Does it come in purple?

Purple Ruffles Basil

By now you must have figured out that our favorite plant is basil (evidence:In the beginning there was basil, Tricks and Treats - Basil and Tricks and Treats - Basil Part 2).  Jessica uses basil in everything from meat seasoning to salads. Everyone should have at least one plant in their garden. We have two.

A few days ago we were at Home Depot's when I stumbled upon an odd looking plant that I had never seen before. It was about six inches tall with ruffled purple leaves. Imagine my surprise when I read the tag: "Albahaca Mora" ("Purple Basil"). WTF! Purple Basil! It couldn't be. Its leaves didn't have the shape of basil, it was purple, and it didn't smell quite like basil. So what this plant incorrectly labeled? Was I being duped? I didn't care. I had to buy it. (Editor's note: Impulse buys are not recommended or endorsed by Container Garden PR, Inc or its affiliates. Always research plants before you buy. Now back to our regular programming.)

When we got home I noticed that its leaves weren't solid purple instead it had green edges. Now I was sure I was duped. So we got on the internet to see if purple basil existed. Thankfully it did. What we had bought was a sweet basil variant called "Purple Ruffles". It's commonly used to create purple pesto and basil vinegar (which Jessica plans on doing and documenting). Supposedly it also has a slightly different flavor than common sweet basil. We still haven't tasted it yet so we can't comment on its flavor yet. We also read that the leaves can lose their purple color for various reasons including too much sun or too much humidity so we'll have to experiment with various locations to maintain the striking purple color. Keep tuned for updates on how this purple basil and all our other plants are doing.