Borage

Borage (Borago officinalis) has a long historical reputation for making the heart merry and dispelling melancholy, called ‘Euphrosium’ by Pliny due to its euphoric effect and famous for the quote ‘I, borage, bring always courage’. However, its name probably derives from the Latin ‘burra’ meaning ‘hairy garment’ – which aptly describes its furry buds and leaves. In the 19th century the young tops were boiled as a pot-herb and the flowers were preserved and candied.

Borage is used medicinally for fevers and externally to poultice inflammatory swellings and treat dry skin conditions. The oil from the seeds is very useful in premenstrual syndrome and can be taken daily in capsules for eczema. Borage can be used as a tonic for stress . It stimulates milk flow and the adrenal glands, soothes damaged or irritated tissues and the oil lowers blood pressure.

A cooling, saline, diuretic herb with mild sedative and anti-depressant effects.

CAUTION: Do not consume large or regular amounts of the foliage.

Gather leaves in the spring or summer as the plant begins to flower.

Benefits strawberries as a companion plant. Attracts bees.


PLEASE NOTE: These notes on the history and use of herbs have been compiled for general interest and are not intended as medical advice, for which you should consult a professional herbalist.

BIBLIOGRAPY:
'A Modern Herbal' Mrs M. Grieve FRHS ed. Mrs C. F. Leyel (1973)
'The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal' Penelope Ody MNIMH (1993)
'RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses' Deni Brown (2002)

Local Lavender Project

I've been adding a couple of my handmade lavender sachets to Etsy today .. and in the process, I found the details of the community lavender harvest where I collected the lavender and some photos taken on my last visit. It was such a beautiful way to spend a sunny afternoon and I thought others might be interested, too?

The once famous lavender fields of the Carshalton area of London have been revived by The Local Lavender Project: cuttings were collected from the public and grown as a horticulture project at HMP Downview, providing prisoners with useful skills. Then prisoners on day-release helped clear and plant up 3 acres of disused allotments. Now that the lavender has matured, hundreds of people turn up every year to “pick their own” at the annual community harvesting event.




It just happened to fall on my birthday the year I took these photos, and it was one of the best I've had. We had to be very careful, though, as my companion was allergic to bee stings... and where there are 3 acres of lavender, there are lots of lovely big bumble-bees!



It was really easy to dry the lavender.. I had only dried smaller quantities before, from my garden, by hanging up bunches by the stems with a paper bag secured around the flowerheads to catch them. The same method worked fine for the larger bundles and the room smelt kind of wonderful for months! I save the dried stems when I've rubbed the dried flowerheads off to put on the fire in the winter.

Bioregional Local Lavender Project

I will definitely be going along again this year. Its hard to describe how it feels (and smells!) to be waist deep in a field of lavender.. its wonderful. And as the sun shines down and you inhale the relaxing aroma, you can't stop smiling.

Hey Pesto!

I had a great afternoon in the kitchen today, listening to the radio and knocking up a batch of pesto.

I have a basic recipe which gives the right proportions of the ingredients (see below), but I basically just keep adding olive oil until the consistency is OK. Oh, and I always put more garlic than it says, because I like it and its so good for me. Today I had two good handfuls of basil and one of parsley and I substituted the pine nuts with walnuts, which is a nice variation. Incidentally, I've seen a recipe somewhere lately for a three herb pesto with Lemon Balm which I might try in the summer.

The motivation behind today's pesto-making was Daughter of the Soil's wonderful post last week about growing peppers - especially the long pointy Ramiro peppers, my favourite.

http://daughterofthesoil.blogspot.com/2008/02/peppers-and-ice.html

I've never tried to grow peppers, but felt inspired to have a go so I decided to get some to roast and use the seed. No time to lose, as peppers need to get going fairly early in the UK so that they have chance to ripen - I think the advice was by early March.

I like to make roast peppers by halving and de-seeding them, then stuffing them with a mixture of cubed organic feta cheese, halved organic cherry tomatoes and home-made pesto. Cook for about half an hour in the oven.



Pesto Sauce

2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 tbspn chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
50g pine nuts
100g grated Parmesan cheese
150ml olive oil
seasoning

Instructions: Put it all in the blender and press 'go'.. hey pesto!

Wildlife Gardening

Now that spring is well on the way, and we're all thinking and planning our gardening activities, thought I'd share this link I found today..

http://www.wildaboutgardens.org/Gardening/DoOneThing/

its a list of simple steps to take towards gardening with wildlife in mind .. I'm pleased to be able to report that I am chemical-free, peat-free, I collect rainwater and I recycle!

Full Moon and Clouds

Wonderfully bright moon last night (and just the last traces of those clouds!)

Vervain (Verbena officinalis)

The name ‘vervain’ derives from the Celtic ‘ferfaen’, meaning ‘to drive away a stone’ and reflects the use of this herb for bladder problems. As well as being revered in Celtic and Germanic cultures, both the Druids and the Romans held this herb as sacred and priests used it in sacrifices. The latin ‘verbena’ was the classical Roman name for altar plants in general, and the Romans used vervain to purify their homes and temples.

Aphrodisiac properties were once ascribed to this herb, and it was often carried as a talisman. In particular, it was bruised and worn round the neck as a charm against headaches, snake-bites and for good luck. This reflects two of vervain’s uses: as a poultice for headache and insect bites. It is also used in this way for sprains and bruises and can be applied externally for eczema, sores and gum disease.

This herb can calm the nerves, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, relieve pain and control bleeding and it is taken internally for nervous exhaustion, depression, asthma and migraine. It is contra-indicated in pregnancy, as it stimulates the uterus, but can be sipped during labour to encourage contractions and during lactation to stimulate milk flow.

A bitter, pungent/aromatic, cooling herb.



CAUTION: Do not use this herb during Pregnancy

Pick the leaves before flowering and dry them promptly.

PLEASE NOTE: These notes on the history and use of herbs have been compiled for general interest and are not intended as medical advice, for which you should consult a professional herbalist.

BIBLIOGRAPY:
'A Modern Herbal' Mrs M. Grieve FRHS ed. Mrs C. F. Leyel (1973)
'The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal' Penelope Ody MNIMH (1993)
'RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses' Deni Brown (2002)