Micro basil
Ocimum basilicum · Herb
Top 10 pairings
Micro basil is sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) harvested as a microgreen — a tiny seedling only 5–8 cm tall, cut about one to three weeks after sowing once its first pair of true leaves appears. Eaten raw as a garnish or in salads, it delivers a remarkably concentrated, pure basil aroma in a single delicate snip.
Picking a good onedrag
Just cut, standing upLimp, blackened, slimy
Shop freshEveryday bestThe all-rounder: pesto, salads, finishing a sauce.
Leaf colourGreen, a few leaves cupping
The bunchSoft but still upright in the hand
Cut stemCut end drying, stem still stiff
Smell at the leafScent comes when a leaf is rubbed
These cues are Basil's, and hold across its varieties; where this one differs, its own page says so.
Keeping ittap a temperature
Skip the fridge. Below 12 °C the leaves brown, then blacken in a day or two.
95-100%
Humidity
Loose bag, not sealed
Airflow