Also called wormwood, this plant is grown as a border to keep animals from the garden. Ornamental species such as A. pontica have leaves of great delicacy and are good to plant in flower beds and around choice evergreens. (See Wormwood.)
Nature’s own medicine plant, known and used for centuries, is a vegetable belonging to the Lily family. The name “aloe vera” means “true aloe,” and it is so named because, among 200 species of aloe, it has the best medicinal properties.
Aloe vera is known as nature’s medicine plant.
The aloe genus belongs to a larger class of plants known as the xeroids, which possess the ability to close their stomata completely to avoid the loss of water. The plants are easy to grow outside in warm, frost-free climates, and equally easy to grow indoors in pots. Possibly because of the bitter taste of the gel, they appear to be completely disease- and insect-free. Almost all xeroids are laxative in nature and have a bitter flavor.
Aloin is the thick, mucilaginous yellow juice that occurs at the base of the aloe leaf, and is also present in the rind. The gel may be removed from the leaf as one would fillet a fish. It is a very slippery, clear, viscous juice useful for sunburns and for healing cutaneous ulcers of radioactive origin, as well as burns and scalds of various types. Many fishermen carry aloe vera aboard their boats to stop the pain of a sting from a Portuguese man-of-war. It also will stop the sting often experienced when gathering okra.
The gel may be used instead of tree wound dressing if it becomes necessary to cut a tree limb. The surface will heal over quickly and insects are repelled by the bitter taste. The juice may be mixed with water to make a spray for plants. Powdered aloes dusted on young plants will repel rabbits, but this must be repeated after rain. Aloe vera plants, thrown in the drinking water for chickens, are said to cure them of certain diseases.
The spicy seeds of this annual herb, related to caraway and dill, are used to flavor licorice as well as pastry, cookies, and certain kinds of cheese. The oil extracted from the seeds is used to make absinthe, and it is also used in medicine. The flower, powdered and infused with vermouth, is used for flavoring muscatel wine. Anise is antiseptic, and is useful as an ointment (when mixed with lard) for lice and itching from insect bites.
When sown with coriander, aniseed will germinate better, grow more vigorously, and form better heads.
Basil helps tomatoes to overcome both insects and disease, also improving growth and flavor. Since this is a small plant, one to two feet tall, grow it parallel to the tomatoes rather than among them. It repels mosquitoes and flies, and when laid over tomatoes in a serving bowl will deter fruit flies.
Sweet basil has inch-long, dark green leaves and a clovepepperish odor and taste. Pinch out the plant tops and they will grow into little bushes, the dwarf varieties especially becoming beautifully compact. As a kitchen herb, basil is used in vinegar, soup, stew, salad, chopped meat, and sausage, as well as in cottage cheese, egg, and tomato dishes, and may be sprinkled over vegetables. ‘Dark Opal’ makes a very handsome houseplant.
Though it is often said that herbs enhance everything except dessert, sweet basil is one that may be used to give a subtle, indefinable, but delicious flavor to pound cake. It is also one of the culinary herbs that may be used in certain dishes to replace black pepper. (See Pepper Substitutes in this chapter.)
It has been known since ancient times that basil and rue dislike each other intensely. Perhaps this is because basil is sweet and rue is very bitter.
Bay (or laurel) leaves put in stored grains such as wheat, rice, rye, beans, oats, and corn will eliminate weevils. The bay belongs to the same family as the cinnamon, camphor, avocado, and sassafras trees. I have tried sassafras leaves in grains and flours and find them also effective against insects and weevils.
This plant improves both the growth and flavor of tomatoes.
Borage
This is an excellent provider of organic potassium, calcium, and other natural minerals of benefit to plants. Grow this herb in orchards and as a border for strawberry beds. Honeybees like to feast on the blossoms.
The real plant, the German or wild camomile (Matricaria chamomilla), recognizable by the hollow bottom of the blossom and its highly aromatic odor, often is confused with Roman camomile (An themis nobilis). This is an excellent companion to cabbages and onions, improving growth and flavor of both. But it should be grown sparingly, only one plant every 150 feet.
Camomile
Wheat grown with camomile in the proportion of 100 to 1 will grow heavier and with fuller ears, but too much will harm field crops.
Camomile contains the substance chamazulene, which has anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties when used in the form of tea. It is also used for diarrhea or scour in calves. A tea of one-third each camomile, lemon balm, and chervil applied as a warm compress will cure hoof rot in animals.
