how to save basil seed and what do they look like?

I have some plants that have bloomed how do I know when the flowers are ready for seeds
Thanks Marcia

Marcia, all I've ever done was clip off a bunch of the older flower... stems?- and put them in a paper bag and shook them. Hope it works for you. You might want to be more selective about which flowers you cut and wait until they start turning brown. I'm not sure at what stage they drop their seeds, so it might be a learning process!

MarciaS, I'm interested in your question too because I've never collected basil seeds before and I want to save some for next year. From what I've read and heard, the main thing is to use brown flower stems. I think pagancat's paper-bag method would work fine. I'm going to place the brown flower-stems on a layer of paper (I use paper plates.) Once the pods or casings are completely dry, it's just a matter of gently shaking them onto the paper. Remove any husks and superfluous dry foliage from the seed and pour into an small paper envelope.

The nice thing - at least with mine - if you don't catch the seeds, you get a lot of new plants next year, as long as you don't turn the soil.

That gives me some ideas Thanks . Some of them are changing and some are still little flowers. I am afraid to cut the flower stems off because I don't know if they are ready. Here is a plant with them flowering and looking like they are drying too one stem I have in a seed bag. So I am waiting to see if they will be saved in the bag.

Huh... your basil doesn't look *anything* like mine....? Is it some specialty type or something?

I was checking for seeds in the Johnny seed catalog and had no idea how many kinds os basil there are. One is Large-Leaf Italian Basil & THERE ARE 4 pages of different types of Basil I couldn't beleive it,WOW here are the names of a few.


1-Pistou
2742
2-Our smallest basil.
3-Superbo 3802 classic Italian basil.
4-Basil, Dark Opal 902
5-Economical purple basil for micro mix.
6-Basil, Napoletano 2929
7-Lettuce leaf type Basil with huge, frilly leaves. 8-Basil, Holy 898 Sacred to Hindus.
9-Basil, Lime 848
10-Distinct zesty aroma of lime. 905
11-Large, ruffled leaves.

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog
if you want to see them they all come with a picture

Geez, no kidding! And here I thought my dark purple was special, lol!

Is this one like you have and how is the flavor.

Marcia, I wish I had a photo of mine. When the flowers turn brown, I pinch/cut off the top and put them on a white paper plate, then I peel off the cover and there are a bunch of seeds inside. It's easy to see them on the white paper plate. They are little tiny black seeds.

You can also get the seeds to come out if you put the flower head in between your thumb and middle finger and gently rub your fingers together, the seeds will fall out.

Hope that will help. Dmail me if you have more questions.

I wish there was a way to ad the pictures of the different Basil on one reply. It would be interesting to see which plants each other has.
LiliMerci do you know the name of yours, what about yours Pagancat do you also know the name.

Tall Lemon Basil?

MarciaS, are you sure it is basil? To me it looks a lot like origanum majorana.

Interesting - Parks evidently doesn't carry it anymore. It has a purple leaf that doesn't maintain all of it's coloring once it blooms - I *think* it was called Dark Opal, Black Opal or something like that. And it is great - I've gotten some compliments when it was sprinkled fresh over some mozzarella slices and fresh tomatoes. If you'd like a pic let me know and I'll go out and grab one. Purple flowers, too... Very fragrant when brushed.

Here is a picture of it:
http://henryfields.com/product.asp?pn=73941 and some info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_opal_basil

Perfect, thanks!

Like I said, though - my experience is that the leaves lose a lot of color once it blooms.

Marcia, maybe you already got all the info you need, but I remembered that Jill (Critterologist) wrote a really good article about collecting and saving basil seeds. Thought you might be interested:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1553/

HTH!
Angie

Angie, thanks so much for reminding me of Critterologist's great article! VERY helpful as I learn how to save basil seeds. I was lucky enough to have some of Jill's crinkle-leaf basil seeds last spring--got some great plants. In my ignorance I also grew some regular large-leaf italian basil not too far away and now I'm more than a bit worried about the cross-pollination that Jill warns about, as I attempt to save seeds from both kinds of basil. . . I'm wondering what will result if this happens? Large-leaf crinkled basil? Or just inferior weakling basil? How will I know?
I know so little about seed saving. . . this is my first year doing it myself!

Me, too! I've always grown basil, but I just bought new plants or seed each year. I received some of Jill's excellent basil seed this spring, too, and that is what has inspired me to try saving seed this time. I know if I let this opportunity go, I won't easily find any more like it!

I guess the best way to find out is to grow it out, and see if it is like the original, or has taken on characteristics of the large-leaf kind. I am kind of concerned about cross pollination, too, as I have Jill's Italian, Genovese Sweet Italian, cinnamon basil, and lemon and lime basils. I figure it can't be all bad if the Italians cross, or the citruses cross, but I'm not sure I'd like the results if any of the above cross with the cinnamon basil! Sad to say, I have yet to eat any of the cinnamon basil other than in a salad (NOT a hit with my unsuspecting family) but I can't walk by it without rubbing the leaves and inhaling, and the bees love the blooms. I think it will have to be a regular addition to my garden, just for the daily aromatherapy! LOL

Good luck, and let me know how it turns out! Maybe one of these years we'll have to have a huge herb seed swap, and expand all of our horizons!

Angie

OK, I was so inspired by this interesting thread that I made a fresh basil vinaigrette from my still remaining plants last night and it was so good that I have to post the recipe. The difference from most herb vinaigrettes is that the basil is infused in hot olive oil first. This results in a very flavorful, suave dressing that is good on salads and veggies, as well as meats and fish.

