continued from page 27 



sauce, and chicken broth. Add the re- 

 maining 2 tbsp soy sauce mixed with 

 the remaining 2 tbsp corn starch. Let 

 cook until bubbling and thickened. 

 Add the meatballs and heat thor- 

 oughly. Serve, with toothpicks, in a 

 chafing dish. 



The third plant with a big person- 

 ality is comfrey {Symphytum 

 officinale). Again, this large, 

 prickly-leafed herb does not be- 

 long in every garden, but it is a 

 plant that bees and butterflies 

 greatly love and they benefit from 

 its blossoms. Its roots are some- 

 what invasive, but it has grown 

 for twenty years in the same spot 

 at the Urban Forestry Center 

 without causing much trouble. 

 We cut it back a couple times in 

 the summer and put the leaves on 



HOW ABOUT HERBS 



the compost pile. We dig some 

 roots and make a useful salve for 

 treating scrapes, rough gardeners' 

 hands, and small cuts and 

 bruises. It's big, leafy, and rather 

 sprawling, flowering from May 

 through frost with small, blue, 

 bell-shaped blossoms in clusters. 

 It propagates most easily from 

 root cuttings, but seedlings will 

 start up as well. Consider it only 

 for background plantings. 



Comfrey has had a long and 

 checkered past. Basically, it's best 

 not to use comfrey internally, as 

 debate about its safety is far from 

 over. It does, however, remain 

 useful for external purposes. The 

 mucilage in comfrey roots can 

 benefit healthy skin and help heal 

 injuries. It soothes and softens. 

 The allantoin in it promotes the 

 growth of new cells. 



Comfrey Salve 



To make a very simple salve, cut a few 

 young leaves, dig and clean some 

 roots, and gather some of the flowers. 

 Chop all these up coarsely until you 

 have about two cups and put this in an 

 oven-proof dish with a cover. Add two 

 cups of oil (olive, almond, grapeseed — 

 it's your choice). Add two ounces of 

 bee's wax. Cover and bake for about 

 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Everything 

 will sort of melt down and mush to- 

 gether. Stir, then strain the mix through 

 a fine sieve. Pour the solve in small 

 jars, cover tightly, and let cool. 

 This pale green salve is as sooth- 

 ing and healing as the plant is 

 prickly and itchy — another of 

 Mother Nature's little mysteries 

 in the herbal world. 

 Tanya ]ackson, a well-hjovm local herb- 

 alist, can be reached at 603-431-8011. 



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