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Basil Pesto Recipes

Basil Varieties

If you believe most grocery stores, there's only one kind of basil in the world. If you're a fan of Vietnamese Pho like me, you probably will have seen Thai basil too, but that's still just the tip of the iceberg. In fact there are more than 160 cultivars!

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum): the most commonly found basil variety. Most often used for Italian cooking, especially pesto.

Dark Opal Basil (Ocimum basilicum 'Dark Opal'): A cultivar of sweet basil with striking dark leaves. Often grown for its visual beauty rather than its culinary use (but it's just as tasty as the traditional variety!)

California Gardens - Cooks Corner - Basil Ice Cream

California Gardens - Cooks Corner - Basil Pesto

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