I chose TASTE as my prompt for the first day. My original plan was to choose a handful of different basil varieties and make comparisons between the flavours of the different flowers as a way to get to know them better. However, once I was out in the garden I found myself tempted by several other edible flowers and decided to switch gears. And as always, what began as just a few spiralled into a taste-test of 16 plants!

#growcurious30 is a 30 day project to cultivate curiosity, discover, and connection to your garden or local green space. Anyone can participate, regardless of whether you have a personal growing space or not. The project is a spin-off of the book, Grow Curious: Creative Activities to Cultivate Joy, Wonder, and Discovery in Your Garden by Gayla Trail.

Tasting Notes

1. Vietnamese Lemon Mint (Elsholtzia ciliata) aka Vietnamese Balm: Lemon oil dominates, with hints of mint and sweetness. The leaves have a greener flavour.
2. ‘Persian’ Basil (Ocimum basilicum) aka Reyhan: Flowers are spicy floral with a slight clove flavour and mild anise. Hint of camphor. Leaves are the same, but more intense.
3. Calendula (Calendula officinalis): Milder and less flavourful than I remember. That resinous marigold flavour comes through much more strongly in the leaves.
4. ‘Purple Ruffles’ Basil (Ocimum basilicum): Flowers are very sweet when they first hit the tongue Anise flavour at the front, but it dissipates quickly. Leaves are potent, bitter, camphourous, and very spicy. Mentholated and Davin described it as tasting sort of how Tiger Balm smells, which isn’t a very flattering description!
5. ‘Temperate’ Tulsi aka Holy Basil (Ocimum sp.): The flowers are immediately reminiscent of Bazooka Joe bubble gum! Sweet berry. Slight grape. Sepals and leaves create a temporary tingle or hot spicy sensation on the tongue. Camphor, cumin, cinnamon, yet also floral. Very resinous.
6. ‘Rosso’ Basil (Ocimum basilicum): Flowers have a light sweetness. Camphor. Leaf is strongly bitter with that vegetal green basil flavour.
7. Spilanthes (Acmella oleracea) aka Toothache Plant: The marigold flavour is immediately undermined by a strong tongue and mouth numbing effect. Feels bubbly or effervescent rather than tingly.
8. Brede Maffen Spilanthes (Acmella alba): Less numbing than the other with similar, but less intense flavour.
9. ‘Lavender Haze’ Hyssop (Agastache neomexicana): Flowers are strongly lavender, lightly sweet with liquorice and mint undertones. Bright and deep. Leaf flavours are the same, but more intense and lasts longer in the mouth.
10. ‘African’ Basil: Flowers are very tiny so it is hard to ascertain flavour without putting several flowers into the mouth at one time. Citrus, producing a strangely dry feeling on the tongue that reminds me of the white powder that coats the cheap bubblegum sticks that came inside the trading card packs of my youth. Slight numbing sensation, which we found with several basil variety. However, none even approached the full mouth numbing effect of the spilanthes buttons! It is called toothache plant for a reason!
11. ‘Rama’ Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum): POTENT. Remarkably sweet, but with an intense CLOVE punch.
12. ‘Kivambasa Lime’ Basil (Ocimum canum): Lemon oil, spice, resin, cumin, with a tingle on the tongue followed by a feeling of being coated in resin.
13. Curly Mint (Mentha spicata ‘Crispa’): The flowers and quite mild, but have that characteristic spearmint brightness. The leaf is obviously more intense and there is a slight under taste of damp and greenness.
14. ‘Siam Queen’ Thai Basil (Ocimum basilicum var. thyrsiflora): Spice. Sweet liquorice. Slightly soapy.
15. ‘Honey Melon’ Sage (Salvia elegans): Quite dull. Shockingly dull compared to the scent.We expected a strong floral punch and sweet nectar, so we tried several individual flowers to be sure; however, what we found over and over again was lacklustre and just flat out disappointing. The leaves were better, but for flavour, it’s not my favourite salvia. No matter as the late summer and autumn floral display makes up for it.
16. Zuta Levant (Micromeria fruticosa): Flowery, astringent, dry, and creates a slight pucker in the mouth. The tiny leaves carry a stronger mix of camphor, mint, menthol, and mustiness. Tingly.

Did you participate in #growcurious30 today? Please share your experience or add a link to your blog or social media post in the comments below!

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Grow Curious: Creative Activities to Cultivate Joy, Wonder, and Discovery in Your Garden is a gardener’s creative activity book that follows the seasons from spring through winter. It is available here.