Prolific Once Established
If you’ve been to Saltie lately, and have had any interest in our ice creams, you may have noticed that we often use anise hyssop as an ingredient. This is a plant we love to use. A member of the mint family, it is sometimes known as licorice mint, no doubt for its licorice/ anise flavor. Like the other mints, it has square stems and spiked hairy leaves, but unlike lemon balm or spearmint, its leaves are velvety and soft. I think this translates to the flavor as well: complex, herbal, flowery, round. The depth of flavor to this plant for me literally inspire visions of bees, butterflies and birds flocking to its fragrant purple flowers. I have one plant that managed to pop up near the bird feeder this year and since it started to flower last week, I’ve seen the finches taking notice. They love the tiny black seeds that form in the late summer and are partly responsible for spreading this herb far and wide. A beautiful sight in late summer is a field of anise hyssop in full bloom. Medicinally, anise hyssop calms digestion, clears the lungs and strengthens the heart. The leaves and flowers are used to make teas, tinctures and in cooking. Young leaves are nice in salads. As the plants mature, the flavor becomes more intense. We steep the plant in hot cream to flavor our ice creams, and make simple syrup by binging equal parts sugar and water to a boil and steeping the herb until the liquid has cooled. This makes a nice sweetener for agua frescas and lemonade. Native to North America, anise hyssop ( like other mints) is prolific once established.
Lemon balm, another member of the mint family, is an herb I’m partial towards. Though it can be somewhat raggedy looking and is quite invasive, if you look closely and you can see that tiny greenish white flowers, hidden beneath the leaves. These secret beauties attract bees and other beneficial insects. Its leaves are spiked and hairy and somewhat sticky. If you rub a leaf between your fingers the lemon scent is heavenly. I grow this herb mainly for use as a tea, although it’s quite nice added to fruits in the summer. The leaves are most potent when fresh, but I dry them too and use them in combination with other herbs throughout the year. Lemon balm is known as a mood lifter and a digestive aid. When our friend Steven was helping us make sandwiches at Saltie, I brought in some tea for our personal consumption, and he christened it “depression tea”. I find lemon balm especially helpful in times of stress. This year I’ll try making a topical ointment with it: I’ve read that it’s a soothing balm for insect bites and cold sores.
Mint. An herb we use liberally at Saltie. You’ll find different varieties in our herb mix that we use on just about everything. Spearmint, peppermint, meadow mint. Meadow mint is a wild mint with soft velvety leaves, and a mild mint flavor. Black mint or spearmint has reddish brown stems, deeply serrated leaves and a more intense mint flavor. Peppermint is deep green and has the most “bite” of the mints we use. Mixed with other herbs, mints provide a bit of brightness and a nice surprise in our sandwiches. Medicinally, mints ease digestion and lift our moods. They have a reputation for beinginvasive and difficultto control in the garden, but I say let them grow!
May they proliferate, feed birds, insectsandourselves, provide medicine and beauty.
