*French* Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) var.sativa
May 23rd 2007
by Jon
With it's licorice flavor, tarragon has been used for decades to
stimulate the appetite, but Mom made a tea from it to keep her kids
from passing gas, and she took the thunder right out of our beans by
making us drink a cup of tarragon tea along with our meal.
Mom would give us a sprig of it to chew at the first sign of a
toothache cause it numbed our mouths and often saved a trip to a
dentist which we couldn't afford anyhow.
Kim and I got our start of it, almost free. We traded cuttings of
things we had for cuttings of the tarragon. You cannot trust *French*
tarragon to come true to type from seed. It isn't the easiest herb
I've rooted but it roots easily once you know it needs constant
moisture until feeder roots form, then it needs not much moisture and
thrives best when we allow the soil to dry out. I transplanted it to
a spot less fertile. I'll try the bag method next time to root a
start of it.
Kim intends to flavor some vinegar and oil with tarragon for she
simply loves the taste of licorice, and to dry tarragon means to lose
its flavor and scent. You can preserve it by freezing or flavoring
oils and vinegars.
Native Americans use it in the sweat lodge to increase perspiration
or eject moisture from the body during purification and cleansing.
Rich in vitamins A and C, iodine and mineral salts.
This season, I'm going to try to preserve it's fragrance a different
way.
(Recipe) Baked Eggs with Tarragon
3 sprigs tarragon
2/3 c pure cream
canning salt & fresh black pepper
4 large brown eggs
Strip one t of the best tarragon leaves from the sprigs and chop
them. Put the rest in a small pan with the cream and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat, cover the pan, and leave for 20 minutes. Strain the
cream and add salt and pepper to taste. Break each egg into a
buttered individual baking dish and stand them in a roasting pan with
enough hot water into to come halfway up the sides of the dishes.
Bake at 325 degrees F until the whites are almost set. Pour a little
cream over each one, just enough to cover the surface, then return to
the oven for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the chopped tarragon
and serve immediately.
References:
Personal experience
My herbal library
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ARDR4
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/factsheets/TARRAGON.html
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/toc.html
Disclaimer:
If you suspect you have a disease or health related condition of any
kind, please learn and research what is causing it and how to cure
it. If you are unable to learn, you should contact health care
professional practicing natural and traditional forms of healing.
This information is for people who are ready to take FULL
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in all individuals.
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