Red Rubin Basil

I interplanted my tomato bed with Red Rubin basil plants (Ocimum basilicum"Purpurascens'). The deep red-purple of the leaves is often edged in neon green, and this dark color provides quite a colorful contrast to the tomato plants. Basil and tomato friends are always faithful to one another in the garden.

Red Rubin Basil is an improved Dark Opal Basil, a 1992 All America Selections winner. Red Rubin is much more uniform in color than other purple basils. The leaves have a clove-like flavor which is a little too strong for pesto but great for almost any basil dish.