Herb
of the Year 2008 (cont.)
Cheerful,
bright and a favorite cottage garden flower, Calendula is sure to brighten up
your salads with its yellow-orange petals, add a great source of antioxidants
to your diet in 2008 and definitely give you something to talk about with
family and friends. This flower,
which seems to never stop blooming, earns its botanic name, kalends,
from the belief that it was always in bloom on the first day of the month. Also
referred to as pot marigold, it is part of the daisy family.
The Persians and Greeks used its golden petals
to garnish and flavor food; the Hindus used it to decorate temple
altars and the ancient Egyptians used it as a rejuvenating herb.
The flower’s extract is used in chicken feed to darken the egg yolks
and its aroma smells like hops in beer. Known
for possessing high amounts of flavonids, plant based antioxidants, it
features anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-bacterial effects and is used
in curing everything from burns to chapped lips and cracked nipples from
breast feeding. In the American
Civil War, doctors used the leaves to treat open wounds of soldiers in the
battlefield.
In Europe, it’s used to flavor soups and stews and called the “poor
man’s” saffron as it’s used as a culinary dye. Use petals lavishly to
give a pale yellow color and a light tangy flavor to rice, fish and meat
soups, soft cheese, yogurt, and butter. If you really want to impress guests, serve it up with an omelette.
Absolutely gorgeous. Garnish
meat platters and fruit salad. And after all that cooking, add some Calendula
petals to a hot bath, relax and enjoy your
new found courage in the garden and kitchen.
How to Grow:
Select
a sunny position for this plant. This
annual will grow in most soils, but does not like wet conditions.
Sow seeds in spring or check out your local herb farm or nurseries as
some are already stocked with Calendula plants in 4-inch pots.
Plants can grow up to 24 inches. Blooms
from early spring until frost. Deadhead
the plants for continuous blooms. For
the best flavor, pick flowers and petals when they’re young.
Golden
Inspiration
Here
are a few ideas on how to use Calendula from our favorite publication The
Herb Companion.
-
Golden
Garlic Mashed Potatoes. When
heating milk and butter for mashed potatoes, add a handful of chopped
calendula petals along with four to six cloves of minced garlic.
Drain cooked potatoes, then mash them with the warm, flavored
liquid.
-
Great
with Grains Add a handful of
coarsely chopped petals to a pot of rice, risotto, millet, or couscous.
All
that Glitters
Use calendula petals to color:
-
Sugar.
Combine 1 cup of sugar with ½ cup (loosely packed) calendula
petals. Pulse in food
processor (or spice grinder, using small batches) to make a golden-flecked
sugar for cakes, cookies, breads, muffins or scones.
-
Infusions.
Add petals to milk or cream, then use the liquid in baked
goods, frostings, puddings, pie fillings, sauces and gravies.
-
Other
Golds. Intensify the color
of golden or yellow foods, such as cornbread, egg salad, deviled eggs and
cheeses, as well as herb and flower butters.
Calendula
Vinaigrette
6 yellow pear tomatoes
1/3
cup of fresh picked Calendula petals
1/3
cup white wine vinegar
2
tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Freshly
ground pepper and salt
1
cup olive oil
Quarter tomatoes and
sprinkle Calendula petals on top. Next
use a blender to mix the two vinegars, salt and pepper.
With blender still running, slowly add olive oil.
Pour mixture over tomatoes and petals.
Cover and marinate at room temperature for several hours before
adding to your favorite tossed salad.
*Recipe Source www.fredricksburgherbfarm.com
Calendula
Cornbread
Serves 8
For less dense
cornbread, use all unbleached flour. If
you use sorghum rather than honey, the bread is a littler darker and heavier
in flavor.
3
to 4 tablespoons fresh calendula petals OR 2 to 3 tablespoons of
chopped dried calendula petals
2
cups of buttermilk
1
½ cups cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
¾
cup whole-wheat flour
¾
cup unbleached flour
1
½ teaspoons baking powder
½
teaspoon baking soda
2
extra-large eggs
¼
cup vegetable oil or melted butter
¼
cup honey or sorghum
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soak
calendula in buttermilk while assembling remaining ingredients.
Oil a 10-inch skillet or baking pan.
Sift cornmeal, flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a
large bowl. In another bowl, whisk eggs, then add calendula-buttermilk, oil
and honey and whisk together for 1 minute.
Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and blend well.
Recipe Source:
The Herb Companion
Article Sources: Pete’s Herbs, The
Complete Book of Herbs,
International Herb Association, and
The Herb Companion.
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