Basil Trinity

There are many different varieties of basil.  Most folks are only familiar with Genovese (Sweet) Basil.  This is the kind that you use to make Pesto.  In the past, I have tinkered with growing cinnamon basil, lemon basil, lettuce leaf basil and a few others.  But, I've never really found much use for any of these, except for the novelty of growing something different.

However, there are 2 varieties (other than Genovese) that I have settled upon which I grow every year.  These are Thai Basil and Purple Basil.  Purple basil, as the name implies, has purple leaves which look a lot like Genovese basil.  And, it has a flavor much like Genovese basil, with a slightly sweeter taste.  It is good to give salads more color and add an interesting taste.

Thai basil, however, is different altogether.  It has much smaller leaves and the plants resemble small shrubs.   But, the real different is the taste.  Thai basil tastes like licorice.  The first time I was introduced to thai basil was at a Vietnamese restaurant.  We ordered a wonderful beef noodle soup called Pho.  This was served with a platter heaped full of Thai basil, bean sprouts, hot peppers and cilantro.  You were supposed to mix these into your soup as your taste dictated.  It was wonderful.

Both purple basil and Thai basil make pretty garden plants as well as culinary herbs.  I don't sell a lot of either of these at the farmers market.  But, I grow them just the same.  Below is a picture of them both, side by side.  If you haven't guessed, that's the purple basil in the foreground.  The Thai basil is in back.