two kinds of basil?

[CMETEquinsuOcha]

I have both of these growing. What type of basil is each? I believe one thai basil and the black flower one smells of licorice or fennel or maybe anise.

Also the black licorice smelling one, what can I do with this?

 

[Chuck]

They are both excellent herbs. What you use them for is up to you. Use them in stir fries or omelets or coatings or just plain seasonings. You can save them by freezing them in an ice cube tray or you can dry them or use them fresh. Why did you grow them in the first place? They are both excellent and a great additive to any salad or incorporated into just about anything.

 

[CMETEquinsuOcha]

What is the first one?

I thought i grew one basil for my wife because she loves it. But i think i planted 2 kinds not knowing. But I cant figure out what the first blackish flower, licorice one smelling is.

 

[DeborahJane]

What is the first one?

I thought i grew one basil for my wife because she loves it. But i think i planted 2 kinds not knowing. But I cant figure out what the first blackish flower, licorice one smelling is.

They both look pretty. I'll be watching as I'd like to know too.

 

[Beth_B]

The first one may be red basil:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/262707/
I've grown it but did not care for the flavor.

The other is undoubtedly sweet basil, which I love and grow every year! I notice it's flowering. To keep the leaves going and sweet all season, pinch the flowers back every time they start to spike. This will keep the plant's energy going to the leaves.

 

[CMETEquinsuOcha]

Ok, thank you for that website...
Though I don't think its red Basil... but after further review of the site and something I found on Wikipedia 100% clarified this...

you are correct that the bottom one with the white flowers is Sweet Basil.
the Redish/black flowers that will bloom into purple flowers is Thai Basil.

check this out. refer to the original post about what I said about the first picture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_basil
"shiny green, slightly serrated, narrow leaves with a sweet, anise-like scent and hints of licorice"

and to double confirm this there is a picture that 100% matches what I have growing.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/329788/

and lastly the use! tea and a lovely Vietnamese dish pho. as soon as I told my wife that in the united states they use Thai basil for Pho instead of holy basil she said I knew I recognized the taste..

 

[Beth_B]

Ah! Glad you identified it. I've grown Thai basil but don't recall it getting the red crown and flowers, like in your photo.
Tea, huh? That could be tasty.

 

[claudine]

They both look lovely!
I saw Thai basil in a supermarket yesterday. It wasn't blooming, so I didn't know how pretty its flowers can be. Now, I think I'll go back there and buy it The smell of licorice is wonderful.

 

[IcyBC]

I think the first one is Thai basil and the second one is sweet basil, which I grew! I love basil for all kind of seasoning. At the end of the season, I collected all the leaves, dried them up in the oven, and crunched them into pieces to use throughout the winter for seasoning meat, chicken and fish.