Know Your Basil Varieties

By Jordan Freytag

Basil is an all-star microgreen for several reasons: it's sweet and full of flavor, tender and leafy, and extremely diverse in it's use. And although it takes longer to germinate, it can be grown on longer into more of a "babygreen" without comprising flavor. This is because the full-grown herb is used, stem and all in many recipes. The same can be said for cilantro microgreens. The bottom line is that basil can be eaten anytime between the microgreen stage and the full-grown herb stage.

Not only is basil diverse in use, it is diverse appearance and color. Listed below are the different varieties of basil that we carry grown as microgreens. See for yourself the various differences for this amazing plant.

Italian Large Leaf

Traditional basil strain with deep green large leafs that go great in italian dishes including a caprese salad!

Red Rubin

A dark-purple variety in both leaf and stem. Red Rubin will also produce nice Italian large leaf type leaves with not only great color but wonderful fragrance and bold spicy taste as well

Genovese

Genovese Micro Basil is an outstanding choice for caprese, pesto or any recipe that calls for fresh basil. The flavor of micro basil is a bit more intense than adult basil.

Dark Opal

This variety of purple basil seeds has a beautiful dark color with specks of green, earning it's name of Dark Opal. They are an ideal heirloom microgreens seed that growing consistently and uniformally.

Thai

Thai Basil tastes like basil but with a hint of amazing Anise / Licorice flavor.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon Basil may look like any other with faint shades of bronze in its stems, but the aroma and flavor will tell you otherwise. While still maintaining a licorice-like, classic basil flavor, spicy hints can be noted in its flavor, making it perfect for the holidays!