Every year, as we move into the warmer months and finally leave winter behind, the demand for fresh basil begins to grow.
Classic varieties like sweet genovese, with its peppery sweetness, and lemon basil, with notes of anise and citrus, perfectly capture the brightness of the season.
But we’d also like to shine a light on some of our less widely known purple basil varieties. Their deep colour comes from anthocyanins — antioxidants responsible for those purple tones.
In plants, these compounds help protect against environmental stress and they can offer similar benefits to us too. Supporting health by helping to reduce inflammation and potentially lowering the risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease — making purple basils more than just a pretty face.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the varieties that are popular with some of our customers and currently available in the Evogro crop list.
Basil Dark Opal
The darkest basil variety available with deep purple almost black leaves. It boasts a milder flavour similar to that of Sweet Genovese.
Basil Purple Ruffles
Also one of the milder varieties but with distinct notes of clove and anise. It’s defined by unique textured, ruffled leaves. Ranging in colour from deep purple to black — and occasionally a little green when harvested young.
Basil Siam Queen
Dark green leaves with purple-red stems and violet-pink flowers. It features a strong, spicy, licorice flavour much like thai basil but with a vibrantly contrasting look.
Basil Red Rubin
The leaves are larger than that of dark opal and the colour is often lighter red-purple colour with a bold, spicy-sweet taste.
Basil Red Shiraz
Another vareity with a strong, spicy flavour without some of the sweetness of red rubin. Both red rubin and red shiraz are very popular for their consistency in colour and flavour.
In Action
We recently caught up with the team at The Royal Society who prepared a wonderful sharing dish of slow-roasted beef fillet and herb-marinated bone marrow using their red rubin and sweet genovese basil.
Basil runs through every element of the plate. The roasted marrow bone is marinated with herbs and served alongside saffron aioli, crispy croutons, and a fragrant basil crumb. It’s paired with tender beef fillet, accompanied by tarragon aioli and rich beef jus.
To finish, the dish is topped with fresh purple and green basil grown by Evogro, along with a drizzle of their homemade basil oil which binds the dish together.
Did You Know?
We asked our Grow Team what their personal basil favourites were and they chose Basil Napoletano Bulloso! With their unusual leaves which can grow up to 12 cm it’s an heirloom variety with an intense flavour and well worth a closer look.
Interested in varieties we haven’t mentioned? Get in touch with our Grow Team now to make your summer basil dreams come true!
