Ocimum basilicum
Classic basil for pesto boasts excellent flavor and quality.
Hundreds of years ago, Genovese villagers selected this basil for making pesto. It features large, thick, deep green leaves on sturdy plants. Yes, you can make pesto with a food processor. But why not spend a half hour on some breezy, summery day making it the old-fashioned way—with a mortar and pestle? (Ah, now you know where that word comes from!) No time for pesto tonight? Not to worry: this variety is also the ideal basil for stews, soups, and sautes. Buon appetito!
The Package
Each year, Hudson Valley Seeds commissions contemporary artists from around the United States to tell the story of a particular seed variety. That art and those seeds combine to create an Art Pack, a unique celebration of the diverse stories of seeds and their stewards.
The Artist
Art by Hazel Jarvis. A reverence for travel and tradition shines through Hazel Jarvis's works. Trained in botanical watercolor and traditional Japanese painting, she blends collage and paint to illustrate the Italian basil dish that took the world by storm.
