Basil

Just been looking up seeds for next year and thought I had nothing else to do but put in a search for "basil seeds".  I expected an abundance of results. There were quite a few, but not what I really wanted or as many as I thought. I'm really looking for different types to grow, this brought me to a site where it was stated that all but Italian is perennial! Anyone out there tried this by keeping their basil over winter? We do keep a pot on the windowsill in the UK when there and have found Greek to be good and it keeps most of the winter. Never thought of trying to plant this after the winter. Would be interested to know if others have tried different types and which if any was stronger than Italian?

There is a purple leaved version which tastes much the same, but looks a bit more WOW on a caprese. 

But I'm much more interested in something  which I was served at a friend's house the other day - the dark green shiny oval leaves were tiny (no more than 4mm largest dimension) - and it has a taste which I thought was halfway between basil and mentucchia. He said it was a form of basil. I have been promised 'a bit' because he assures me it is a perennial and he can divide it. It grows into a small bushy shape (without having to bother about stopping the flower spikes) say 30cm diam and 20cm high. Maybe worth a bit of research!

The Original Relaxed wrote:There is a purple leaved version which tastes much the same, but looks a bit more WOW on a caprese. But I'm much more interested in something  which I was served at a friend's house the other day - the dark green shiny oval leaves were tiny (no more than 4mm largest dimension) - and it has a taste which I thought was halfway between basil and mentucchia. He said it was a form of basil. I have been promised 'a bit' because he assures me it is a perennial and he can divide it. It grows into a small bushy shape (without having to bother about stopping the flower spikes) say 30cm diam and 20cm high. Maybe worth a bit of research!

Thanks O/R, description sounds like the Greek basil we have, not too sure about the mint....

Well - I don't know! Maybe because I'm a fairly 'visual 'person I got tempted into believing it tasted like that small leaved mint which grows close to the ground and which we call mentuccia simply because it looked (a bit) like that. (And which doesn't really taste like 'mint'at all.)

But it did seem to have a more 'particular' taste than the average Italian basil: I'll go along with your description of Greek basil, and look into it.

I buy my Thai basil seeds from this place. They do a large range of different types, plus other more exotic seeds. They ship to Italy as well.
http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/herb_basil.htm

I grew lemon basil a couple ofyears ago and it lasted well - (in Sicily).  Offered some to a Sicilian who sneered and said 'why would I want that?' - if you want basil you use basil, if you want lemon you use lemon - I dont know - all these new fangled plant varieties....... I liked it though....

Thanks folks for some good ideas...

You ought to try this recipe Steve. We have just had it for the umpteenth time, but as it says, western basil has not got the same flavour. ( we had to use Italian basil as had run out of the Thai variety).
May be too hot for some though!!!

Italians that visit Thailand have found the Thai basil too hot, so son is having to grow the Italian stuff in his hydroponic garden to supply the local Italian restaurants.

http://8milesfromhome.com/post/28827841740/pad-ga-prao-muu-thai-recipe