—EUELL GIBBONS, STALKING THE WILD ASPARAGUS
Good King Henry
Seems like a strange name for a plant, doesn’t it? But the stories behind the various names of this popular European herb are even stranger. (Or, as China Bayles would say, there’s a mystery here.)
The name came to England from Germany, where the same herb was called Guter Heinrich, “Good Heinrich.” (The name Heinrich was used to refer to a shrewd or knavish sprite, like the English Robin Good-fellow, or Puck.) Some people say that the herb was called “good Heinrich” to distinguish it from a similar poisonous plant called “bad Heinrich.” In Latin, this plant is called Chenopodium bonus-henricus. Its folk name “smearwort” refers to its use as an ointment, and to poultices made of the leaves to cleanse and heal chronic sores, which, John Gerard tells us in his 1597 Herbal, “they do scour and mundify.” The roots were given to sheep as a remedy for cough. The plant was fed to chickens in Germany and was called there Fette Henne—or perhaps the leaves were eaten as a vegetable with butter or bacon (“fat”). In any event, it’s often referred to in the northern English counties as “fat hen.”
PIGWEED, GOOSEFOOT, AND LAMB’S QUARTERS
In North America, we have our own variety of this useful plant, Chenopodium album, which also has a great many common names, among them lamb’s quarters, goosefoot, pigweed, and wild spinach. Raw or cooked, it’s a tasty spring vegetable. The flower spikes can be eaten like broccoli and the new shoots like asparagus, tossed in butter, while the dried seeds, ground and mixed with wheat flour, make delicious pancakes. The seeds produce a green dye and were also used in the production of untanned leather. Of greater importance, the Chenopodium family is used medicinally throughout the world, primarily to treat gastrointestinal ailments.
What’s in a name? A little bit of everything!
Read more about Good King Henry, or whatever name you know it by:
A Modern Herbal, by Mrs. Maud Grieve, 1931 Stalking the Wild Asparagus, by Euell Gibbons
I use lamb’s quarters all summer long to add green to a meal, whether cooked or in a salad. I stir-fry onions, garlic, and lamb’s quarters into an omelet for breakfast . . . [It] can even grace an elegant dish like quiche [as a substitute for spinach].
—SUSAN TYLER HITCHCOCK, GATHER YE WILD THINGS
MARCH 19
In the Celtic Tree Calendar, yesterday began the Month of the Alder (March 18-April 14).
In Irish legend the first human male was created from alder, as the first female was created from rowan. Alder was anciently regarded as a “faerie tree” able to grant access to faerie realms.
—JACQUELINE MEMORY PATERSON, TREE WISDOM
The Legendary Alder
According to legend, the fertility gods were holding a feast, and all the plants and trees were invited to join in the party. The alder and the willow, however, stood by themselves, looking out over the water. This annoyed the party’s host, who told them that if that’s what they wanted to do, they could do it forever. Which is why you will still find the alder and the willow, growing together along the riverside.
THE MAGICAL ALDER
When an alder tree is cut (it is said), the white inner fibers turn reddish-pink, appearing to bleed. To early people, this made the tree seem magically human. Welsh heroes stained their faces red with the “blood” of the alder, in honor of the god Bran, to whom the tree was sacred. Alder twigs made excellent pipes and whistles, used to call the ravens, Bran’s sacred birds, or to “whistle up the wind,” as it was said. Druid priests used alder wands to measure the dead; hence, to handle an alder wand invited death, and an alder branch could be used to curse your enemies. The fairies found the alder useful, as well, making a green dye from the flowers for their fairy smocks and breeches.
THE HEALING ALDER
Thomas Culpeper, the seventeenth-century herbalist, prescribed alder tea as a wash for burns, inflammations, and skin irritations. The leaves were used as a poultice, and the inner root bark as an emetic.
THE PRACTICAL ALDER
The wood, which resists decay in water, has been much used to build jetties and piles. Easy to work, it was used in cabinetry and to make spinning wheels and cart wheels and wooden clogs. It has been burned to produce charcoal for gunpowder. The bark yielded red and black dye; the leaves green. The leaves were used to tan leather.
Read more about the alder:
Tree Wisdom, by Jacqueline Memory Paterson
Cold March, wet April and hot May,
Will make a fruitful year they say.
—BOKE OF FORTUNE 1575
MARCH 20
Today is National Fragrance Day. The March theme garden: A Fragrance Garden.
The walled square contained five gardens, one in each corner and one in the middle. The corner to the right was the kitchen garden, bordered by sprawling thyme, with clumps of marjoram and parsley and sage in the center and a handsome rosemary at the back. One of the back corners was a fragrance garden, with old roses climbing against the stone wall . . .
—RUEFUL DEATH: A CHINA BAYLES MYSTERY
A Fragrance Garden
A garden’s fragrance gives me enormous pleasure, making the difference between a pleasant garden experience and one that lingers in my mind and my heart. If you’re planning to create a new space in your garden this year, think about creating a fragrance garden—or if you’ve run out of garden room, consider adding a few pots of fragrant herbs and flowers to your deck or sunny porch, preferably near a window, so that the magic of scent can fill your home.
