Purple Basil

C

ccernst

Last time I was at my parents, they had a purple basil plant growing. They hadn't ever used it...they just grew it. I tasted it and it tasted nothing like a regular basil plant. The closest thing that it tastes like is sassafras tea or maybe even Clark's Teaberry gum.

Anyone ever try something like that? I'd like to grow something like that myself, but other than the enjoyment of chewing on a leaf for a while, I don't know what I'd do with it.
 
Just some quick googling, I found this seed site:
http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/herbs/basil.html

I think they had HR19.
 
I am growing variegated basil in my garden. It also doesn't taste like "regular" basil, and I much prefer the variegated over the regular. Basil has such a variety of uses, and of course, that use can broaden as the flavor of the basil varies. I suggest looking for recipes that use basil on some of the cooking sites, then start experimenting on your own. Regular basil is commonly used with strong-flavored items, as it has a strong flavor - spaghetti sauce, for example. However, some of the basil varieties have more subtle flavors, and so could be used with a wider variety of things.

My recommendation for experimenting on your own is to take a recipe you're already familiar with, then put a small quantity of the herbs/spices for it in a small bowl or plate and mix well. Smell the mix, then smell the basil (or other herb/spice) - do they seem to compliment or enhance one another? Or do they conflict with each other? (Note that smell is a large part of taste.) Now mix some of the new herb/spice into the other mix, and smell again. Do you like how it smells? If so, go for it in your recipe! Note that just because two seasonings seem to conflict when separate doesn't always mean they won't smell good when all together, but this is a general rule of thumb that they won't.
 
This grows along the side of my house, the neighbour calls it "Chinese basil", he planted it and yes he is Chinese(trying hard not to type chinense), I let him plant stuff there and that includes mustard greens, bak choi etc.

It tastes nothing like basil and I don't used it, truthfully I don't think he eats it either(I do eat the mustard greens and bak choi). I just went outside and chewed a couple of leaves, its very green tasting, like a rich grass, had kind of a light mustard flavour or even greenbean richness but no sweetness. I grow both sweet basil and Italian basil.

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Burning Colon said:
This grows along the side of my house, the neighbour calls it "Chinese basil", he planted it and yes he is Chinese(trying hard not to type chinense), I let him plant stuff there and that includes mustard greens, bak choi etc.

It tastes nothing like basil and I don't used it, truthfully I don't think he eats it either(I do eat the mustard greens and bak choi). I just went outside and chewed a couple of leaves, its very green tasting, like a rich grass, had kind of a light mustard flavour or even greenbean richness but no sweetness. I grow both sweet basil and Italian basil.
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I'm curious - I see you're in Canada. This is my first year growing basil, as well as the peppers. Everything I've read indicates basil is annual in cold climates, but that "sometimes" it will come back in the spring. Is this your first year growing basil, and if not, what has your experience been? I've been planning on digging mine up and bringing it into the house when the temps dip below 50F.

Here's my basil, behind the japanese maple: I think it borders on tasting like a cross between basil and oregano.
basil.jpg
 
geeme, you basil looks fantastic, the best I have been able to get is sweet basil to raise up about 1 foot, italian bout 8".

I have grown basil and such for 25+ years, as for peppers it is only within the past 10 years that I have been growing chinense variety of peppers, mainly because they just weren't readily available. In the past, ceyenne seed packages, jalepeno and serano could be found. Today, with temporary foreign workers from mexico and filipennes I am finding fresh orange habs, scotch bonnet and for nursery plants hot lemon, habanero and caribbean red. Jalepeno, serano, frenso, anaheim,wax, thai have been available for quite awhile.

But to address the cold issue, yes 0 - 4C(32 - 35F) is dead zone for basil outdoors. Here, let me go look outside at some italian basil I have in a planter, the planter has been covered with a blanket for 3 days as almost everything outside is covered do to cold nights 0C/32F and frost, they are calling for snow tonight but tempuratures should rise back up by thursday(15C/55F)...........bare with me as I run outside to the deck and take a boo, what was a nice green lush basil plant is know a wilted browish figure. I am guessing it is dead, I don't think the day time highs later in the week will have much of a resurrection effect. I have some hearty italian parsley that I should dig up and bring into the house.

To answer some of your other questions, no, the seeds from basil have never survived a winter outside, I have had parsley survive, oregano, thyme and taragon are perennial for me, dill seed comes back every year. Spinach seed comes back everyear. I think the mustard green seeds will survive the winter. (When I reference winter, I am talking -20 to - 35C or -4F to -31F). horseradish survives, mint survives as do my cherry trees. goji also.
 
Interesting. I pulled out the card that came with my basil. I can't take any credit for its height - it says 18 to 48 inches. It also says it doesn't flower (true), which is supposed to help keep a good flavor all year (bitterness occurs during bloom time in other basils.) Sounds like the only way it will survive the winter is if I dig it up, if that even works.

The coldest it's gotten here (since I moved here) has been -28F. Most winters, though, -20F is about the coldest, and that doesn't usually hang around too terribly long. That's why I've only planted perrenials here in the past, well a combination of that plus the fact that I haven't had too many things survive inside the house, between the cat and occasionally forgetting to water for too long. You've heard the phrase "Let go and let God..."? He does much better with the plants outdoors than I could ever dream of doing - indoors or out!
 
