Bergomat - The Native American Herb

The bergamot herb plant is native to America but is now very popular worldwide due to a number of uses in food, scent and alternative medicine. It is also know as Oswego Tea or Bee Balm.

Bergamot is related to the aromatic mint family and it well know for the leave to give citrus or lemon flavour and smell. It can grow to over 1 metre high with a variety of flowers that bloom with colours ranging from a light pink to dark scarlet. Both the leaves and flowers have many uses.

With a savoury and fruity flavour mingled with a fine aroma it proves to be very effective as a stimulant aiding and improving digestion. Bergamot has proven a good remedy in the curing of skin infections.

Internal use of bergamot is used to relieve symptoms of colds, chest or throat problems and also for digestive complaints. Native American Indians made a type of herb tea from bergamot leaves for these particular ailments. The bergamot herb you may be interested to know is not the source used to flavour Earl Grey tea. This comes from the bergamot orange, a different plant that is a Mediterranean citrus fruit.

The bergamot leaves are used externally and found extensively in commercially produced fruit drinks. The very pretty petals are often used for food decorations, namely salads. Both the bergamot leaves and petals are put into baths and is said to revitalise the body.

Aromatherapy and use of essential oil is another side to the Bergamot. Essential oils are used in aromatherapy to relieve anxiety or nervous tension. It also aids the urinary and respiratory systems.

Skin problems, especially those that are linked to stress, typically eczema, psoriasis and acne benefit from bergamot treatment. It is also effective for varicose veins, wounds and seborrhoea.

The properties of bergamot are beneficial to many ailments and compounds and potions have the following properties:

• anti-depressant
• antiseptic
• carminative
• deodorant
• digestive
• expectorant
• insecticide
• sedative
• tonic

The natural source of the antiseptic Thymol mentioned above is the main active ingredient in modern commercial mouthwash formulas.

Finally, the bergamot herb plant can be grown successfully throughout Europe and Asia. It is great as an ornamental plant and grows best in full sun and will enjoy any soil that moist and well drained.

Fine Old Fennel

Fennel has been an established plant in my gardens wherever I am based. It is easy to grow an has a magic scent that is unforgettable.

In Ancient Greece the fennel used to be called marathon, which meant place of fennel. The stalk of the herb was used to steal fire from the Greek gods.

Fennel can be grown all year round, as it is a perennial herb. It can grow up to 150 cm high with the leaves commonly extend to 40 cm. They are very similar to dill leaves but slightly less broad. Yellow flowers are formed in season averaging around 30 on the end of each stem. The small seeds are formed with many uses as well as sowing more fennel.

Fennel is cultivated not just in its Mediterranean homeland but now worldwide. The flavour of the fennel is reminiscent of anise and star anise from Southeast Asia, although slightly milder in taste.

All parts of the fennel are used; the bulb and seeds mainly for recipes that are now have worldwide tradition. Even the fennel pollen, the most intensely flavoured part of the herb is used.

Fennel seeds have a variety of uses from flavour salads, sausages, meatballs and even toothpaste with its distinctive taste.

The Fennel bulb is commonly used in mainland Europe as a main or side dish in salads, pastas and risottos. The dried leaves of fennel are often used in the blanching or marinating process

In terms of medicine fennel water can be mixed with sodium bicarbonate and sugar syrup is the same as 'Gripe Water,' which is used to treat wind in infants. It can also be made into syrup to treat babies with painful colic or teething. Then there is the essential oil of Fennel, Fennel tea that use to be used as a carminative It is made simply by putting some boiling water on a teaspoonful of bruised Fennel seeds.

Fennel juice in syrup form used to be given for coughs fits.

Used in conjunction with cattle and domestic animals powdered fennel driving away fleas, they absolutely hate it. Very useful in kennels and stable compounds. Further a field in the Indian subcontinent, Fennel seeds are eaten raw some as it is said to improve eyesight.

I love fennel and as well as using it in main dishes it a great display as a garnish on many side dishes, especially soups. I tend to leave some to seeds and collect the seeds by tying plastic bags over the old flowering top. With the remaining stock I cut fresh leaves throughout the year until autumn and dry them for winter use. There isn't any need to protect them from the winter weather although I do build up the soil around the base of the herbs, just in case!

For me, life without fennel wouldn't be nearly as good.

Here is a recipe with fennel I commonly used to make when in France. It is great hot or kept and eaten cold the next day, if it lasts that long. The fennel make a wonderful quiche as you will find out if you try.

Fennel Quiche Recipe

Ingredients

200 g shortcrust pastry
2 sticks of celery
500 g fennel bulb
25 g plain flour
260 ml fresh full fat milk
25 g butter
80 g grated yellow cheese
salt and pepper

Method

Roll out the pastry and line a flan tin. Then bake blind for around 20 minutes at 200°C.

Next, take out the beans and finish cooking the pastry.

Clean the vegetables and split the fennel bulb(s) and celery into manageable sizes.

Boil both the celery and fennel it becomes tender.

Make the sauce with the flour, butter and milk, adding 75% of the grated cheese and season with pepper and salt.

Put the vegetables in the pastry case then pour over the sauce, then finally sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the top and brown under the grill.

ENJOY!

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