lOO CULINARY HERBS 



Formerly lovage was used for a great varietj- of 

 purposes, but nowadays it is restricted almost 

 wholly to confectionery, the young stems being 

 handled like those of Angelica. So far as I have 

 been able to learn, the leaf stalks and stem bases, 

 which were formerly blanched like celery, are no 

 longer used in this way. 



Marigold (Calendula officinalis, Linn.), an annual 

 herb of the natural order Compositae, native of 

 southern Europe. Its Latin name, suggestive of its 

 flowering habit, signifies blooming through the 

 months. Our word calendar is of the same deriva- 

 tion. Its short stems, about 12 inches tall, branch 

 near their bases, bear lanceolate, oblong, unpleas- 

 antly scented leaves, and showy yellow or orange 

 flowers in heads. The curved, gray seeds, which are 

 rough, wrinkled and somewhat spiny, retain their 

 germinating power for about three years. 



Cultivation. — For the garden the seed is usually 

 started in a hotbed during March or April and the 

 plants pricked out in flats 2 inches apart and hard- 

 ened off in the usual way. When the weather be- 

 comes settled they are set a foot or 15 inches apart 

 in rather poor soil, preferably light and sandy, with 

 sunny exposure. Often the seed is sown in the open 

 and the seedlings thinned and transplanted when 

 about 2 inches tall. 



Uses. — The flower heads are sometimes dried and 

 used in broths, soups, stews, etc., but the flavor is 

 too pronounced for American palates. One gar- 

 dener remarked that "only a few plants are needed 

 by a family." I think that two would produce about 



