I picked up some chocolate mint yesterday...yummy! I think I will try to extract the chocolate from the mintiness and inject it into an unsuspecting basil plant to see what will happen :)
Chocolate Basil? Still searching...
Let us know!
Good Grief !!--How fickle you folks are. When I posted that I had Chocolate Basil I had many "friends"-----:) Now, since Bigfoot ate it, I never hear from anyone.
What makes you think that is the reason?
Now Vort,
You KNOW, by far, you are our favorite "herbal guy". But...it's spring !!! ( Well, In my case it's summer by the temp's even if it's not "officially" summer. So We're all out "diggin in the dirt"
Don't even be surprised if you wake up one morning with an old beat up Dodge 1500 in your back yard with some strange woman digging around looking for .....well, "you know what" and a Shot Gun pointed at "Big foot"
love ya
mj
Now Vort,
You KNOW, by far, you are our favorite "herbal guy". But...it's spring !!! ( Well, In my case it's summer by the temp's even if it's not "officially" summer. So We're all out "diggin in the dirt"
Don't even be surprised if you wake up one morning with an old beat up Dodge 1500 in your back yard with some strange woman with a Corona in one hand and a spade in the other digging around looking for .....well, "you know what" and a Shot Gun pointed at "Big foot"
love ya
mj
OK--I have lurked. Now letme say
Today I heard a piece on Nat Public Radio about green roofs. A estaurant in Wash DC has one which they have edibles on. The chef clearly said he picks "Chocolate Basil" to put on ice cream. Clearly. I was listening closely knowing there is no such thing. So here is the article if somebody wants to follow up.
http://www.dc-urban-gardener-news.com/urban_ecology/
But I'm guessing its really Choc mint and he doesn't know his basil from his mint, botanically.
Occasional poster mostly lurking.
Great! Thanks Robin.
I hate to dash your spirits, but the basil doesn't seem to exist. We think people get it confused with chocolate mint, which is common. You can find chocolate mint at your local garden center.
Anyway, we'll break it down, most likely in the December/January issue.
I'll be in touch!
Allison Martin
Associate Editor
The Herb Companion magazine
amartin@ogdenpubs.com
Okay - I know this is a late reply, but I couldn't help it. Yesterday I was at Festival Hill in Round Top, TX for a seminar on herbs. I don't know if Madeline Hill is a local Texas hero or if others in the herbal circles recognize her name, but the gardens that she started years ago were where I went for this seminar. The herbalist guru guy talked to us about all different kinds of herbs and of course, basil was one of the main ones. As it so happens, there IS a chocolate basil and I'm hoping to have the name of it for you at a later date. Henry Flowers is the curator/herbalist that learned everything he knows from Madeline Hill (who, sadly, passed away earlier this year) and he said that people were always saying it smelled like chocolate but it actually had no chocolate smell to him at all! Again, I'll follow this up when I've gotten back in touch with Henry.
Deb
wow. that's a good lead.
Yes, ma'm - stay tuned! LOL!
oh, could dstarr be on to something? You wouldn't kid us would you? Not with this "die hard" chocolate basil fanatics panting at your feet?............errrr, no poem for this...sorry Mrs. Ed.
Nope, not kidding - I'm hoping to be able to catch up with him this week. Hopefully, he'll be able to point us in the right direction!
Deb
Cool! I think the "Hill Hardy" rosemary that DeBaggio's carries is named for Madeline Hill... there may be a lavender named for her also...
Totally awesome. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Any news ????????????? inquiring gardeners want to know.
I'm still trying to catch him. I'm sorry - I shouldn't have said anything until I had the answer! But, I'll get an answer! Tuesday I'm going to make this my main mission.
Hello again 'ol DG friends. People around the Southeast were getting too close to my chocolate basil so I re potted all of it a slipped off to an undisclosed location in Texas. :)
I sure hope y'all collected lots of seeds from your CHOCOLATE BASIL this summer!
ummmm, may have to talk to some of my friends on the Butterfly forum that live in Texas. One works for the boarder patrol...see who I can get to do a midnight raid.
HA! I'm with you on that raid, mjsponies. We might not find chocolate basil, but I bet he has LOTS of other herbs we could bring to our homes...
and the plotting begins...............
I remember chocolate basil being readily available years ago and, no, it's not a mint, thyme or other herb. It's basil smelling with chocolate notes. I'm not sure the chocolate would come through in cooking, but as a cocktail topper, herbal chiffonade on fruit deserts or sorbets...now that is interesting. I think I last saw it at Smith and Hawkins here two years ago. They're pretty much out of business. Now you've got me wondering...off hunting. I grow several Asian basils and don't keep up with the others.
I guess I can run but not hide. Same two folks on the trail--I think they may work for the Pinkerton agency. Think 'll go to Bolivia. :)
You cannot escape.............we are after all women...and you KNOW how women are about Chocolate.......;-)
Heck hath no fury like a woman scorned (from obtaining chocolate basil)!
Sleep with one eye open Victor! :-)
LOL- really tired today-slept with one eye open--not restful.
Packing up to move to Bolivia.
we will find you there.......you cannot hide...........da dum....da dum.....da..dum da.dum.da.dum.............
LOL-I give up-Deland is closer to Bolivia than I am.
In all seriousness--One of the saddest days of my life was when I closed the door on the U-Haul and left behind all of my culinary herbs--but this was in July and they never would have survived the trip. But I will "start over" as many of you have done.
ps--The chocolate Basil rode in the air-conditioned cab with me :) and no one will ever pry it from my grasp--
Not even MJS, that HerbalBetty or that critter gal.
I am only about 7 hours from "Hilltop" --that sounds like a neat lead.
If anyone can substantiate the Hill Top statement-I will make that trip and share the find with all of my DG buddies. I have tried to contact them with no success.
I know what it is like to leave a garden behind Victor. Quite sad. If you need seeds of something or other, let me know.
Thanks a million Herbalbetty-
Oh...I would be in a bad way if I had to move. I'd have to get a very large U-Haul for the plants...or maybe two U-Hauls.
I still have some chocolate basil.....errrrrrr GIANT fennel seeds you sent me. Do you need some back? Now that the weather is cooling down maybe I can get some started.
Thanks mjs--may take you up on that at a later day. If you ever get it to germinate I definitely want to try it again.
Ah...I know where Pottsboro is. My late aunt was married to one of the Potts. Must be cold up there. Even here it froze last night. Good luck starting over!
ummmmm, someone even closer to the "Keeper of the Chocolate Basil", I think I see a midnight raid in the future......
Merry Christmas Everyone !
Merry Christmas!
I'm hoping Santy Claus left Chocolate Basil cuttings in somebody's stocking... they were not in mine, so they must have been delivered down the wrong chimney by mistake.
No one left any Chocolate basil in my stocking either. I do have kin all over Texas tho.
The Eyes of Texas will be upon you.
Vickie
Happy New Year to all of my DG buddies--I had a great New Years Party where my main appetizer ( can't spell "horse doovers":)-- was chocolate basil--
I was going to send everyone a cutting of it for Christmas but Critter, mjs, cando1, LindaTX8 and others wrote me and told me not to. They wanted to keep it to their-selves.
Maybe next year.