What Did You Do In The Garden?

[digitS']

We don't do more than air dry a few herbs. DW's electric drier is in the basement, on a shelf.

That's a disappointment for me but I haven't gotten to the point of opening, her never-opened gift and running the thing, myself. (I use the air dry herbs even tho DW often takes 100% care of the process ... she is "all about" fresh.)

Anyway, I knew a fellow who considered purple basil as the very best choice for drying, @ducks4you . He used a fan, I believe. Supposedly, it is very quick - like 24 hours. I guess that I could do that without opening her gift but ... it was more than herbs that I'd like to be drying ...

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

Interesting about purple basil. Do you think it tastes any different? It's very pretty, for sure!

 

[digitS']

It's very pretty, for sure!

Ducks', It is.

Ya know, I have never used it in the kitchen. I've grown it for that person. And, I've enjoyed it as an ornamental. It really fits in nicely with other flowers, whether it is blooming or not.

I have a fairly big planting of Italian sweet basil and some Thai basil, every year.

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

Do the different basils taste/smell differently? For instance, is there one that is more peppery?

 

[digitS']

One has to be careful about spices . They really, really do reflect personal preferences. Some of those may be genetic, I guess. Some are learned but they become very personal and even markers of identity.

We need not drift too far that way. I am herb unsophisticated. I didn't even know the name of some of my favorite flavors until I was well into my adult years.

@Pulsegleaner seems my polar opposite. And, that's good! The world needs balance.

I just think of all Italian basils as sweet and Thai basil are different . I'm sure there are great variations within these two countries as well as outside. There are shared flavors between them. Purple basils are called African but Mount Ararat is in Turkey so Ararat Purple is ..?

All of this, is beyond me. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be a basil connoisseur? It should be a very reasonable goal.

Steve

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

Do the different basils taste/smell differently? For instance, is there one that is more peppery?

I have dehydrated basil and they do smell and taste different. I am not sure how to describe purple, but there is lemon and a cinnamon and they each do have a lemon or cinnamon smell. I am not sure about taste, but when I dehydrated them I mixed all of them, cinnamon, lemon, sweet, thai, Genovese and the purple Opal. I do not remember how many kinds and it was something wonderful. I used it all up before spring.

 

[digitS']

it was something wonderful

I bet it was !

Johnny's has a remarkable selection of varieties. There was a website dedicated to basil varieties that I found years ago that I might be able to find again but Johnny's really has more about basil than I'm likely to ever know. LINK Scroll about halfway down that page, click and look at those guides.

Notice that citrus is separated by flavor but you see those varieties under "Asian/Thai" ... Notice also that there are "sweet" and "large leaf" in that group. I feel that it is completely reasonable to believe that those are nothing like the Italian sweets and large leaves, although I have not grown those particular Asian/Thai.

Lemon basil is wonderful on baked salmon. However, DW likes some other herbs on it when we have that dinner several times a year. That's okay, I like those flavors, too. (But, I've been known to ask for the lemon on one-half the filets .)

BTW. What I know about the Italian varieties is prefaced by the attitude that I have zero interest in growing a variety that is not fusarium resistant! There are now several choices but, at one time, I was ready to throw up my hands in despair and no longer grow the Italian! No longer a need to despair ... but, that wretched fungus did force me to learn to enjoy Thai basil . Every one of those might be genetically resistant from the get-go.

Steve

 

[Pulsegleaner]

One has to be careful about spices . They really, really do reflect personal preferences. Some of those may be genetic, I guess. Some are learned but they become very personal and even markers of identity.

We need not drift too far that way. I am herb unsophisticated. I didn't even know the name of some of my favorite flavors until I was well into my adult years.

@Pulsegleaner seems my polar opposite. And, that's good! The world needs balance.

I just think of all Italian basils as sweet and Thai basil are different . I'm sure there are great variations within these two countries as well as outside. There are shared flavors between them. Purple basils are called African but Mount Ararat is in Turkey so Ararat Purple is ..?

All of this, is beyond me. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be a basil connoisseur? It should be a very reasonable goal.

Steve View attachment 33912

There is actually a separate species called African basil, Ocimum kilimandscharicum (with a sort of camphor smell) , as well as Ocimum americanium, (which tastes sort of like green pepper) O. granitissimum (tree basil, VERY strong) O. tenuifolium/sanctum (holy basil)

 

[flowerbug]

just gotta say i this forum... i've learned so much in just the past few minutes (like i didn't know that some basil had fusarium issues or that there were so many kinds and ...)

 

[Dirtmechanic]

I am pretty sure I threw out my old rope saw in a fit. Anyway, its been some years and I needed another so it came last week and I spent an afternoon with string tied to an arrow tip shooting a line up and over dead limbs. Today was dead limb Sunday. My trusty pole saw and I rattled the crepe myrtles for dead branches down the drive. And I sorted the worn out and missing feet on the pressure washer. Also Becky took a picture of a cat whilst baking for far away family. Meet Ms. Mable.