2021 Basil
Last year, throughout the season, I collected and dried herbs from the garden. As they dried I stripped the leaves off and crushed them adding them to a jar for a ‘Janvrin family spice mix’, basically a this-and-that from the garden. It included tarragon, marjoram, thyme, chervil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, and lots of basil.
We had purchased some basil plants from Rural Roots and my sister had also grown several varieties that she shared with me. This year we’ve expanded the herb patch because we want more than one jar!
Here’s our basil selecetion for 2021:
1. Genovese
Seed started:
March 31, 2021
Size:
18-24 inches tall and 10-14 inches wide
Location:
Full sun
Matures in:
60-90 days from transplant
Native to:
Tropical regions of India, Africa and Southeast Asia even though the name would make you think that it’s Italian in origin. This is where knowing the latin name helps us (remember the post). The name has three parts, the Genus, specific epithet and the cultivar. Let’s see what this name means: Ocimum basilicum 'Genovese'
Ocimum - tribe, basil (A taxonomic genus within the family Lamiaceae – aromatic herbs, principally native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World. Lamiaceae - family; Nepetoideae - subfamily; Ocimeae - tribe)
Basilicum - royal, princely (the French call it ‘herbe royal’)
‘Genovese’ - the specific cultivar. Seeing as it means ‘in the style of Genoa’ I’m assuming this cultivar of Basil became linked to specific regional styles of cooking. People in that area would grow plants for specific traits that they preferred for their cooking, a specific taste they wanted to achieve.
Why did I Choose it?
Seed swap
Uses?
Genovese basil is said to be the very best Italian pesto variety.
Basil tastes best fresh, but can be preserved by drying or by freezing.
To freeze, tear the leaves into small pieces and freeze small batches of them, with water, in ice cube trays. Once frozen, the cubes can be saved in freezer bags. They will store well for up to four months.
Specifics:
This is the traditional Italian heirloom variety of basil, with shiny, large, almond-shaped leaves that have a more pronounced flavour than other varieties.
Basil is a heat loving tender annual plant that will not tolerate frost. Plant out transplants when the bearded iris starts to bloom and the soil has warmed up enough. It requires good drainage and ample moisture during hot weather or it will wilt.
Pinch growing tips to produce bushier plants that will grow to approximately 24 inches tall.
Basil leaves have the best flavour just before the plant flowers, so if you plan to preserve some of your basil or make a big batch of pesto, this is the best time to harvest them. Flowering can be delayed by pinching or clipping off new flower buds. Don’t chuck the flowers though, they can be sprinkled over pasta or salads.
Frequent harvesting will prolong the life of the plant.
If you want to save seeds, allow a good number of plants to flower and go to seed in order to provide as much genetic diversity as possible. Remove any plants that aren’t true to type so that their genetics are excluded from the seeds.
Basil flowers are highly attractive to honeybees and other wild pollinators.
Stores well if torn up and frozen in ice cube trays.
Basil can be planted as a companion to tomato plants. It is said that basil improves the flavour of tomatoes.
For best results tear basil, rather than chop with a knife, because chopping tends to bruise the leaves. Add basil to food just before serving so as to get the full aroma and effect. Cooking for any length tends to make the minty side of basil more pronounced.
Personal Notes:
There’s nothing quite like taking a pinch of your home grown spices while cooking and crushing them in your hands to sprinkle over whatever it is your cooking and then taking a deep breath with your hands cupped around your nose. Finish off with a sip of a nice Bordeaux and, oh, life is good!
2. Dark Opal
Seed started:
March 31, 2021
Size:
12-18 inches tall by the same wide
Location:
Basil requires warm soil and full sun with rich, loose well-drained soil.
Matures in:
60 days
Native to:
Dark opal basil is a cultivar of Ocimum basilicum, developed by John Scarchuk and Joseph Lent at the University of Connecticut in the 1950s.
Why did I Choose it?
Seeds swap - though again purple! So I would have chosen it anyways ;)
Uses?
Anywhere you’d use basil but want beautiful colour. Also used in vinegars for flavour and to turn them a beautiful red colour.
Specifics:
Dark Opal Basil is a popular sweet basil with dark, purple-black glossy leaves; pretty, pale pink flowers, and a delicious aroma. The plant grows at a steady pace producing small to medium sized, tender leaves. This cultivar is slow to bolt and is normally a fairly low maintenance plant and quite easy to grow, as long as you give it plenty of heat, sunshine and water. That’s why basil thrives in containers, window boxes, and planters, giving you a steady supply growing right outside your door or kitchen window.