Camomile flowers may be used in the dog’s bed against fleas. When using herbs in pet pillows, simply add the dried form to the stuffing, occasionally adding more to freshen up.
The blossoms soaked in cold water for a day or two can be used as a spray for treating many plant diseases and to control damping-off in greenhouses and cold frames.
A camomile rinse is excellent for blond hair. Use three or four tablespoons of dried flowers to a pint of water. Boil twenty to thirty minutes, straining when cool. Shampoo the hair before using, since it must be free of oil. Pour rinse over the hair several times and do not rinse with clear water after using. It will leave the hair smelling like sweet clover.
Camomile contains a hormone that stimulates the growth of yeast. Grown with peppermint in very small quantities, it increases the essential oil.
Since it is difficult to sprout caraway seed, sow it with a companion crop of peas. After harvesting the peas, harrow the area and the caraway will come up. It’s good to plant on wet, heavy land, the long roots making an excellent substitute for subsoiling. Do not grow fennel near it.
Europeans like and use caraway seed more than we do. It is put in rye bread for its aromatic flavor and to make it more digestible. It is also used in cakes, cheeses, and apple and cabbage recipes.
Catnip contains an insect-repellent oil, nepetalactone, and fresh catnip steeped in water and sprinkled on plants will send flea beetles scurrying.
The catnip compound is chemically allied to those found in certain insects. Two of these occur in ants and another in the walkingstick insect, which ejects a spray against such predators as ants, beetles, spiders, birds, and even humans. Freshly picked catnip placed on infected shelves will drive away black ants. But my cats love catnip, and I like to eat it in salads.
This is one of the few herbs that will grow better in partial shade, which can be provided by taller plants growing near it. It does not take kindly to transplanting. Chervil is a good companion to radishes, improving their growth and flavor.
Chives are a good companion to carrots, improving both growth and flavor. Planted in apple orchards they are of benefit in preventing apple scab, or made into chive tea may be used as a spray for apple scab or against powdery mildew on gooseberries and cucumbers.
The price of America’s favorite hot brew fluctuates from one year to the next depending on weather conditions in the countries where it is grown. It is interesting to know that there are a number of herbal substitutes that can be made into an acceptable hot drink and are almost universally available. Like any food or beverage, however, the product should be weighed on its own merits. To taste parched and perked seeds, roots, or nuts with the thought of “coffee” in mind is unfair to the substitute.
Chicory (Cichorium intybus), which grows on roadsides and in waste clay soils from Canada southward, is identifiable when young by its leaves, which resemble those of the dandelion. But as the plants mature, a rigid, loosely branched 2-foot stem develops, and blue flowers bloom in midsummer. The tubular roots, which grow horizontally, should be dug in September after flowering is over. To use chicory as a substitute or as a coffee additive, the roots should be washed, coarsely ground, dried in a very slow oven for two or three hours, then roasted in a clean skillet. This should be done very slowly and the granulated chicory repeatedly stirred until the proper color and flavor are reached.
Chicory
Chicory does not taste like coffee, but when used as an additive, some people believe, it improves the color and flavor of South American coffee, as well as extending the number of cups. In France, and in our own South, subject to French influence, chicory is added to coffee, not as an adulterant but for its distinctive flavor.
According to Virginia Scully in A Treasury of American Indian Herbs, the Native Americans roasted the roots and used them as they did the dandelion roots. Nelson Coon, author of Using Plants for Healing, writes of chicory as “a plant of ancient usage,” the name tracing back through Arab medicinal language to Greek and Egyptian, and mention of the use of chicory is found in Roman writings.
Cleavers (Galium sparine), after chicory, seems to be the most popular coffee substitute. Cleavers grows in Alaska, southward across Canada, and on down into Texas, and is found on seashores and in rocky woods. Although cleavers sprouts may be eaten in the spring, the tiny twin burr-seeds ripen later. Cleavers grows best in damp thickets. Cleavers, also known as goose grass, is eagerly sought by animals and poultry for its medicinal qualities. Cleavers also, according to all the old herbalists, has a reputation as a reducing diet par excellence, painlessly paring pounds from plump persons.
