My Basil is Bolting!

My basil is on the run!  Well alright, it's not really running all over the place, but it IS bolting.  What's bolting?  That's when a plant, usually due to hot weather, thinks the world is ending and abandons all leaf growth in favor of producing flowers and seed.  I've seen this with all kinds of flowers, vegetables and herbs.  For many it's the vegetables and herbs that are the most frustrating, because if you're growing either of those two, it's not usually the darn flowers or seeds that you're after.  Also, once a plant bolts, its disregard for leaf growth and maintenance can often lead to dying, woody, or bitter tasting harvest.
You can sometimes halt this process if you catch the bolt in its early stages.  Clip off the flowers and any buds that you see.  I've been known to also clip that robust main stem they're growing off of down closer to the rest of the "bushy" part.  With herbs this can often stop it bolting, and it returns to normal leaf growth.  With vegetables it's very hit or miss.  Often all you're doing is buying yourself a little time to harvest what you can before the taste is ruined. 
While bolting in my experience is usually brought on by hot weather, make sure that you're giving your garden enough water.  You don't want vegetable and herb beds to run wet and dry.  Consistent watering may help to keep the soil temperature from ranging too high. 
As for my basil, I've snipped it back as described above, and will keep my fingers crossed that it quits its shenanigans and goes back to growing leaves for me.

Happy gardening!