Text 34496, 106 rader
Skriven 2013-03-07 06:47:00 av Dave Drum (1:261/38)
Ärende: Chile 2361
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      Title: Mexican Mint Marigold (Tagetes Lucida)
 Categories: Spice, Info, Latino
      Yield: 1 Info below

      1    Info below

  "Mexican mint marigold has a lot to offer. It thrives in
  the hot, humid South, where many herbs languish; its
  small, bright flowers blossom in fall when other herbs
  have played out for the season; its licorice-anise flavor
  is a successful stand-in for French tarragon; and it looks
  good in the garden.

  "This paragon, native to the mountains of Mexico and
  Guatemala, is a neat, upright bush some 3 feet tall with
  narrow, sharply toothed dark green leaves. Its scent
  recalls that of tarragon more than it does the pungent
  aroma of its familiar bedding-plant cousins, so-called
  French and African marigolds. In fall, if the growing
  season is long enough, the tips of the stems bear clusters
  of 3/8-inch golden yellow flowers.

  "Cloud plant, as this herb is known in Mexico, was first
  documented there in the sixteenth century by Spanish
  explorers. According to legend, the ancient Aztec
  chieftains used a powder made from the aromatic leaves of
  mint marigold to calm the hapless victims of sacrificial
  rituals. The leaves have also been used medicinally in
  folk remedies for malaria, colic, and colds; a poultice of
  the leaves is a traditional treatment for rattlesnake
  bite."

  "Beside cloud plant, Mexican mint marigold has many other
  aliases, most alluding to its fragrance: sweet mace,
  Mexican or winter tarragon, sweet or mint-scented
  marigold, root beer plant, Mexican marigold mint, and
  yerba anis. Its Latin generic name, Tagetes, probably
  comes from Tages, an Etruscan deity said to be the
  grandson of Jupiter. A boy with the wisdom of an old man
  who sprang from the ground (or perhaps was plowed up), he
  taught the Etruscans the art of soothsaying. The specific
  name, lucida, means 'bright' or 'shining', probably
  referring to the bright yellow-gold flowers.

  "T. lucida is closely related to both ordinary garden
  marigolds and the citrus-scented signet marigolds (T.
  tenuifolia). The latter are prized by herb gardeners as
  potpourri material as well as for their ornamental value.
  They are all native to the New World, unlike pot marigold
  (Calendula officinalis), the herb referred to as
  'marigold' by Gerard, Culpeper, and other great
  herbalists.

  ~ In the Kitchen -

  "Chop the fresh leaves and use them to season chicken and
  tossed green salads, or brew them into a sweet,
  anise-flavored tea. The dried leaves retain their
  fragrance well if kept in a sealed glass container and
  protected from extreme heat and bright light..."

  "In the humid South, where French tarragon is difficult to
  grow, mint marigold is a fine culinary substitute. The
  flavor is almost indistinguishable from that of tarragon,
  but because mint marigold breaks down more quickly when
  heated, it's best if added at the end of cooking. In
  salads, vinegars, oils, or quick-cooking recipes,
  substitute it for tarragon in equal proportions.

  ~ Crafts -

  "Mint marigold's dried leaves add fragrance to potpourris
  and sachets. Harvest the long stems just before frost when
  they are tipped with yellow-gold flowers. While they're
  still green and pliable, weave them together in groups of
  six or nine as you would braid hair, then tie the two ends
  of each group together to form a circle. Dried leaves can
  be removed as needed for cooking. If the wreaths are made
  small and interwoven with other herbs, they can be tossed
  whole into a soup or stew as a bouquet garni.

  "The flowers add long-lasting color to dried arrangements
  and bouquets. They are attractive combined with sweet
  Annie, broom, and goldenrod in harvest centerpieces, or
  bundle the stems with natural-colored raffia for fragrant
  hang-ups that add a warm ambiance to any room. For a
  change of pace and scale, clip the stems short and make
  miniature bouquets in tiny vases. As with other marigolds,
  Mexican mint marigold looks good and lasts well in fresh
  flower arrangements as well."

  Excerpted from Diane Morey Sitton's "An Herb to Know"
  column in "The Herb Companion."

  Posted by Cathy Harned.

  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives

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... "Away with him! Away with him! He speaks Latin." -- Shakespeare

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