The usefulness of cleavers is not confined to its value as a reducing diet or as a palatable cooked vegetable. According to Euell Gibbons in Stalking the Healthful Herbs, the little two-lobed seeds make the best coffee substitute of almost any plant growing in our range. Perhaps this is because cleavers belongs to the Rubiaceae, the natural order of plants to which the coffee tree also belongs.
The little hard fruits should be gathered during the summer when they are full-sized and roasted in an oven until they are very brown. They can then be made into a beverage that tastes much like coffee and also has a definite coffee aroma. Cleavers contains no caffeine.
Cleavers has long been considered a medicinal herb, its properties being listed as diuretic, tonic, alterative, and somewhat laxative. Gather the herb in May or June when in flower and dry in a warm room.
Nut grass (Cyperus esculentus) is an herb of almost universal distribution. If nut grass tubers are roasted until they are a very dark brown all through, then pulverized in a blender or coffee mill, they make a very palatable hot drink when brewed exactly as you do coffee. Nut grass coffee contains no harmful stimulants and can freely be given to children who insist on having “coffee” when the grown-ups do.
Sunflower (Helianthus annus) has long been used by Native Americans, who parched the highly nutritious seeds and made them into a meal for gruel and cakes. Frequently, they added water to the meal as a drink, and crushed roasted seeds to make a drink like coffee.
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum and Sassafras varifolium) is also called wild cinnamon or mitten plant. It likes to grow in rich woods in humusy soil and both leaves and bark may be used, the leaves being gathered in the spring and the bark in the fall. The name sassafras is a corruption of the Spanish word saxifrage, which in turn is derived from two Latin words, saxum, meaning “a rock,” and frango, meaning “I break.” It is interesting to note that herbalists recommend to those suffering with stones in the kidneys and other kidney diseases that sassafras be always included in a formula of kidney-stimulating herbs.
A hot drink of sassafras may be prepared by stirring a half teaspoonful of the ground bark in a cup of boiling water. Cover with a saucer for about five minutes. Stir, strain, and add a little honey for sweetness.
Dandelion roots (Taraxacum officinale), roasted, have long been used as a coffee substitute and taste much like chicory. The young leaves often appear in salads, and the Native Americans chewed the young stems like gum.
Dried persimmon seeds (Diospyros), wild senna seeds (Cassia occidentalis), and roasted acorn beans have been ground and used as coffee. The black or red-oak (Quercus) acorns were used.
Cereals, nuts, peas, soya beans, and even okra seeds have been roasted and used as coffee substitutes, dilutants (thinners), or additives. Again, when it comes to extending the family coffee supply, it is well to remember that some sacrifice of flavor must be made.
Comfrey, also called knitbone or healing herb, is high in calcium, potassium, and phosphorus, and rich in vitamins A and C. It was an ancient belief that comfrey preparations taken internally or as a poultice bound to injured parts hastened the healing of broken bones.
It is possible that the nutrients present in comfrey actually do assist in the healing process, since we now know that the herb also contains a drug called allantoin, which promotes the strengthening of the lining of hollow internal organs. However, this herb also contains alkaloids that cause liver damage and is no longer considered safe for internal use.
The leaves of Russian comfrey are ideal for the compost heap, having a carbon-nitrogen ratio similar to that of barnyard manure.
Coriander has a reputation for repelling aphids while being immune to them itself. It helps anise to germinate but hinders the seed formation of fennel. In blossom the herb is very attractive to bees.
Many people think the foliage and fresh seed of coriander have a disagreeable smell, but as the seeds ripen they gain a delicious fragrance that intensifies as they dry. The savory seeds, sometimes sugar-coated as a confection, are baked in breads or used to flavor meats.
Coriander has four times more carotene than parsley, three times as much calcium, more protein and minerals, more riboflavin, and more vitamin B1 and niacin. Oil of coriander is used medicinally to correct nausea.
Dill is a good companion to cabbage, improving its growth and health. It does not do well by carrots and if allowed to mature will greatly reduce that crop, so pull it before it blooms.
Dill will do well if sowed in empty spaces where early beets have been harvested, and light sowings may be made with lettuce, onions, or cucumbers. Honeybees like to visit dill blossoms.
Leaf herbs should be cut, washed, tied in loose bunches, and allowed to drip dry. Place upside down in large brown paper bags that have been labeled. Close the mouth of the bag about the stems; let the herbs hang free inside the bag. Hang the bags where they will have good air circulation. In this way none of the oil is absorbed by contact with the paper, as may be the case if dried herbs are stored in cardboard boxes.
