Borage

Description

Borage, which has given its name to the family that includes the forget-me-not, is a hardy annual herb that is not particularly decorative when it is not in flower. Its leaves are wrinkled and bristly and its stem is covered with prickly hairs, but it still deserves to be grown for its many virtues and for the beauty of its flowers. The plant can easily exceed half a metre in height and can also be grown in a pot, provided it is kept outdoors.

Stem

Borage stalks are decidedly sturdy, hollow inside, and covered with dense white down, stiff and prickly.

Leaves

The thick hairy leaves, oval and pointed in shape and of an intense grey-green colour, are the parts of the plant to which the greatest properties are attributed: they are used for decoctions and medicinal preparations; when crushed they release a juice with the aroma of cucumber. Edible raw while they are young and tender, later they can be cooked, but they lose some of their sweet flavour.

Flowers

The star-shaped flowers are as beautiful as they are unmistakable; they appear in clusters at the tops of the stalks between May and September and are usually a beautiful intense, shining blue, much more rarely pink or white. To pick them without crushing them it is advisable to grasp them by the prominent black stamens and detach them from the green calyx. They are used to garnish dishes and drinks; if steeped in vinegar (to flavour it) they pass on their pale blue colour to it. For this characteristic they were once much sought after by dyers. SEEDS: Rather large, rhomboid and blackish, borage seeds retain their ability to germinate unchanged for years.

Cultivation

Borage has always been grown in vegetable gardens, its growth presents no particular problems.

Exposure

The ideal position for this herb is open and fully sunny.

Propagation

Borage often self-seeds in loose, light soils, or it can be sown in autumn if spring flowering is desired, or in spring, always in a sandy substrate, for summer flowering. By sowing in succession, young leaves will always be available.

Growth

To thrive, each plant wants about thirty centimetres of space all around it, so after germination the seedlings must be thinned, leaving only the strongest.

Harvesting

The best time to harvest leaves and flowers is the month of June, when the balsamic properties are at their peak, but the leaves can be picked at any time, as needed, as early as two months after sowing.

Storage

The leaves can be dried in the shade, in a ventilated, dust-free place, but the result is not always satisfactory; Flowers may be candied, or more simply frozen in ice cubes, decorative in appearance, to be served with aperitifs.

Properties

IN THE KITCHEN: The candied flowers are used to decorate cakes, while fresh ones are added to salads; the young leaves are finely chopped and mixed raw into salads or fresh cheeses, while cooked they are eaten like spinach. No water should be added during cooking, only a little oil and garlic, since the plant’s own juice will be enough to provide the necessary moisture.

Beauty

This herb, thanks to its emollient qualities, is excellent for the care of dry and sensitive skin: the leaves can be added to bath water or briefly boiled, chopped and applied as a compress to the skin of the face.

Health

Folk medicine attributes a great many virtues to borage: it is considered an excellent tonic for the nervous system and its infusion is thought effective in restoring serenity. Wine to which borage leaves and flowers have been added is described as “capable of sweeping away all sadness”. Leaves and flowers contain substances such as potassium nitrate, calcium, mucilage and vitamin C, and have undeniable purifying, diuretic and emollient effects.

Curiosity

Since antiquity this herb has been described as able to drive away melancholy, to comfort and to cheer. Its name derives from the Celtic term borrach, which means precisely “courage”. Borage is much liked by bees; it also has a great affinity for strawberries, whose growth it stimulates, and for roses, and it has the beneficial effect of keeping caterpillars away from tomato plants. At the end of cultivation, the ash obtained by burning the dry stems provides, given its high mineral content, an excellent ecological and economical fertiliser. To the very last this modest little plant proves generous.