Date: Wed, 16 May 2001 23:20:46 +0100 ***
COMMON NAME (English/German): Basil/Basilikum
LATIN NAME: Ocimum Basilicum
TYPE OF PLANT: Annual--leafy, aromatic
SYMBOLISM: In Italy, basil is a symbol of love.
MYTHS/LEGENDS: Some say it is the food of the basilisk, a legendary or mythological reptile who could kill with a glance or a breath. (And who sometimes resides in the Chamber of Secrets!)
EDIBLE: Best to use fresh leaves, cooked or raw, with veal, lamb,
fish, poultry, white beans, pasta, rice, tomatoes, cheese, eggs; with
veggies: zucchini, squash, eggplant, potatoes, cabbage, carrots,
cauliflower, spinach. Blends well with garlic, thyme, lemon. If using
it to flavor vinegar, use white vinegar.
Note: If freezing pesto, leave out the garlic
until you are ready to use the sauce, because it will turn bitter.
CULTIVATION
HARVESTING AND STORAGE: Cut sprigs when flower buds form and before they have opened. Basil can be dried and stored in tightly sealed containers. It is best stored in an oil, vinegar, or frozen paste. Note that if you are freezing pesto, omit the garlic until you're ready to use the sauce, because garlic may become bitter after three months.
ETC.: Lemon basil and opal basil are good for potpourri. Sweet basil or purple basil can be added to fresh flower bouquets for both attractiveness and scent.
Date: Wed, 16 May 2001 23:21:11 +0100 ***
COMMON NAME (English/German): Borage/?
LATIN NAME: Borago officinalis
TYPE OF PLANT: annual--tall (2-3 ft) with beautiful blue flowers
SYMBOLISM: Courage.
MYTHS/LEGENDS: Ancient warriors preparing for battle drank wine flavored with borage to give them courage. Pliny (the Roman Elder) believed borage to be an anti-depressant. Sir Francis Bacon wrote: "The leaf of Burrage hath an excellent spirit to repress the fuliginous vapour of dusky melancholie." According to an old wives' tale, borage was sometimes smuggled into the drink of prospective husbands to give them the courage to propose marriage.
MEDICINAL: Generally held to relieve fevers, bronchitis and diarrhea. Cooling, soothing poultices relieve external swellings and inflammations. Diuretic.
EDIBLE: Fresh leaves can be used like spinach, stems like celery; enhances cheese, fish, poultry, most veggies, green salads, iced beverages, salad dressings and especially soups. Blends well with dill, mint or garlic.
CULTIVATION: Readily reseeds itself year after year and grows like a weed.
HARVESTING AND STORAGE: Borage is unacceptable when dried and frozen. The only way to store it for the long-term is in a flavored vinegar.
ETC.: Only useable when fresh. Attracts bees galore.
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***Excerpted from my original contributions to an online discussion graciously sponsored by Dracona Pagan Web. {back}
http://www.moonchild.ch/Journal/garden/herbB.html