With seed herbs, let the plants mature until the ripe seeds part from the dry umbels with a little pressure. This occurs after they lose their greenish color but before they will drop of their own accord. Cut the heads on a dry morning and spread them out on brown paper in the sun for the rest of the day, stirring occasionally. Do this for several days, taking them in at night, until they are thoroughly dry. Seeds may be stored in opaque glass bottles or clear ones away from the light.
Dry herbs in paper bags hung in an airy place.
My German heritage bids me have great respect for elecampane, sometime called horseheal or horse alder. This herb was under the protection of the goddess Hulda, who first taught mortals the art of spinning and weaving flax. Candied elecampane, according to a 17th-century herbal, was thought to “cause mirth.”
Elecampane came to America as a healer, being introduced into gardens as a home remedy. Finding the climate congenial, it went native and now grows wild in many places.
The substance most abundantly contained in elecampane root is inulin, a sort of invert starch usable as a replacement for ordinary starch in the diet of diabetics. It also contains a volatile oil and several identifiable crystalline substances. The thick, yellow taproot has the odor of camphor.
Elecampane once was used in England for the heaves in horses. As far back as 1885 a Dr. Korab demonstrated that the active bitter principle of the plant, called helenin, was a powerful antiseptic and bactericide, particularly destructive to the tubercle bacillus.
Elecampane in the garden provides a six-foot-tall accent of bright yellow in midsummer when the large-rayed flowers stand above the enormous felty leaves. The plants are useful in providing a bit of shade for lower-growing mints.
Most plants dislike fennel, and it is one herb that should be planted well away from the vegetable garden, since it has an inhibiting effect on bush beans, caraway, kohlrabi, and tomatoes. Fennel planted away from the garden is valuable for its masses of fringed foliage. At one time the fragrant seeds, which smell and taste like licorice, were made into a tea soothing to colicky babies. Mixed with peppermint leaves, it also makes a delicious tea for adults. Fennel is inhibited by the presence of coriander and will not form seed. It also dislikes wormwood.
The Babylonians and Hindus knew of garlic’s medicinal power 3,000 years ago, and it was well known to the ancient Egyptians, who fed great quantities of garlic to the workers who built the pyramids. The Greek physicians, fathers of present-day medicine, used garlic in their precriptions, and it was rationed to the soldiers of the mighty Roman armies.
The 800-year-old medical school of Salerno included garlic in its materia medica, and it always has been one of the standbys of folk medicine practitioners.
Garlic is an effective control for many insects. Try this recipe for garden use: Take three to four ounces of chopped garlic bulbs and soak in two tablespoons of mineral oil for a day. Add one pint of water in which one teaspoon of fish emulsion has been dissolved. Stir well. Strain the liquid and store in a glass or china container, as it reacts with metals. Dilute this, starting with one part to 20 parts of water, and use as a spray against your worst insect pests.
If sweet potatoes or other garden plants are attracting rabbits, try this spray. Rabbits dislike the smell of fish, too, so fish emulsion may help.
Garlic sprays are useful in controlling late blight on tomatoes and potatoes. Garlic is an effective destroyer of the diseases that damage stone fruits, cucumbers, radishes, spinach, beans, nuts, and tomatoes.
A garlic-based oil sprayed on breeding ponds showed a 100 percent kill of mosquito larvae in a University of California experiment. Garlic cloves stored in the grain are good against grain weevils.
Garlic grown in a circle around fruit trees is good against borers. It is beneficial to the growth of vetch and is protective planted with roses. All alliums, however, inhibit the growth of peas and beans. Plant garlic with tomatoes against red spider. I have done this for three successive years with good results.
Herb teas have both aided digestion and given pleasure to untold generations. Here is how to make tea:
Pick some of the leaves, using only those undamaged (or dried leaves may be used). You will need four or five leaves for a cup of tea and about a handful for a pot. Wash the leaves in cool water, put in a cup or pot, and pour boiling water over them. Let steep, covered, for three to five minutes. Add sugar or honey to sweeten.
Please note: Research on herbs is ongoing, and some that were formerly used internally are now thought to be potentially harmful. Make teas only from plants suggested for this purpose in up-to-date guides to the use of herbs.
