Have you grown 'Queen Siam' Thai basil? Was it easy to grow?
How are you using this herb?
Thanks,
Deborah
Have you grown 'Queen Siam' Thai basil?
I've grown it for a the last three years. I use it almost exclusively when I prepare Thai food. (It has a sharper "bite" than Genovese or other sweet basils as well as a smaller leaf that is great in Thai food). Sometime I also use it in flavored olive oil or vinegars. They're great for dunking bread or making vinaegrettes.
I plant it throughout the growing season here in Utah, starting a new littel patch every couple of weeks throughout the growing season. I've also grown some in pots. It stays nice and compact, and I usually use it (or give it away) before it bolts.
Oh, gosh, you're missing one of the best features of 'Siam Queen' -- its beautiful blooms!
I grow it for culinary use also, in curries and stir-fries... I even like a few leaves added to a tossed salad. To me, it has an anise note to its flavor. I keep a couple of plants pinched back, because the flavor of the leaves gets bitter on a stem with buds or blooms... but I plant out at least a dozen of these each year so I can enjoy the big lavender flowerheads! The clusters of blooms are quite different from the usual spikes of flowers that other basils send up. I love this basil!
I have two pots of it. One for eating/one for flowers. I LUV it!! Very easy to grow.
I raise it during the warmer months.
Well then - this year, I'm going for some flowers as well. Thanks for the gentle nudge toward the less practical but more beautiful!
Thanks for the info.
Just to give you a look...
I recently submitted an article on using different basil varieties in the landscape, and I had to restrain myself from featuring Thai Basil in every photo, LOL... I could have written exclusively about Thai basil on its own, I think!
Well, it must be popular. I got my order back from Baker seeds a.k.a. rareseeds.com and they sold out. So, if any of you have spare seeds you'd like to sell or trade please send me a d-mail. I've looked around our little town here in Oklahoma and I haven't seen it for sale here yet. I don't need that many seeds maybe 12 to 24.
I got some other interesting things from Baker's I could share that aren't herbs.
Thanks Critterologist for the nice photos of the plant.
Darlindeb, why don't you go ahead and post on my basil offer thread in this forum... I'm sure you can find something else to try, also... I'm hoping to get some 2006 Thai basil seed packaged tonight so I can add it to the offer, but I do have a little extra seed from 2007, and if you add a comment that you need just a few Thai basil seeds, I'll make sure you get them.
(posting on the thread is easier to keep track of than an on-the-side SASBE offer... thanks!)
Okay, thanks critterologist.
Queen Siam Thai Basil is one of my favorite basils-sprouts from seed easily and vigorously-usually one of my strongest basil seedlings-so versatile!-I usually plant at least 25 varieties of basils every year and Queen Siam Thai is always one of them- it's my second favorite basil-my absolute favorite is Cinnamon Basil (the ultimate when sprinkled atop a freshly picked Cherokee Purple Tomato...ooops, started drooling there...)
Thanks for the the info about Cinammon Basil. Jill is sending me some of the Thai Basil.
Does it grow year round there?
Deb, just LMK if you'd like a pinch of Cinnamon basil seed... I seem to be getting poor germination from that one this year, but if you sow the whole pinch you should get a few plants at least. :-)
Thanks critterologist. If you have already sent my package, don't worry about it. If you can toss it in the Thai basil package to ahead and send me a pinch.
You are the best!
Hi all- I would really love to have some seeds of Siam Queen basil-right now my favorite is Greek Columnar, but one can never have too many basils!
Deb, I just put a packet in a regular little envelope... I figured just one packet could travel without a BE... Let me know how that works out!
Jo, I'm sorry but I'm pretty well out of Thai basil seeds... 'Siam Queen' should be an easy variety to find on the seed racks, I think. Did you catch my article last Thursday on using various types of basil in the landscape? I hope you'll save seeds from your Greek Columnar (or is that a variety that's only propagated from cuttings? I'm not sure)... that's one I'd love to try next year... hopefully we can do a little swapping!
Thanks for all the info. I'm gonna unwatch this thread and get back to housework.
Critter- from my experience, Greek Columnar doesn't go to seed, but roots easily. As soon as I get mine going this year I can send you some cuttings. I brought several plants with me from Florida in Dec., and they have limped along all winter on my windowsill! I even have 2 puny variegated plants- not sure if they will survive or not. I'll look for the Siam at seed racks.
Jo, thanks for the offer! I've got a lot of catching up to do around here before I can start arranging spring trades, but I'll make a note of it... I'd love to try that variety. LMK if you can't find the Thai basil, and I'll dig up a few seeds from somewhere or root you some cuttings. :-)