COLONIAL HERBSCAPES

Colonial herb gardens were not simply decorative, they served a useful purpose.

The colonial woman's dooryard garden, along with her larger vegetable gardens, was expected to provide many of the foods, flavorings, medicines and dyes necessary for a largely self-sufficient household. The colonists located their gardens in full sun near the barn for protection from northwest winter winds and were often surrounded by a thigh-high wattle fence of twigs and small branches or wild grapevine. Some colonists also built pathways of recovered brick, pea gravel or crushed oyster shells.

ANGELICA (Archangelica officinalis)
· the stalks are cut and candied or can be eaten like celery
· the root produces a yellow dye & it is a good bee herb

BASIL (Ocimum basilicum)
· clove like flavoring for salads, stews & pea soup
· repels flies & used powdered as snuff to clear the head

BEE BALM (Monarda didyma)
· flowers & leaves for tea used as substitute for true tea
· used for bee stings

BEDSTRAW/LADY’S BEDSTRAW (Galium verum)
· used to curdle milk to make cheese
· used to stuff mattresses & for a red dye from the roots

BORAGE (Borago officinalis)
· cucumber flavor for salads, garnishes & summer drinks
· excellent bee plant

BURNET/SALAD BURNET (Sanguisorba officinalis)
· cucumber flavored leaves add zip to salads and soups
· an important wound herb, used to stop flow of blood

CALENDULA (Calendula officinalis)
· petals used to color winter butter
· used as a wound herb and to cure warts

CARAWAY (Carum carvi)
· roots cooked like carrots & seeds added to baked goods
· seeds chewed to aid digestion

CHIVES (Alliums spp)
· onion or garlic flavor used as seasoning
· excellent bee plant

CLOVE PINKS (Dianthus caryopyllus)
· clove scent and flavoring, flowers candied
· good bee plant

CORIANDER (Coriandrum sativum)
· seeds used in breads, desserts and pickles
· seeds chewed as a breath freshener

COSTMARY (Chrysanthemum balsamita)
· used to make ale & eaten during sermons for boredom
· used as Bible markers

DILL (Anethum graveloens)
· used in stews, breads, pickles and gin
· used as a preservative, for hiccups and as a tonic

LEMON BALM (Melissa officinalis)
· used in tea and to flavor soups, stuffing & fish
· used as a strewing herb and furniture polish

LOVAGE (Levisticum officinale)
· stems and leaves taste and are used like celery
· roots and seeds used medicinally

MARJORAM (Origanum majorana)
· used to flavor soups and stews
· used as strewing herb, in washing water & as a dye plant

MINTS (Mentha spp)
· used as a tea & favorite kitchen herb
· chewed to sweeten the breath & settle upset stomach

NASTURTIUM (Tropaeolum majus)
· peppery tasting leaves & flowers added to salads
· companion plant to ward off pests

PARSLEY (Petroselinum hortense)
· favorite culinary herb to remove wild game taste
· used as a breath freshener, room freshener and diuretic

ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis)
· important culinary herb
· used for painful joints and sore muscles

SAGE (Salvia officinalis)
· a flavoring for meat and poultry plus brewing
· used to whiten teeth, gargle for sore throats
   & to color hair

SORREL/FRENCH SORREL (Rumex acetosa)
· used for vinegars and as a pot vegetable
· removes stains from linens, poultice for wounds,
   black dye

TARRAGON (Artemisia dracunculus)
· anise-like flavor for salads, chicken, seafood
· used for upset stomachs, worms & to numb a toothache

THYME (Thymus vulgaris)
· used to flavor soups & to keep lard from going rancid
· used for flatulence and toothaches, good strewing herb

VIOLET (Viola odorata)
· candy the flowers and the leaves are used to flavor wine
· used for cough syrup and violet water as a perfume

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world and all who live in it”
Psalm 24:1