Something to watch for with basil is various fungal diseases that the plant may contract including Fusarium wilt, gray mold, and black spot, as well as damping-off in seedlings. Eliminate the majority of these issues by waiting to plant outside until the soil has warmed up completely and giving the plants plenty of room for good airflow. Japanese beetles may skeletonize plant leaves so be prepared for some hand picking and dropping in a bucket of soapy water.
Sidenote: Basil seeds after harvesting have been used to thicken sweet drinks. Though what sweet drink you’d want thickened I’m not entirely sure?
Personal Notes:
Looking forward to doing a taste test comparison and making some pretty vinegars to give as gifts.
3. Holy Basil/Tulsi
Seed started:
March 31, 2021
Size:
20 inches tall by the same wide
Location:
Full sun
Matures in:
70 days
Native to:
India
Why did I Choose it?
Great adaptogen.
Uses?
Teas mainly, or tinctures. Also used in Thai cooking.
Specifics:
Tulsi means ‘the incomparable one’.
Easy to grow from seeds, and it thrives in the heat of summer. Great in containers or the herb garden. Stems and leaves are green with a hint of purple and topped with violet flowers.
Highly fragrant but with a different flavour profile than other basil. The scent is reminiscent of cloves/anise and the leaves are spicy and bitter (hence, the common name ‘hot basil’).
Holy Basil is frequently called Tulsi because it is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine. In Thailand, it is called Kaphrao, and used as a culinary herb.
Personal Notes:
I’m definitely going to try to dry quite a bit of this basil and make some tinctures with it.
4. Sweet Thai Basil
Seed started:
March 31, 2021
Size:
16-20 inches tall by the same wide
Location:
Full sun
Matures in:
60-65 days
Native to:
Southeast Asia. In Thailand it is called "Horapha" or, "Hun Que" in Vietnam where it is also used.
Why did I Choose it?
For some extra flavour cooking, we love Thai and Vietnamese dishes so this seemed like the perfect herb to grow.
Uses?
Used in a variety of Thai and Vietnamese dishes. Add it liberally to your stir-fries, soups, curries, hot pots and phở. Fun when used as a flavorful garnish for sweet dishes.
Specifics:
Sweet Thai Basil is a beautiful plant with green leaves and purple stems that has a distinctive spicy clove/anise flavour. The flowers are fragrant and pink providing a nice contrast to the dark leaves making it perfect for both the ornamental garden and the herb garden. Unlike other basil varieties, even if it flowers it doesn’t get bitter so you can have flowers and still enjoy the leaves.
Vigorous growth, especially when regularly pinched back. Loves hot weather so will do well in your greenhouse or containers on the patio, just don’t let it dry out. This basil is also more cold tolerant than others, so, after all of your other basils have gone bitter with the cool nights of early fall this basil will still taste great and be perfect for continued harvest until the frost kills it.
Personal Notes:
I’m looking forward to cooking with this basil.
5. Mrs. Burns Lemon Basil
Seed started:
March 31, 2021
Size:
20-24 inches tall by the same wide
Location:
Full sun
Matures in:
60-70 days
Native to:
Mrs. Burns lemon basil is named after Janet Burns, an organic gardener in Carlsbad, New Mexico who introduced it in 1939. She obtained the seeds from an anonymous neighbor who had been growing it since the 1920s.
Interestingly it is not closely related to lemon basil, but to sweet basil.
Mrs. Burns (O. basilicum var. citriodora) is a variety of sweet basil (O. basilicum). Lemon basil (O. × citriodorum) is a hybrid between sweet basil and hoary basil (O. americanum), also known as African basil.
Why did I Choose it?
Sounded like fun.
Uses?
The flowers make an excellent garnish for drinks, salads, soups, pasta and desserts. Torn leaves brighten rice dishes, poultry, fish, potatoes and vegetables. It adds incredible flavour to dressings and marinades. Also, try it as an iced tea.
Makes a fantastic scented bouquet for the table from midsummer through autumn.
Specifics:
Mrs. Burns Lemon Basil is one of those cultivars that was grown specifically to be itself. Between her neighbour and herself they selected the best taste and fragrance each year to ensure bright basil and lemon flavours, along with the heady fragrance of sweet basil with a lemon edge.
The plant has very bright green, large leaves with white blooms. This basil is both attractive and incredibly flavorful making it perfect for the ornamental or herb garden. Robust and carefree it loves heat and can handle drought quite well being from New Mexico.
Flavor is of intense basil and citrus.
Personal Notes:
I’m really looking forward to experiencing this basil and finding all sorts of ways to use it in cooking and around the house.
What varieties of basil have you planted?