DOWN TO EARTH
(Page 2 of 2)
August/September 1996
By JIM LONG
Because of monarda’s designation as the official herb of this
year’s National Herb Week, I’ve gained additional information
about this interesting group of plants. For example, I learned from
a lifelong student of Cherokee medicine that the Cherokee formerly
recognized three forms of M. fistulosa, each with a distinctive
flavor. He described the three flavors as sweet, fruity or
berrylike, and hot or peppery, all with the underlying
characteristic monarda flavor. I’ve tasted the flowers and leaves
of this species in many states and noticed differences in flavor
but always attributed them to differences in season or growing
conditions. Now I find that Native Americans not only knew the
different flavors of M. fistulosa, but used each form for a
different medical treatment.
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This past winter with its record-breaking –10°F was a good
opportunity to test the hardiness of some of the newly introduced,
still unnamed, monardas from Mexico. Some of them came through
undamaged, and a few survived well beyond their expected
winterhardiness. With this kind of track record, I expect that
these varieties will become more widely available to gardeners
within a few years.
Developing recipes for monarda was an enjoyable side benefit of
this year’s committee work. People contributed their favorite
recipes for everything from meat dishes to salads, teas, desserts,
and fruit punch. I hauled out one of my own recipes for Monarda
Sorbet:
Pick the tubular corollas from five or six monarda flower heads,
any variety. In a blender, combine them with 4 cups of red grape
juice and 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice. Blend for a few
seconds, then refrigerate for a couple of hours to allow the
flavors to mellow. Strain the mixture and freeze the liquid in a
small electric or hand-cranked ice-cream freezer. Serve with a
fresh monarda flower head on the side.
The official herb for 1997 will be thyme (Thymus spp.), which
should allow many opportunities to educate people about that
versatile genus.
Jim Long is an herbalist and the owner of Long Creek Herb Farm
in Oak Grove, Arkansas.
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