It’s a herbal win-win: monarda, grown for its dazzling flowers, also makes a relaxing, medicinal teaAs our gardens get ever smaller, I have become a firm believer in embracing multi-functional plants that don’t simply look beautiful, but taste great, too. The good news is that loads of the species we currently grow as ornamentals live secret double lives as everyday edibles in other parts of the world. Modern western civilisation being the only culture in history to enjoy the luxury of plants exclusively for their visual aesthetics alone, has forgotten that many can also taste good.Monarda, the classic herbaceous perennial grown for its dazzling flowers, was used by many Native Americans to make a relaxing, medicinal tea. Its English common name, bergamot, derives from the fact that its leaves have a fragrance uncannily identical to the Italian citrus fruit of the same name used to scent Earl Grey tea. You don’t need many leaves to impart a homegrown version of that exotic citrus flavour and the plants produce so many that harvesting won’t damage their flowering ability. Use like you would mint leaves. Continue reading…
Source : theguardian.com
Read more…Plants that taste as good as they look
