Orange mint is a cultivar of Mentha piperita citrata, making it a relative of peppermint. Mint herbs are native to the Mediterranean region but have been nativized first throughout Europe and then the world. Mint has been prized for much of recorded human history with the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. The Egyptians used the […]
Echinacea: A Native American Cure-All
Echinacea is native to North America and was used by Native Americans for its range of medicinal benefits. Archaeological digs have found evidence of echinacea use by the Lakota Sioux dating back to the 17th century. The Sioux were said to use it to treat syphilis. Other tribes known to have used echinacea include the […]
Sweet Woodruff: A Sweet-Scented Dessert And Beverage Herb
Sweet woodruff was being used as an air freshener back in the 1500s according to historical records. Other names for it include sweet-scented bedstraw, quinsywort and woodrow. The herb is native to Europe, parts of Asia and Northern Africa; sweet woodruff has also become naturalized in some parts of North America. In the Medieval era, […]
Chocolate Mint: A Controversial Mint
Chocolate mint is a mint hybrid that may have originated in the same places from which the Mentha genus is thought to have come. The possible locations of chocolate mint’s origin are Europe, Africa, or Asia. In other words, there isn’t a lot of precise information about chocolate mint’s beginnings. Some botanists believe it to […]
Winter Savory: A Poultry And Bean Herb
Winter savory (Satureja montana) is a European herb. Like many of the most commonly used herbs, it is native to enough places that it is difficult to identify a region of origin though most experts believe that it comes from the Mediterranean region. You can find it throughout other parts of Southern Europe and North […]
Culantro: Cilantro’s Pungent Cousin
Culantro is an herb related to cilantro and that has a similar flavor and aroma. Culantro bears a closer resemblance to some other types of leafy greens than it does to cilantro. It has long, saw-toothed leaves similar to those of young dandelion greens or arugula. Culantro belongs to the Apiaceae family just like cilantro […]
Cinnamon Basil: The Mexican Basil
Cinnamon basil is a variety of Ocimum basilicum, which is the sweet basil that you often see used in Western cuisine. The cinnamon basil variety is also called Mexican basil and some historians speculate that it might be native to Mexico where it is called albahacar. Sweet basil is a relative of mint and most […]
Sow Thistle: A Mild, Foraged Salad Green
Sow thistle’s origins lie in Western Asia and Europe. From its home continents, it would eventually make its way all over the world. The common name comes from the fact that pigs are attracted to it. Nicknames for it include hare thistle and hare lettuce because one popular way to use it is as rabbit […]
Catmint: An Herb For Cats And Humans
The Nepeta genus to which catmint belongs gets its name from the city of Nepete in Etruria. Nepete is now known as Nepi. Before Rome’s rise, the country of Etruria was the center of Etruscan civilization. There are over 200 plants in the Nepeta genus. Catmint is a close relative of catnip, a herb that […]
Garlic Scapes: A Unique Source Of Garlic Flavor
Garlic scapes are the green shoots of the garlic plant. Garlic has been used as food for thousands of years. It is one of the first plants to be cultivated and the Ancient Egyptians revered it. The Egyptians used garlic to feed workers, and a shortage of garlic was known to cause work stoppages among […]