I find the taste so strong that I can't find a use for it. Does anyone have an answer?
Red Basil
Some of the red and purple basils do have a strong, anise-like flavor. I like a few leaves added to a green salad, and if you don't have Thai basil on hand they might be a good addition to stir-fry. If you're making herb vinegar, a sprig of red or purple basil will turn it a wonderful rose-pink color.
Besides, it's just pretty! :-)
Yes, it is pretty but strong.
There's a really pretty ruffled purple variety ('Purple Ruffles' maybe?) that I like as an ornamental but don't actually eat. 'Red Rubin' was a little milder, at least in my garden... Do you know which variety this is?
No, I don't remember and the label I had on it is missing. That seems to be the way it is with labels. I think there is a label eating bug.
No, it's the same little gnome that scrubs out whatever you wrote with a sharpie so it would never wash out. That guy really makes the rounds.
Very funny comments about the labels! Something gets them, that's for sure. The big puzzling issue is how one plant ends up with three labels (squirrels maybe?) over the winter and only one is the correct label.
Try to cut up the basil very fine or put it in with (salt if you want it) and a few cloves of garlic in a small (tiny) food processor and put that over pasta with some Parmesan cheese.
The gnome's little sister does the switching.
That little recipe sounds wonderful, pirl. I'm writing it down.
pirl,
I tried that and it was so strong it gaged me.
There ought to be a better way to keep the tags with them.
This message was edited Aug 13, 2007 12:08 PM
I've been thinking about that, and I'm going to start burying tags with perennials that I don't want to lose track of... strips of vinyl window blind, marked with an industrial sharpie... not especially useful when I'm making my garden rounds, but at least I can check the name when I dig & divide!
That's what the squirrels did last winter! They took my Venetian blind labels. I bet they're redecorating! Can you just see those tiny blinds up in trees?
Well, if it's too strong for you and you gagged then either use green basil or skip the recipe. Gagging is not conducive to a good meal.
Great sounding recipe Pirl ~ at least one label out of the three is correct. Makes it multiple choice. LOL ~ squirrel decor.
I am finding blinds with names and wonder where the heck the plant went...
Makshi ~ do you care for the taste of licorice or anise? Perhaps this basil is not your "cup of tea". It at least does make a pretty foliage plant for pot or bed.
I am curious, can you tell which one you are growing? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=basil&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
Do the squirrels haul them around even if you totally bury the label?
(As my grandma used to call them when they dug up her yard, "Those miserable things!!")
Funny, podster!
Critterologist: no, not if the whole label is buried.
Burying a whole vinyl label is my new back-up method, then... I like the zinc markers for "show."
I think a huge boulder is the answer. Then I could write the names on the boulder and let's see that miserable squirrel hide THAT!
Okay guys I found out which one it is:Red Basil
Ocimum basilicum 'Red Rubin'
No, I don't like licorice.
I've grown that one in the past and, for me, it lacks the true basil taste. It's a nice garden accent plant but I prefer edible basil.
Same here... I like that one in my flower bed but don't really eat it other than an occasional few leaves in a tossed salad (I like the licorice accent, especially if you add a few fresh or mandarin orange slices -- think fennel and orange).
Does anyone know of a purple basil that seems to have that classic "true basil taste?"
Makshi ~ no experience with that one. I have grown purple ruffles which has a strong anise flavor.
A quick question? Has it bloomed yet? Produced seed? pod
I meant to add if you really dislike this, you might want to rate your experience with it http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/addcomment.php?pid=48815 That way others will be aware of the taste ( or lack of taste ) LOL ~ pod
It is blooming but I haven't seen any seeds yet. They are so tiny I really haven't looked for them.
Makshi ~ If I recall, I think Critterologist said herbs become bitter when in bloom or producing seeds. Did this taste nasty to you before it began blooming?
Good point. If the flavor you're not liking is a bitterness (rather than that anise flavor we've been talking about), then you need to prune back the plant (not just the flowers -- take it back so there's just one pair of leaves after the last branch point) and taste again once you get new growth.
I will try cutting it back and see what happens.
podster - good post. It's supposed to be true, too. I've heard mainly about basil.
It's definitely true, and it happens with my thyme and oregano also. I dropped the ball with my first response -- didn't think to ask if that basil was blooming, and at this time of year especially that should've been the first thing to check when somebody gives a report of "yuk!"
Good post only because I learned it here first... Thanks Critterologist! pod
Edited to add ~ I really hope everyone adds info the the Plant Files... many times I go there looking for more info to find only generic stuff. A real disappointment and it makes me GOogle for info that should be here.
This message was edited Aug 16, 2007 7:14 PM