Day 89: My artistic skills leave a lot to be desired, but every now and then, I'm inclined to make a botanical drawing. Today seemed as good a day as any, so I give you Salad Burnet, anticipating that you will be unfamiliar with this delightful little plant and will ask, "What the heck is Salad Burnet?" Sanguisorba minor is a culinary herb, not often cultivated in the home garden, but very easy to grow, quite hardy and won't run rampant. Despite temperatures in the 20s a few weeks ago, mine is still as green and fresh as ever. It can be eaten by itself if one is so inclined, picking it fresh from the garden as I often do when I'm working outdoors, but its best use is as a garnish. It tastes of cucumber! The individual leaves are about the size of a thumbnail. Strip them from the main stem and sprinkle them over your next potluck salad and be prepared to answer the inevitable question: "What is this stuff, anyway?"
This is the 15th year of continuous daily publication for 365Caws. All things considered, it's likely it will be the last year as it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to find interesting material. However, I hope that I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world with my natural history posts, or encouraged a novice weaver or needleworker. If so, I've done what I set out to do.
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Salad Burnet
Day 89: My artistic skills leave a lot to be desired, but every now and then, I'm inclined to make a botanical drawing. Today seemed as good a day as any, so I give you Salad Burnet, anticipating that you will be unfamiliar with this delightful little plant and will ask, "What the heck is Salad Burnet?" Sanguisorba minor is a culinary herb, not often cultivated in the home garden, but very easy to grow, quite hardy and won't run rampant. Despite temperatures in the 20s a few weeks ago, mine is still as green and fresh as ever. It can be eaten by itself if one is so inclined, picking it fresh from the garden as I often do when I'm working outdoors, but its best use is as a garnish. It tastes of cucumber! The individual leaves are about the size of a thumbnail. Strip them from the main stem and sprinkle them over your next potluck salad and be prepared to answer the inevitable question: "What is this stuff, anyway?"
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