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| Elecampane, a cough remedy, and Bergamot, which flavors Earl Grey |
Elecampane
Roots of this stately giant make a soothing and restorative cough syrup.
Formerly a flavoring to British
sugar cakes
and used as a candied treat,
with
medicinal benefits.
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| yellow Calendula blossoms in the foreground with Bergamot behind. You've got to love a garden with Stinging nettles (front, right!!) |
Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) are an aptly named introduction from Europe, where it has a long history of being used for tea, soup, beer, a variety of medicinal uses (David Hoffmann says "When in doubt, use nettles.") The 'stinging' chemicals dissapate on drying, or when cooked, so one only has to harvest it carefully to make use of its mineral-rich bounty. It is so rich it is said to create a rich loamy soil where it grows, and for that reason is left in small amounts in biodynamic orchards and gardens. A good companion, nettles can increase the essential oil content of its neighbors: mints have beens increased by over %10.
I carefully work around it, heightened vigilance, while I gather the nearby Calendula. These I clip with 5" stems that will be strung into golden garlands with a needle and thread to dry. If you bundle them (here in Pennsylvania), they tend to mold, and I can feel the sticky resinousness as I work with them. Once dried, these will make potent but gentle skin remedies --strongly healing but gentle enough for babies!
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| Its actually Holy Basil...fragrant Tulsi in a wide raised bed. I gather enough for 3 hanging bundles and a jar of fresh tincture. |
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| Dill looking like a burst of fireworks |
Do you know if bergamot is Monarda fistulosa, as opposed to the more-common garden plant, Monarda didyma? Or is it some other species? Also, I ate steamed stinging nettle shoots for the first time this spring, and they were delicious! I was surprised. Only problem is, they kind of dry out on the plate and have a bit of sandpapery texture, but adding butter takes care of that!
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