Herbs for a Fragrance Garden: A Baker’s Dozen
ANNUALS AND TENDER PERENNIALS
Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus)
Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans)
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
PERENNIALS
Southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum)
Dianthus (Dianthus caryophyllus)
Day lily (Hemerocallis sp.)
Lavender (Lavandula sp.)
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
Violet (Viola odorata)
VINES AND SHRUBS
Honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.)
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
Rose (Rosa sp.)
Read more about the fragrant herbs and about creating a theme garden:
Herbs and the Fragrant Garden, by Margaret E. Brown-low
Theme Gardens, by Barbara Damrosch
In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
—MARGARET ATWOOD
MARCH 21
Zodiac: Today, the Sun enters the astrological sign of Aries. It is also the Spring Equinox.
Aries, the Ram, the first sign of the Zodiac, is a masculine sign ruled by the warrior planet Mars. A cardinal sign—suggesting creativity and inventiveness, Aries governs leadership and initiative. Aries people are bold, self-confident, and often impulsive, although they may have a tendency to look before they leap.
—RUBY WILCOX, “ASTROLOGICAL SIGNS”
Aries Herbs
Mars-ruled Aries is assertive, energetic, fearless. According to astrologers, Mars rules the circulation of the blood, the muscles, and metabolic processes, as well as the motor nerves and the head. Astrological herbalists assigned “assertive” herbs to Mars: plants that are thorny or prickly, or have a strong, biting taste, or have a red color, to match the planet. Here are three examples:
• Garlic (Allium sativum). Garlic has traditionally been used to reduce blood pressure and blood cholesterol, as well as to destroy harmful bacteria. Nicholas Culpeper (The English Physician, 1652) cautions that Aries-ruled people with fiery dispositions should be careful how they use garlic.
• Mustard (Brassica alba or nigra). This favorite Mars-ruled spice is used to stimulate circulation and, in a poultice, to relieve muscle pain. Culpeper and others of his day also used mustard as a cleansing emetic or poultice: “It resists the force of poison, the malignity of m
ushrooms, and venom of scorpions, or other venomous creatures, if it be taken in time.”
• Nettles (Urtica diocia). Nettles are rich in Mars-ruled iron and are covered with stinging prickles. As an astringent, nettle is used to relieve nosebleeds or reduce hemorrhage (especially excessive menstrual flow). It has also been used to treat the discomforts of an enlarged prostate.
• Other Mars-ruled herbs: Cayenne stimulates the circulation. Red clover, hops, radish, rhubarb, and sassafras are used to purify the blood. Ginger is a powerful circulatory stimulant and may be used as a poultice to treat muscle sprains.
Read more about herbs and astrology:
Earth Mother Astrology: Ancient Healing Wisdom, by Marcia Starck
It [Nicholas Culpeper’s herbal] resorts for every mode of cure to that infallible source prepared by God and Nature in the vegetable system; whence flows spontaneously the genuine virtues of medicine diffused universally over the face of the earth, where nothing grows in vain.
—PREFACE, THE ENGLISH PHYSICIAN, BY NICHOLAS CULPEPER,
1789 EDITION
MARCH 22
Mesquite Spring: From Susan’s Journal
The leaves are coming out on the mesquite trees, a sure sign of spring. Ranchers in this part of the country hate mesquite with nearly the same passion that they hate prickly pear cactus. The trees (Prosopis glandulosa ) are deep-rooted and compete with grass for the limited water. And, back in the days when cows were rounded up by real cowboys on real horses, you could lose half your herd in a thorny mesquite thicket. In fact, mesquite is on the Texas list of invasive species, for like most native plants, it is highly adaptable, and when it finds a place it likes, it settles down, makes itself at home, and begins populating the neighborhood with others of its kind.
However, there’s not a lot of cattle ranching around here now, and it’s harder than it used to be to object to mesquite. The bees adore the flowers, and the mesquite honey they produce is a finger-lickin’ favorite. The tree is perfect for Xeriscaping (as long as you don’t let the kids go barefoot where they can step on the thorns). The wood is popular for barbecue (I hear that they love it in New York), and the beans (gathered when they’re green) make a delicious jelly. Native Americans processed the dried beans into flour, which was in turn made into flatbread and booze. The leaves and bark are astringent and antibacterial; a tea was used to treat bladder infections and diarrhea. The gum became a glue to mend pottery and a black dye used in weaving.
The tree itself has a lovely shape and color—twisted trunk, pale green canopy, tiny bee-laden flowers in May and clusters of beans in September. And I love the idea that mesquite always knows when spring has come and it’s safe to put out leaves. No late freeze, say the dozens of mesquites here at Meadow Knoll. Warm days ahead, and blue skies, and inevitably, summer. And mesquite beans. Oh, yes, and jelly.