Fresh Basil Vinaigrette:
3/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped fresh basil (about one big bunch)
1 shallot, peeled
1 gardlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil with 1 cup of the chopped basil in a saucepan over medium heat until the basil turns bright green and small bubbles appear, 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and steep for 5 minutes.
2. Process the shallot, garlic, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and mustard in a blender or food processor until the garlic and shallot are finely chopped (about 15 seconds.) With blender/FP running, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup oil and the steeped basil oil and continue to process until the dressing is smooth, about 15 seconds. Pack the remaining 1 cup chopped basil into the blender/FP and process until dressing is smooth, about 15 seconds. Can refrigerate the dressing airtight for up to 3 days.

How nice of you to put that up - thanks!!

Mmmmm, sounds yummy! I just read today about how adding a little olive oil each day to your diet will help your tummy stay flatter. That sounds like a delicious way to do it!

Bookerc1, I like that idea of adding a little olive oil each day to flatten the tummy! Sounds like my idea of exercise: "open bottle of olive oil; pour into plate; dip bread in."

ooo thanks for the receipe CCG

Yeah, sure beats doing crunches!

I just bought some seasoning to add to olive oil for bread dipping, and my family is going nuts over it. I bet they'd love this; too!

Angie

What blend Bookerc1? I'm a fan of balsamic vinegar but I'm not overly loyal.

CapeCod, chances are that most of your seeds are not crossed. I'd just grow them out and keep an eye on your seedling tray. You can generally tell the basils apart by leaf shape/texture and even taste once they get a set or two of true leaves, and then you can remove any that aren't true to type. You're already grown these out once, so you have a good idea of what your two varieties "should" look like.

The crinkly Italian basil that you got from me does have a stronger anise flavor as a seedling than it seems to have as an older plant in the garden. It's pretty obvious if a citrus basil gets into a cross, and the cinnamon basil will have those smaller, pointed leaves as well as the different flavor/aroma. (I haven't found a lot of culinary uses for cinnamon basil either, but I love growing it for the scent and look of it... if you don't have thai basil, cinnamon basil would probably be a good substitute in a stir fry.)

Thanks, Jill, for the advice on recognizing different types of basil as seedlings. I do remember the stronger anise scent of the crinkle-leafed basil. I adored pinching and sniffing the leaves as I walked through my garden all this summer, and I loved the pesto I made from them. Made supermarket basil seem pretty puny!

Dahlianut, mine is just for dipping oil for bread, no vinegar involved. I just bought a little shaker jar divided into four sections, each with a different herb blend to add to the oil. We put each flavor in a different little dipping bowl, so we can taste them all. The boys like the parmesan garlic best, but I think I prefer the rosemary & roasted garlic.

Anyway, I'd like to experiment with using fresh herbs to make my own seasoned oils, instead of the dried stuff. I have a basic herb garden, so don't know why I haven't tried it yet!

Re. using fresh herbs and/or garlic to make seasoned oils... Please be careful, as there's a risk of botulism with this (the oil makes an ideal anaerobic environment for botulism spores to multiply)... I think storing the oil in the fridge reduces the risk, but google and see what you want to do. Usually when I mention botulism, somebody will say oh I've done this for years and never gotten sick... true, botulism is uncommon, but it's also very serious, and I'd rather not take the chance. I infuse the vinegar component rather than the oil, and that gives me nice fresh herb flavors to use in dressings etc.

Thanks for the heads up. I tend to err on the side of caution!

I have found another one like my Basil, I think it is a Basil Cinnamon like mine.
I found this one in a seed catalog.

Pretty...

Bookerc1, how did you like the citrus basils?

Well, my favorite use was chopped up in vinaigrette over cucumbers & tomatoes. Once I got hooked on that, I didn't use them for much else. I like the sound of them with fish, too, but haven't cooked any lately.

I was surprised at how different the lemon and lime basils were. The lime had almost a peppery bite to it--really nice!

Angie

Has anyone planted any basil seeds that were collected in a cross-pollinated area? I was wondering if it would be worth collecting seeds in these areas. For example, lime basil next to italian large leaf basil. Is the taste of the basil affected where it wouldn't be able to be used?
Thanks!
Sue

I'm guessing the seeds are mostly uncrossed... and with lime vs. italian basil, you'll be able to ID any that do in your seedling tray (taste/smell/appearance). There's nothing unusable about crosses; you might get something you really like! Just be careful about saving seeds for next year -- if you think it didn't grow out true, either mark it as a cross (if you liked it and want to try to grow it again) or don't save seeds from it at all.

Thanks! I think I'm going to grow some inside for the winter so it'll give me a good chance to see how they taste.

I only got seeds from a couple of my basils this year... The patch of plants that was supposed to be all Italian basil got mixed up when I was planting out, and I decided not to chance sending out lots of crossed seeds (I've got seeds for myself for next year), and other plants were ripening seeds slowly and didn't mature before frost.

I do have a couple of fun ones, though... a "hot & spicy" basil from seed from an island off the coast of Sumatra, and 'Magical Michael', which I'd describe as a compact type of Thai basil. So I was thinking that instead of the SASBE offer I've done in previous years when I've had several varieties, maybe I'd see about hosting a swap instead. It sounds like there's been a lot of collecting going on, so either way I think a lot of basils will be traded and shared this winter... and next year, we'll all have an even wider selection in our gardens!

If a light frost occurs, are the seeds still viable?

I've had lower germination rates on seeds collected after frost, but I think that might be because not all the seeds were mature. The frost turns green seed pods brown overnight, so it's harder to tell where the mature seeds are. But if you have hard, black seeds, then I'd say you've got a pretty good shot at it. You can always test-germinate a pinch of them, or include extra seeds in a trade packet with instructions to sow thickly.