chocolate basil - does anyone have a source?

I know I bought some chocolate basil at one of the local chain nurseries: Home Depot? Lowes? Now chocolate basil seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Anyone have any clues?

If you find it you know you have to share! ;-)

I know you have a propagating area all staked out for it!

LOL! I can hardly stand hearing about such a delicious sounding basil and then being told I can't get seeds for it!

May I ask how you would enjoy this delicacy???

Pod. I will enjoy it if I can find it.

Here is a basil + chocolate recipe.

http://www.herbcompanion.com/recipes/02_03_07-mousse-parfait



This message was edited Mar 21, 2008 7:48 PM

LOL, Gloria

I'd love to have it around just for nibbling in the garden!

That way you wouldn't have to bend over so far to get a piece of chocolate mint. Layered chocolate!

I've got chocolate mint-several plants,if they survived the winter.It doesn't have a real strong chocolate taste,but you can tell.

This sounds great, too: http://www.cookthink.com/recipe/9543/Flourless_Chocolate-Basil_Torte

My chocolate mint gets pretty tall... have to weed whack it every so often... and doesn't that make the whole block smell good! :-)

jasmerr: again chocolate WITH basil. It sounds really decadent. MMMM.

My Mom plants chocolate mint around some trees, and when you mow. mmmmmmm

I read that chocolate basil was available a few years ago and planted in botanic gardens, but unavailable now.

The three places I always look for herbs does not have it either. Sorry!!

One source said that you can buy it at the Union Square market in NYC.
I checked the suppliers that were listed. They only sell wholesale, and they only sell to the Union Square market.

Union Square may be the last place on earth to get chocolate basil!

So... who do we know in NYC?

:-)

I know someone!!!! I'll send an email.

WOW! that sounds so wonderful. If you find an on line source, share it with all of us LOL. we'll probably buy them out, I've never heard of it, sounds great though.

It looks like Oak Grove Plantation is the supplier - perhaps they would supply information or plants.

Susan Blew
Oak Grove Plantation
266 Oak Grove Road
Pitstown, NJ 08867
Phone: 908-782-9618
Fax: 908-788-9402
Email: oakgrovepl@earthlink.net

thanks kaperc. They are a wholesaler. I haven't tried the e-mail though.

I left word in Pacific Northwest forum about this.If you have to bulk order,some people there might be interested,too.

When I googled it, Wisconsin kept coming up as a source, but no nursery name! Anyone know of a herb specialist in WI?

When you Googled, did you see the website from a Missouri botanical garden that said they had gotten it as seeds several years ago from either Cooks Garden or Richter but now they are not available?

I have sent an inquiry to Richter and Cooks Garden (which is burpee I believe). Will let you know.

This reminds me about 18 years ago there was a fungus in the Silver Beacon Lamium. You couldn't get it anywhere!!!




This message was edited Mar 24, 2008 4:14 PM

MrsEd I saw that one at the botanical garden when I did the search. wish we could find a source. could have a coop for chocolate basil seed LOL wouldn't that be a hoot.

I did see a mention of Burpee - but it didn't go anywhere. Co-op wold be fun. Maybe one of the DG vendors would grow it for us. lol

I have e mailed the source above for Oak Grove Plantation. I went to the web site and that's where I found that they only wholesale to specific buyers.

It seems to me that I read that this basil has to be propagated by cuttings to ensure that you get "chocolate basil".

Ive done the Google Searches. It sure seems to be an illusive plant.
At present, there are a few volunteers to go to Union Square Market.
We'll see what they come up with.

We could write an article, Stalking Chocolate Basil!

That would make a good article. Maybe we should all start requesting it from the various growers - I've emailed Pantry Garden Herbs.

Just heard back from Richter's Herbs:

"Sorry, we cannot help you. We are not sure that such a thing exists. We haven't seen it, and don't know anyone growing it."

Heard back from The Cooks Garden.

"I am sorry but we do not have chocolate basil, nor do I have any resources for other companies that would carry this."

rats.

Has anyone contacted a local herb society? I was thinking about contacting the one in my area.

I'm not the only author on this thread! And Gloria is a better story-teller. :-)

hee.
oops.

I don't know all the writers. Sorry Gloria. I'll shut up now. ; - )

With over 100 people signed on as DG authors, it's hard to keep track! But do check out Gloria's articles... her "Aunt Bett" stories are a treat!

Oh. Oh. I can tell y'all are not reading the articles!

Critter is the herb specialist -- I knew about chocolate basil and started the search because of CRITTER'S article on basil.

Sharran is from Eastern Kentucky and grew up in the mountains there searching for medicinals with her Aunt Bett.

Gloria -- well gloria is interested in saving the earth. My most recent article - Easter Sunday was about the indigenous Wild Roses of North America.

Look to the upper right corner of your home page every day and you are likely to find out something you didn't previously know --- thanks to the DG writers team.

Every article at the end has a compendium of other articles that person has prepared for Dave's.

Ack! I told you it was hard keeping track of who's who anymore among the authors... LOL.

I loved your most recent rose article... and I have no idea how I got you connected with Sharran's Aunt Bett stories! *blush*

I've always been terrible at keep author names straight... I can quote dialogue, summarize plots, list characters etc from my favorite books... but ask me the author, and you're likely to get a blank look as I pummel my memory!

Its O.K. Critter! I shouldn't tell you that I always have one last scan of my articles before I turn them into Dave - for stupid mistakes and there almost always are one or two!

I do the same thing... and I still miss an occasional typo or something! That's why I'm always glad if somebody spots an error and lets me know about it when it's in the publishing queue. :-)

I do think you need to write about this search for Chocolate Basil!

it would be worth writing about if we don't find some.

It is interesting though how it has disappeared.

Pantry Garden Herbs said no. :-(

I love how Richter's said they're not even sure if it ever existed!!!

About the articles, well I just recently started reading some. You know, davesgarden.com is a BIG PLACE.

I sent Dave a note about how to contribute as a writer, but nothing back. I thought at the beginning that anyone could submit. Now I subscribe to the newsletter, so I always get to see what articles are available. Looking forward to catching up on the Aunt Bett Stories.

Okay, back to being quiet now!!