Read more about mesquite:
The Magnificent Mesquite, by Ken E. Rogers
When in the spring, [mesquite] trees and bushes put on their delicately green, transparent leaves and the mild sun shines upon them, they are more beautiful than any peach orchard. The green seems to float through the young sunlight into the sky. The mesquite is itself a poem.
—J. FRANK DOBIE, SOUTHWESTERN FOLKLORIST
MARCH 23
Today is National Chip and Dip Day.
Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”
—ROBIN WILLIAMS
The Merryweathers Dip Their Chips
The Pecan Springs herbies are always looking for an excuse for a party, so when Millie Winswell proposed that everybody bring a favorite dip to the March meeting to celebrate Chip and Dip Day, there was instant and unanimous agreement. Things got even more exciting when Bitsie Rae Smith suggested a competition. Who would do the judging? What was the prize? When nobody wanted to take on the politically challenging task of judging, it was decided that everybody would judge, and cast votes for the top three. Bitsie Rae objected that everybody would vote for her own dip as number 1, but Pansy Pride pointed out that since this was true, it wouldn’t matter—all those votes would cancel one another out. Pansy also suggested that the prize ought to be a secret until the magic moment when it was awarded. Everybody agreed to this, and they all went home to whip up their dips.
So who won?
Well, it was close, I’ll tell you, and the judging took quite awhile. But finally the last chip had been dipped and the last veggie dunked and the final vote was cast. And Denise Dolittle’s entry, A Dilly of a Smoked Salmon Dip, came out on top, by the narrow margin of three votes. Which just goes to show, Pansy Pride said, when she rose to award the grand prize, that everybody’s dip was a winner. Here’s how Denise did it:
A DILLY OF A SMOKED SALMON DIP
1½ cups flaked smoked salmon
¾ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons finely minced green onion tops
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Stir before serving. Makes about 2¾ cups. Serve with chips, crackers, raw veggies, and other dippables.
And the Grand Prize? It was wheeled out in a little red wagon, wrapped and tied with a fancy green bow. Everybody waited expectantly, holding her breath, while Denise pulled off the wrapping paper. And then they let their breath out, all at once, and everybody began to giggle, because the Grand Prize was . . .
Yep, you guessed it.
Harold Thompson’s concrete armadillo.
MARCH 24
It’s not easy being green.
—KERMIT THE FROG
French Green
It’s time for some green. Green French sorrel, that is. Rumex scutatus, that fresh-tasting, tart perennial herb that may be putting up its first green leaves in your garden. (Or you might have a larger-leafed garden sorrel, Rumex acetosa, with a not-so-tart taste.) Most cooks prefer French sorrel for that first green soup of spring: lemony-tart, crisp-tasting, and loaded with vitamin C. Here’s a recipe for a tasty soup that’s easy and quick to make. (See, Kermit? It’s actually easy to be green!)
SPRING GREEN SORREL SOUP
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons instant white rice, uncooked
1 bunch sorrel, stemmed and rinsed
½ cup half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in rice, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 8-10 minutes, until rice is nearly done. Stir in sorrel and return to a boil. Remove from heat and puree in two or three batches in a blender. Return to low heat and stir in half-and-half, salt, and pepper. Heat and serve. Makes 6 servings.
Other uses for sorrel:
• mix with other greens for a salad
• add it to potato soup
• include it in a tangy sauce for poultry or fish
• add it to sandwiches with cream cheese and sliced tomatoes
• use as a garnish for salmon and tuna
• use a fresh leaf to soothe a canker sore
• the juice curdles milk, and has been used as a substitute for rennet in cheese making
• was used to staunch bleeding and to treat scurvy
Read more about sorrel and other spring potherbs:
The Greens Book, by Susan Belsinger and Carolyn Dille
Our country people used to beat the herb [sorrel] to a mash and take it mixed with vinegar and sugar, as a green sauce with cold meat, hence one of its popular names: Greensauce. Because of their acidity, the leaves, treated as spinach, make a capital dressing with stewed lamb, veal or sweetbread. A few of the leaves may also with advantage be added to turnips and spinach. When boiled by itself, without water, it serves as an excellent accompaniment to roast goose or pork, instead of apple sauce.
&nbs
p; —MRS. MAUD GRIEVE, A MODERN HERBAL, 1931
MARCH 25
Today is National Waffle Day.
The waffle is descended from the oublie, a flat cake cooked between two hot plates and stamped with a crucifix, used in the celebration of the Eucharist. Sometime in the thirteenth century, a craftsman forged the plates in a honeycomb pattern; in Holland, the resulting cake was called a wafel. The word seems to have first appeared in America in 1744, when a lady remarked: “I was not a little grieved that so luxurious a feast should have come under the name of a wafel frolic.”
A Waffle Frolic
There’s no rule that says that waffles are just for breakfast. Why not celebrate National Waffle Day by throwing a waffle frolic? Herbed waffles for brunch, lunch, or supper are bound to get rave reviews from anybody lucky enough to enjoy a plateful.
China Bayles' Book of Days Page 12