In centuries past, virtues attributed to horehound included the power to cure snakebite and merit as a fly repellent, vermifuge, and an ointment for wounds and itches. The Hebrew name for the plant, marrob, means “a bitter juice.” It was one of the five bitter herbs required to be eaten at the Passover feast. The Romans considered it a good and sometimes magical herb. Horehound’s real value relates to pulmonary ailments and it is widely used as an ingredient in lozenges for coughs and colds.
For small stems and better quality, grow the plants intended for candy making close together. Either the fresh or dried herb can be used for this purpose.
Grasshoppers and other insects dislike the taste of horehound. The plant grows well with tomatoes, improving their quality, causing them to bear more abundantly and continue later in the season.
See the Wild Plants chapter.
It’s hard to find anything more delightful than a hyssop hedge in full sun. The blue, white, and pink flowered hyssop makes an intriguing design grown with gray Roman wormwood.
Sow the hyssop seeds in late fall so they will germinate first thing in the spring. Planted near grapevines they will increase their yield, and near cabbages will lure away the cabbage butterfly. Bees are very fond of visiting hyssop blossoms, yet many other insects find the plant repellent. Radishes will not do well if hyssop is nearby.
FRECKLE REMEDIES
I do not dislike freckles — my mother always told me they were the scars left by the angels’ kisses — but some lucky people seem to receive more kisses than they want. If freckles trouble you, elder flowers added to facial steam baths will clear and soften the skin, and are also good against freckles and faulty pigmentation, especially when they are used in conjunction with whey and yogurt. Such face packs are not only soothing but also tonic and stimulating. Parsley water externally used also is said to remove freckles or moles.
Freshly crushed leaves or freshly pressed juice of lady’s-mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) is helpful against inflammation of the skin and acne, as well as freckles. Externally used, lime flowers (Tilia) are a fine cosmetic against freckles, wrinkles, and impurities of the skin, and they also are stimulating to hair growth.
Hyssop leaves have a peculiar fragrance reminiscent of civet, yet some use them the same way as savory. A compress of hyssop leaves is good for removing black and blue spots from bruises.
This is another of the bitter herbs used in Jewish ceremonies but it is not the true hyssop of the Bible, which is believed to be a species of origanum.
In a 2 percent emulsion spray for cotton pests, lavender kills somewhere between 50 to 80 percent within a period of 24 hours.
Few ticks are found in lavender plantations, although neighboring woods and shrubs may harbor many. It has been used effectively as a mouse repellent, and lavender sachets are often put in woolen clothing to repel moths, while leaves scattered under woolen carpets are helpful for the same purpose.
The plant grows from seed very slowly. Both plants and seeds are obtainable from Nichols Garden Nursery. (See Sources.)
Lemon balm, often called the bee herb, has long been famous for its delightful, lemon-scented foliage and honeyed sweetness. Melissa, the generic name, is Greek for “honeybee,” and there is a very old belief that bees will not leave the hive area if melissa grows near it. Pliny wrote, “When bees have stayed away they do find their way back home by it.”
Melissa tea calms the nervous system and stimulates the heart, it is very relaxing, and may even dispel headache or migraine. In pastures this plant increases the flow of cows’ milk, and it is very good to give cows after calving in a tea with marjoram.
Lovage planted here and there will improve the health and flavor of other plants. It is one of the herbs that may be used to reduce the amount of salt used for seasoning and is delicious sprinkled on salads or used in cheese biscuits. In dishes that need strengthening, it can replace meat stock and is excellent in soups and casseroles.
Lovage will winter well, but in colder climates the roots should have some protection.
This small, easily grown plant is probably one of the oldest herbs in use. “Marjoram” really covers three very different kinds of marjoram, all of which belong to the Labiatae family.
The sweet marjoram, an annual, is the most popular for flavoring, especially in sausages. It was used extensively by the Greeks, who gave it the name that means “joy of the mountains.” Its disinfectant and preserving qualities made it an invaluable culinary herb in the Middle Ages.
Pot marjoram is a perennial with a bit less flavor but more easily grown.
Wild marjoram (Oregano vulgare) is a wild as well as a cultivated variety with a strong flavor, the pungency varying according to where it grows. This herb, also known as oregano, is used the world over in Italian, Mexican, and Spanish dishes, and is believed to have both stimulating and medicinal properties, since it contains thymol, a powerful antiseptic when used internally or externally. The whole plant of oregano is covered with hairy oil glands. The pleasant aromatic scent, reminiscent of thyme, is very lasting — even the dead leaves and stems retain it during the winter or when dried for culinary use.
