It's a New Year!

[digitS']

The All-America selections have been made:

And, the organization has put up a slide show on its website !

http://all-americaselections.org/winners/index.cfm

Steve

 

[buckabucka]

That Persian basil looks interesting. I guess it is not really true basil. A quick search show the name in Farsi is reyhan. I'd like to try it!

 

[digitS']

I am wondering what other All-America selections have been similar to Persian basil. Amid those other "high tech" new varieties, it seems out of place.

Descriptions on Burpee, West Coast and Baker Creek webpages seem consistent. One reviewer commented on its common use in South Asia, so Persian basil isn't a "new release."

Overlooked in the US, might be part of a description, perhaps. There are other basil like that, probably @Pulsegleaner is aware of them.

I try for a couple things with basil - resistant to fusarium wilt is important. I like it as an ornamental. Ararat and Dark Opal appeal to me in mixed plantings, and they smell good. Thai (Siam Queen) is required in some noodle soups . That one and lemon basil over baking salmon are especially nice. I'm not much inclined to actually eat basil, altho a little pesto is okay. Spreading it over toast is going a little too far .

Steve

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I know of some, but I am far from a basil expert.

Trade Winds fruit is a pretty good source for basil seed, especially if you want to play around with some of the other species, such as Camphor Basil (the other half of the cross that makes African Blue) and Mexican (sort of a green pepper scent, from what I've heard) They also have seed for Peruvian basil but I haven't tried that one yet.

Mountain Valley Growers is also pretty good as a source, particularly if (like me) you aren't all that great at getting basil seed to grow and need to start from a plant. And they have a couple of the odder ones too, like Clove/Tree basil which is massive and fully perennial (though to be fair, it's taste is so odd and strong it's hard to use, and it does tend to get whitefly very easily). (if anyone just wants seeds of that, just PM me, I still have at least 4 drams of them from my plant) Both have seeds for tulsi (a.k.a. holy basil) though there it's sort of a matter of what kind you want (one kind is more botanically active, and the other smells and tastes nicer)

I'm also still working on collecting seeds from an odd plant I found at a nursery this year; a probably thai/opal cross to formed a leopard basil plant (I call any basil with speckled leaves leopard basil). Suprisingly it seems to be completely fusiarium immune (at least, it never lost any leaves to it, I suppose I just may not have fusarium). There may be a bit of tulsi in there too, since the main stem has gotten very thick and very woody (in India where tulsi is sacred, they make beads out of the stems). I'll think of spreading some of that seed around in a year or two, maybed (I want to make sure it's stable first).

 

[digitS']

... odder ones too, like Clove/Tree basil which is massive and fully perennial ...

I didn't know that there were any perennial basils!

There was a thought I had, when I first saw that Persian basil: "it looks perennial." I have no idea why I thought that.

I also didn't know that beads could be made out of basil stems. That must smell good .

Steve

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Nah, the stems don't have any scent left by the time they're that woody. https://www.etsy.com/listing/158074...99a4e7c3fb5a&gclid=CJiKyvW7xckCFVKQHwodLnMEpA

 

[Smart Red]

Neat-o, a perennial basil would be great in the kitchen garden.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

It would but like I said, Clove basil has a very odd scent and is VERY strong, so it's rather hard to use, especially for most of the uses one would put basil to.

It's a bit like trying to use Zataar (not the herb mix, the oregano relative sometimes used in it) the fact that it is SO much stronger than conventional oregano makes measuring and therefore using it a bit tricky (half a leaf can overwhelm an entire pizza) And don't even get me started about conehead thyme (imagine a thyme so strong it actually tastes hot like a chili. Plus it's a really finiky plant to get started (though once you do, it is pretty hardy) ).