HOW ABOUT HERBS 



Three Big Ones 



TANYA ]ACKSON 



These plants are not herbs 

 everyone will want in their 

 gardens. But they're truly herbs 

 and have great value, both in 

 their herbal and landscape uses. 



The first is horseradish (Armoracia 

 rusticatia). I first saw this planted 

 in a demonstration herb garden at 

 Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, 

 Pennsylvania. I knew horse- radish 

 had a long history of culinary and 

 medicinal uses, but I'd never con- 

 sidered using it as a design ele- 

 ment. It's very effective. It's large 

 leaves contrast well with smaller, 

 more finely textured plants. You 

 just need to dig the root now and 

 then to keep it in bounds. 



A relative of the mustards, 

 horseradish is the most pungent of 

 all edible roots. Native to eastern 

 Europe and western Asia, it grows 

 wild and is cultivated throughout 

 Europe, Asia, and North America. 



For hundreds of years, it was 

 prized as a medicinal herb. In the 

 first century, Pliny claimed horse- 

 radish would dissolve gallstones 

 and help cure asthma. Some people 

 still swear by it for clearing sinuses 

 and curing a cold. And some 

 people use a paste of horseradish 

 to heat the joints and ease arthritis. 

 Like hot chile peppers, fresh horse- 

 radish is loaded with vitamin C. 



It wasn't until the 16th century 

 that horseradish was used for culi- 

 nary purposes, but only (as Euell 

 Gibbons points out in Stalking the 

 Healthful Herbs) by "country people 

 and strong laboring men." But by 

 the 1700s, it began to appear on 

 the tables of the gentry. 



Today, in England, roast beef is 

 always served with horseradish. In 

 the United States, it is becoming 

 increasingly popular, used in a va- 

 riety of sauces and served in fancy 

 restaurants with raw or smoked 

 fish and meats. Here is one of my 

 very favorite horseradish recipes: 



Hot Reuben Dip 



1 cup mayonnaise 



1 16-ounce can sauerkraut, drained, 

 squeezed, dried 



1 small onion, minced 



2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded 

 8 oz dried beef, finely chopped 

 2-3 tbsp prepared horseradish 



Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. 

 Transfer to a 1 1/2 quart casserole 

 and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 

 minutes. Serve with toasty rye bread 

 or party rye bread. Serves 32. 



The second big plant is rhubarb 

 (Rhuem rhabarbarium). The first 

 harvest of rhubarb proclaims that 

 spring has really arrived. I always 

 remember my grandmother mak- 

 ing the first sauce of the season, 

 sort of like a ritual. 



This is another occasion for 

 doubters to ask, "Is this an herb?" 



Yes, it is. You'll find a descrip- 

 tion and uses in nearly every old 

 herbal. Our colonial ancestors re- 

 lied on it faithfully as a tangy, 

 healthful, cathartic spring tonic. 

 It's high in calcium and contains 

 vitamin A, potassium, magne- 

 sium, pantothenic acid, niacin, ri- 

 boflavin, and ascorbic acid. 



Growing rhubarb is easy and a 

 clump takes little space. The 

 planting place should be a spot 

 where water does not collect. Dig 

 a hole about 20 inches across and 

 12 inches deep. Add compost, 

 well-rotted manure, or commer- 

 cial fertilizer at the bottom of the 

 hole. Mix it well with the soil. Set 

 the root so that the crown is just 

 below the surface and fill in the 

 hole. Tamp and water the plant- 

 ing area. After new growth ap- 

 pears, mulch with straw or bark 

 chips to conserve moisture and 

 hold back weeds. Rhubarb is a 

 heavy-feeding perennial and 

 needs to be top-dressed with a 



generous cup of 10-10-10 or some 

 rich compost in the spring and a 

 good forkful of well-rotted ma- 

 nure as you bed it down in the 

 fall. Do not harvest the first year, 

 but after that, enjoy plentifully in 

 the spring and allow it to revital- 

 ize all summer while you enjoy 

 the rest of the garden. 



Rhubarb is easy to freeze for 

 winter use. Just wash and cut into 

 inch-long pieces and toss into plas- 

 tic bags or boxes in amounts you 

 find convenient. Or you can cook 

 up rhubarb sauce and freeze that. 

 You'll find good recipes for pies, 

 crisps, or cobblers in any cook- 

 book, or you might like to try 

 something a little different — like 

 these Sweet-Sour Rhuburger 

 Balls — an excellent appetizer at any 

 party. This is adapted from a won- 

 derful little book called Rhubarb Re- 

 naissance, by Ann Saling. 



Swee^Sour Rhuburger Balls 



1 lb lean ground beef (or vegetarian 

 hamburger mix) 



1 beaten egg (optional) 



1/2 cop finely chopped onion 



2-3 cloves garlic, finely ground 



1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts 



1/4 cup cornstarch 



1/2 tsp salt 



1/4 cup soy sauce 



1/2 cup cooking oil 



2 tbsp sherry 



2 cups rhubarb sauce, sweetened 



with honey 

 1/2 cup chicken broth 



Combine beef, egg, onion, garlic, 

 water chestnuts, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 

 solt, and 2 tbsp soy sauce 



Form into small meatballs. Fry 

 them in a heavy skillet in the oil (I 

 prefer to bake them on a large bak- 

 ing sheet in the oven, at 375 de- 

 grees, until done). Put 1 tbsp oil in 

 the skillet. Add sherry, rhubarb 



continued on next page 



iNE. JULY. 199! 