In the garden all the marjorams have a beneficial effect on nearby plants, improving both growth and flavor.
Mint
Mint is a good companion to cabbage and tomatoes, improving their health and flavor. Both mint and tomatoes are strengthened in the vicinity of stinging nettle. Mints such as apple, orange, and pineapple will thrive under English walnut trees, in part because of the filtered sunlight.
Mint deters the white cabbageworm by repelling the egg-laying butterflies. Spearmint repels ants and may help to keep aphids off nearby plants. (See also Peppermint and Spearmint.)
Mint is a repellent against clothes moths when used indoors, and is useful against black flea beetles. The leaves strewn under rabbit cages will keep flies to a minimum, while dried leaves (or mint oils) will repel rats and mice.
Mugwort is one of the most useful members of the Artemisia family. Planted in chicken yards it will help repel lice, and since the chickens like it as a food, it is also thought to be helpful in ridding them of worms. Made into a weak tea, it may be used as a fruit tree spray.
Mugwort is not good too near other garden plants because it has a growth-retarding effect, particularly in years of heavy rainfall. The roots and leaves exude a toxic substance. This soluble toxic, absinthin, washed off by rain, soaks into the soil near the plant and remains active over an indefinite period of time.
This beautiful annual, sometimes called French spinach, has shield-shaped, wavy leaves of beet red. They have a mealy texture similar to its close relative, lamb’s-quarters, and are also used as a potherb. While orach may be planted in the garden, it should never be placed near potatoes, since it has an inhibiting effect on their growth.
Old-time herbalists believe that orach had a cleansing quality either raw or cooked and if laid upon swollen glands of the throat would cure the condition.
Sow with broccoli to repel the cabbage butterfly. (See Marjoram.)
Plant this with broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage against cabbage maggot. Like tansy, it may be grown at doorways to repel ants, and is also a good mosquito repellent if rubbed on the skin. Fresh or dried sprigs have long been used as a flea repellent.
Basil, summer savory, thyme, marjoram, and nasturtium can help replace pepper in cooking for those who have digestive disturbances.
Of all herbs, this makes the greatest demand on the soil for humus and moisture. It will benefit from a small amount of chicken manure if well broken down.
Peppermint drives away red ants from shrubs, and planted among cabbage it will repel the white cabbage butterfly. When growing with camomile it will have less oil, but the camomile will benefit and have more. The oil of peppermint is increased when it is grown with stinging nettle.
Black mint is distinguished from other species by purple stems and dark green leaves. It grows about three feet tall and is crowned with spikes of lavender flowers in midsummer. It is widely used for medicinal and commercial purposes. (See also Mint and Spearmint.)
By now I’m sure everybody knows that rue doesn’t like basil. But an authority as ancient as Pliny tells us that “rue and the fig tree are in great league and amitie together.”
Rue planted near roses or raspberries will deter the Japanese beetle. It can be clipped and made into an attractive hedge, but first be sure you are not allergic to it, since the foliage can cause dermatitis as severe as that from poison ivy when the plant is coming into flower. The intensity of the eruption seems aggravated by the presence of sunlight. If you happen to be perspiring and working bare-handed with rue, you may get poisoned. If this happens, washing with brown soap or covering the exposed area with oil will help.
Rue may be grown among flowers as well as vegetables, where its good looks will add to the planting. It is protective to many trees and shrubs. It is good near manure piles and around barns for discouraging both house and stable flies.
The ancient Schola Salernitans wrote that “Rue putteth fleas to flight.” However, it should be used only for dog pillows or beds, for cats do not like it. Anything rubbed with the leaves of rue will be free from cats’ depredations — good to know if your house cats tend to claw the furniture.
Sage is protective to cabbages and all their relatives against the white cabbage butterfly, and it also makes the cabbage plants more succulent and tasty.
The herb also is good to grow with carrots, protecting them against the carrot fly, and is mutually beneficial with rosemary. Do not plant sage with cucumber, which does not like aromatic herbs in general and sage in particular.
Originally sage was used medicinally in stuffing and meats to make them more digestible, but we have grown to like the flavor. It has often been made into a tea, but is now considered harmful if much is taken internally.
The clever use of herbs can replace salt in many dishes and reduce the amount needed in others. Those on a salt-free diet can flavor their food deliciously by using such herbs as celery, summer savory, thyme, lovage, and marjoram.