According to the tag, it's Ocimum x citriodorum 'Pesto Perpetuo' P.P. #16260

My japanese maple (which you see a bit of in front of the basil) is the red-leaf variety. However, towards the middle to end of summer it starts getting green, then when we're further into fall, it goes back to red. It's kind of hard to tell in the pic above, but the leaves are actually a combo of red and green right now. I'm wondering if the purple basil there goes through a similar cycle. Alternately, there are multiple varieties of purples - possibly a different one wouldn't go green?

Hmm. Now I'm particularly noticing that bit of russian sage - looks like it's time to start pruning those back.....
 
your basils look very nice with there compact growth. wait... are they variegated? :cool:

I tried growing dark opal at purple ruffles but both of them reverted to green. only the veins and the flower stalks remained purple.
 
Yep - they're variegated. That was my main reason for getting that variety. It's too bad about the purples reverting to green. I grew up in the Houston, Texas area, where it is also hot (and humid) most of the year. There are definitely things that grow well here that can't survive the heat there (and vice-versa, but for the cold here.) I tried starting purple ruffles from seed a couple years ago, but my son's cat decided they were her playtoys shortly after they sprouted, and killed them all. I didn't try them again after that, but I might try finding them in the spring at the local nurseries. I definitely won't be starting anything from seed again until after my son moves out and takes the cat with him - those weren't the only seedlings she's played with. Now I'm curious to see if they will stay purple in this environment or not.
 
Burning Colon said:
... the best I have been able to get is sweet basil to raise up about 1 foot, italian bout 8".
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One other thought before I head off to bed for the night. You mentioned that your basil is on the side of your house. The houses in my neighborhood are too close together to get any real sun during the day, and basil demands lots of sun. Mine are okay under the japanese maple right now, because that plant is too small still to provide much shade, and that's the only shade you'll find in the front of my house - it's pretty straight-on sunshine all day in that area. Not sure if that's the case where you're growing your basil, but you might consider a different area next year if the current area isn't getting lots of sun.
 
geeme said:
Yep - they're variegated. That was my main reason for getting that variety. It's too bad about the purples reverting to green. I grew up in the Houston, Texas area, where it is also hot (and humid) most of the year. There are definitely things that grow well here that can't survive the heat there (and vice-versa, but for the cold here.) I tried starting purple ruffles from seed a couple years ago, but my son's cat decided they were her playtoys shortly after they sprouted, and killed them all. I didn't try them again after that, but I might try finding them in the spring at the local nurseries. I definitely won't be starting anything from seed again until after my son moves out and takes the cat with him - those weren't the only seedlings she's played with. Now I'm curious to see if they will stay purple in this environment or not.
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i have the same problem with cats here. the like to poop on loose soil especially the area that i sowed some seeds. i almost tried to dispose of the cat for turning my seedling trays into poop box.
 
that stupid cat also love to uproot my potted plants.

anyway, did you bought your variegated basil seeds online? If yes, may I ask for the website? I would love to try growing that variety here and see if it will grow as nice as your plants.
 
siling_labuyo said:
that stupid cat also love to uproot my potted plants.

anyway, did you bought your variegated basil seeds online? If yes, may I ask for the website? I would love to try growing that variety here and see if it will grow as nice as your plants.
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My son's cat first upturned the seed tray and scattered the starter pellets all over the room. That was the end of the first batch. Then she peed on them after I had put them back into the tray with new seeds (big time - I thought she must have saved it up for a few days!) She has also just plain chewed up seedlings. The thing was that the seed tray was not in an easy place for her to get to - she had to do some extreme acrobatics to do that.

I bought my variegated basil as small plants from a local hardware store. The place they got them from is Art Form Nurseries, who only sells wholesale. However, they might be able to give you a contact for buying seeds. Here's a link to their website: http://www.artformnurseries.com/home
 
experienced the same thing also with the seedling trays. i managed to save some seedling but my problem now is that the labels are all mixed up so i need to wait for the plants to produce fruit for better ID.

thanks for the link. I'll check on it now. :)
 
Ciao all-

BC, the plant growing along the side of the house isn't basil at all, but Amaranth. Amaranth is a grain plant which produces large fluffy spikes filled with very small seeds. I believe the entire plant is edible, but I don't know of any uses for the leaves. Native North Americans pound the seeds into a sort of flour or meal for making bread.

Geeme, Pesto Purpetua is a hybrid seed-sterile basil variety. The company that hybridized it did that on purpose for proprietary reasons. I've grown it mainly as an ornamental and ironically, it didn't thrive as well as the other open-pollinated varieties nor did it taste as good, so I likely won't grow it again. It is very pretty, though. I've grown several of the purple basil varieties and Purple Osmin (Richters) is not only one of the darkest of these, but I've also not had the experience of rogue green leaves with it. Purple Petra is another good one (I believe Botanical Interests carries that one..I got mine in trade). I'm planning to try Rosie (Richters) next year. Dark Opal makes a nice jelly, but the flavour is not all that assertive for using with savoury meals. Red Rubin is tasty, but can be a finicky grower and doesn't always thrive like some of the others. I'd say my favourite purple basil right now is Purple Osmin overall.
 
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