Watercress
This aromatic herb is important not only in cookery but also as a medicinal plant and to bee-keepers, for it is often visited by bees. It derives its botanical name from the Greek words `ozein', meaning to smell, and `basileus', meaning king, because of its pleasant and penetrating aroma truly worthy of kings.
The young leaves have a pleasant taste resembling that of horseradish and are used, chiefly in Scandinavian countries, as a pungent salad rich in vitamins. Watercress was popular in the days of the Roman Empire.
Myrtle is a tender evergreen shrub. It is often grown in pots in the house, conservatory or on sheltered patios because of its ornamental flowers (1), glossy leaves and attractive habit. The flowers of shrubs growing in the wild are followed by many-seeded berries (2), which are green at first, later turning blue. Plants grown in pots, though they flower, rarely produce fruits. It is an old custom for guests at a wedding to wear a sprig of myrtle tied with a white ribbon on the lapel or shoulder and for brides to wear a wreath of myrtle on the head.
A 15th-century manuscript lists it as one of several herbs that should be grown for flavouring soups. In the Middle Ages it is also found in recipes for pickling vegetables. Dioscorides, however, warned against eating too much basil, because it supposedly weakens the eyesight and is difficult to digest.
Sweet basil is an annual herb growing up to 40 cm (16 in) high. It is propagated only from seed. Ripe seeds remain viable for as long as five years. Because the plant is very sensitive to frost it is recommended to sow the seeds in open ground after all danger of frost is past. Fresh leaves are best for use as flavouring. It is not an easy herb to dry. The leaves must be dried very carefully in thin layers in a shaded, well-ventilated spot at a temperature not exceeding 35C (95 F).
In western and central Europe not only N. officirzaleean be found, but also the closely related, small-leaved species N. microphyllum, which can be used in the same way. In England nasturtium is the common name for Tropaeolum majus, cultivated for its brilliantly coloured flowers; its seeds and leaves have a pungent flavour similar to that of watercress.
The young leaves have a pleasant taste resembling that of horseradish and are used, chiefly in Scandinavian countries, as a pungent salad rich in vitamins. Watercress was popular in the days of the Roman Empire.
Myrtle is a tender evergreen shrub. It is often grown in pots in the house, conservatory or on sheltered patios because of its ornamental flowers (1), glossy leaves and attractive habit. The flowers of shrubs growing in the wild are followed by many-seeded berries (2), which are green at first, later turning blue. Plants grown in pots, though they flower, rarely produce fruits. It is an old custom for guests at a wedding to wear a sprig of myrtle tied with a white ribbon on the lapel or shoulder and for brides to wear a wreath of myrtle on the head.
A 15th-century manuscript lists it as one of several herbs that should be grown for flavouring soups. In the Middle Ages it is also found in recipes for pickling vegetables. Dioscorides, however, warned against eating too much basil, because it supposedly weakens the eyesight and is difficult to digest.
Sweet basil is an annual herb growing up to 40 cm (16 in) high. It is propagated only from seed. Ripe seeds remain viable for as long as five years. Because the plant is very sensitive to frost it is recommended to sow the seeds in open ground after all danger of frost is past. Fresh leaves are best for use as flavouring. It is not an easy herb to dry. The leaves must be dried very carefully in thin layers in a shaded, well-ventilated spot at a temperature not exceeding 35C (95 F).
In western and central Europe not only N. officirzaleean be found, but also the closely related, small-leaved species N. microphyllum, which can be used in the same way. In England nasturtium is the common name for Tropaeolum majus, cultivated for its brilliantly coloured flowers; its seeds and leaves have a pungent flavour similar to that of watercress.
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