Which type of basil to plant?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

schoolgirl

Senior Cook
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
124
Location
alabama
This is a very short question...What type of basil do you buy to plant? I looked at some today that was a boxwood basil and there was another that was sweet basil. I didn't know which kind to get. I have never made any pesto and really haven't used any basil except for the dry kind in the bottle. But everyone says the pesto is good...Sorry my short question ended up being a large paragraph! :)
 
Generally you would use the sweet basil for the pesto but you can also use the Genovese.

You can plant any of the types they sell at the garden centers. I have grown sweet, Genovese, purple, ruffled, boxwood, lemon, African blue, and Thai.
 
The Genovese is used in pesto It's fun to grow and to use:yum: Much better fresh then dried. Good luck and enjoy
kadesma
 
Basil seeds are so easy to grow too. I usually end up with way too much basil! I like sweet basil for pesto, have also used Thai and Genovese. I think any basil makes good pesto.
 
Last edited:
Basil seeds are so easy to grow too. I usually end up with way too much basil! I like sweet basil for pesto, have also used Thai and Genovese.
Here the Genovesse if used for pesto, guess it depends on who's selling and naming it:LOL:
ma
 
What I was going by is that on the sweet basil it says its good for pizza and italian dishes. On the boxwood it says to use for pesto, so I didn't know if it was really that way or not. Since I only wanted 1 type just wanted to make sure I bought the right kind. I love the basil taste in soups ...
 
Most years I buy sweet Italian basil; the large leaves make it easy to use, especially if you're going to chiffonade it.But I like something called lime basil to make a sort of pesto for Thai curries (the basil, peanuts and peanut oil, garlic, freeze, and you have a paste to add to coconut milk, broth, vegetables and meat of choice to make a great Thai green curry). Oh, yes, I knew I was forgetting something, some mint and some cilantro.

Both regular pesto and my "Thai" "Pesto" freeze well and give me a base for many meals through the winter.
 
Last edited:
Claire said:
Most years I buy sweet Italian basil; the large leaves make it easy to use, especially if you're going to chiffonade it.But I like something called lime basil to make a sort of pesto for Thai curries (the basil, peanuts and peanut oil, garlic, freeze, and you have a paste to add to coconut milk, broth, vegetables and meat of choice to make a great Thai green curry). Oh, yes, I knew I was forgetting something, some mint and some cilantro.

Both regular pesto and my "Thai" "Pesto" freeze well and give me a base for many meals through the winter.

What a great idea, Claire! Peanuts! Pine nuts are few and far between around here, as well as overpriced.
 
I have in the past grown lemon basil, genovese and thai basils. I really like lemon basil when used raw or chiffonaded on salads and grilled chicken etc. This year I planted 9 sweet basil plants. I think they make good pesto and the plants do well in our hot humid summers.
 
What a great idea, Claire! Peanuts! Pine nuts are few and far between around here, as well as overpriced.
I find pine nuts to be expensive, but not overpriced. There is a lot of labour involved in harvesting pine nuts. Have you ever tried it yourself? It's really time consuming for a small quantity. It's also hard to get the pine cones before the squirrels have been there. Walnuts make a very acceptable substitute. I suspect many recipes have pine nuts because walnuts weren't available or cost money. ;)
 
I was able to find a big bag of pine nuts years ago, am thinking it was at the Philly Italian market, very reasonably priced, and since long gone. Around here all we can get are expensive, stale little 1 ounce jars of pine nuts.
 
Last edited:
I grow all kinds of basil - usually 4-5 varieties a year. I try to get at least one large leaf variety of sweet or Italian for sandwiches and salads; one purple leaf variety for visual interest; a Thai type for that cuisine; etc. mainly though, I pinch off a bit of leaf before buying and taste it. The labels (and nomenclature) are not always accurate, especially since basil cross pollinates easily.
 
Because I am deathly allergic to pine nuts, I never use pine nuts in my pesto (that's how I found out I was allergic--I was making pestio--that was kind of an interesting way to end the day--luckily, I wasn't home alone when I went into anaphalactic shock!). I like to make pesto using cilantro and basil. I will usually use almonds or walnuts, although I've made it with pecans or hazelnuts. I have also made pesto with Swiss Chard. Besides the normal kinds of basil (of course, I love purple basil), I grow Thai and Vietnamese basil.
 
I'm making a trip to the local nursery today so get the plants for my herb pots.. I think a variety of basil is in order again this year. I'll report back later today...
 
Back
Top Bottom