 At one of the farmer's markets I go to, there's a farmer with a hydroponic greenhouse such that I can get fresh basil all year round. But I was always curious how hydroponic basil grown in water, compared nutritionally to basil grown in soil. Well, here we go. Same seeds, one in water, one in soil. What do you think they found in terms of vitamin content, antioxidant content, and phytonutrient content? The hydroponic basil, one hands down. More antioxidant power, more vitamins, key phytonutrients. Why? Because the basil doesn't like it. It's the same reason organic greens are healthier. They get bitten by bugs, and in defense they manufacture more of those wonderful glucosinolate compounds that are so good for us. Likewise, under environmental stress, drowning in the water, basil may release these phenolic antioxidant phytochemicals, like rosemary and acetic acid, to protect itself, and we can reap the benefits.