Harvest of Hope has planted out 16 varieties of basil in garden box #9. There are over 100 varieties of basil available in the world. It’s difficult to determine the total number of varieties. Basil is easily hybridized, and because it is so popular, there is always someone out there creating a new variety.
Basil is a member of the large mint family, or Lamiaceae family, along with other culinary herbs like rosemary, sage, and even lavender. It is believed that basil has origins in India, but the herb has been cultivated for over 5,000 with its reach spreading to all corners of the globe.
Basil has long been used in culinary traditions, but throughout history, basil was believed to have magical powers. It was used as an antidote for snake bites and was believed to give strength during religious fasting. The ancient Egyptians used this herb for embalming.
Strong herbs such as basil and dill are used to confuse the bad bugs. We use them as companion plants in our vegetable garden. For example, the adult tomato horn worm, a butterfly, will fly overhead and detect the odor of a tomato plant. That’s the signal to land and lay her eggs. The eggs hatch and you have an infestation of horn worm caterpillars on your tomato plants. One horn worm can completely devastate a tomato plant in just a couple of days. Herbs like basil emit such a strong aroma it masks the presence of the tomato plants. Hopefully the plant will not be detected, and the butterfly may fly on.
All that aside, your Harvest of Hope Garden has 16 varieties planted out. Give your olfactory senses a treat and try each of them. See if you can discern the differences. Just give a leaf a light squeeze and take a whiff. The smell is heavenly. God Bless.