This South European plant, sometimes called lavender cotton, is a good moth repellent. The name is from sanctum linum, meaning “holy flax.” The plants are improved by being pruned as soon as the blossoms fall.
In Germany savory is called the bean herb because it’s good to grow with beans and also to cook with them. It goes with onions as well, improving both growth and flavor.
Winter savory is a subshrub about 15 inches tall. Its leaves, though not as delicate as summer savory, may be used in cooking. It is useful as an insect repellent, too.
Sesame is an herb grown in tropical countries, mainly for the oil obtained from its seeds. The oil is used in salad dressings and for cooking, while the delicious seeds are used to flavor bread, candy, biscuits, and other delicacies. Sesamin is derived from sesame oil and is used as a synergist to strengthen the effect of pyrethrum.
Sesame is very sensitive to root exudates from sorghum (Andropogon sorghum) and will not ripen well when grown near it.
Dry the leaves of southernwood, place them in nylon net bags, and hang them in the closet to prevent moths. Burned to ashes in the fireplace, they will remove any cooking odors from the house.
Southernwood has green, finely divided leaves with a lemonmixed-with-pine scent. Grown near cabbages, it will protect them from cabbageworm butterfly and near fruit trees will repel fruit tree moths. Among its names are old man, lad’s love, and even maiden’s ruin!
Spearmint also is called green mint, pea mint, and lamb mint. (See Mint.)
Three herbs that can reduce the use of sugar in cooking and sweets are lemon balm, sweet cicely, and angelica. They are particularly good in tart fruit or fruit pies made of black currant, red currant, rhubarb, gooseberry, plums, and tart apples. Not only do these herbs make it possible to use sometimes half the usual quantity of sugar, but they also impart a delicious flavor. Chopped sweet cicely may be added to lightly sugared strawberries.
See Basil.
Use potato fertilizer as a side dressing for tarragon in the spring and again right after the first cutting to increase the vitality of the plant. To reset tarragon successfully, the roots must be carefully untangled. Each section of root eased apart from the clump may be reset to form another plant. This is best done every third year in March or early April. As a cooking herb tarragon is something very special, and it is particularly good for flavoring vinegar.
Thyme has an ancient history as a medicinal and culinary herb. The oil still is used as the basis of a patent cough medicine, while thymol has antibacterial powers of considerable importance. But thyme is of value mainly in cooking, being very good for poultry seasoning and dressing. Lemon thyme makes a delicious herbal tea.
The herb deters the cabbageworm and is good planted anywhere in the garden, accenting the aromatic qualities of other plants and herbs.
This herb is good anywhere in the garden, particularly to give vegetables added vigor. It is rich in phosphorus and stimulates phosphorus activity where grown; it is attractive to earthworms and therefore particularly useful in the compost pile.
It is thought that the Pied Piper of Hamelin used valerian to clear the town of rats, yet many gardeners find it attracts cats, which love to nibble the leaves and roll aginst them. The Universal Herbal of 1820 states: “It is well known that cats are very fond of the roots of valerian; rats are equally partial to it — hence ratcatchers employ them to draw the vermin together.”
Valerian enjoyed great prominence in colonial days as a drug plant, the strangely scented root being brewed into a sedative tea. Since the oil of valerian does have an effect on the central nervous system, the tea should not be drunk often.
Cold tea is made by this rule: Put one level teaspoon crushed dried valerian root to soak in one cup cold water. Cover and place in a cold place for 12 to 24 hours. Strain and drink about one hour before retiring.
Sweet woodruff is an excellent ground cover, particularly under crab apple trees. While it will grow in the sun, the foliage is darker green and much more abundant if it receives shade at least half of the day.
This herb, particularly the variety cineraria, will keep animals out of the garden when used as a border. It’s a good repellent for moths, flea beetles, and cabbageworm butterfly. It discourages slugs if sprayed on the ground. Fleas on cats and dogs may be dislodged with a bath of wormwood tea.
Many artemisias are of value as ornamentals, their cool, silvery beauty providing a fine contrast for flowers, such as red geraniums, of brilliant color. They do not attract honeybees, but small wasps seem to be frequent visitors. Keep wormwood out of the garden since most plants growing near it do not do well, particularly anise, caraway, fennel, and sage.
Wormwood
