Rapeseed - Brassica napus

at this time of year much of the UK countryside is covered in fields of vivid yellow, the bane of hay fever sufferers. Of the cabbage family, Rapeseed is thought to have been introduced it to Britain by the Romans although the first recorded reference dates from the 14^th Century. 

During the industrial revolution it was widely used as an engine lubricant, almost 200 years on it is now the third largest source of vegetable oil in the world, its production having increased six-fold between 1975 – 2007!  

During that time, it has overcome stigmas associated with its name and health misconceptions and now rivals Olive Oil in terms of health benefits, becoming the number one choice in the kitchen for both professional and home cooks. I myself now primarily use this in both cooking and as the base for my slaves and creams, if it’s good enough to eat its good enough to put on your skin!

Alexanders

has been used both medically and culinary since Greek times and was probably introduced to Britain by the Romans when it was used as a culinary plant, almost all the plant was used from the buds to the to the roots. 

A staple of monastic gardens in Medieval times its popularity as a vegetable waned in the early 18^th century when it was surpassed by celery, since then it has naturalised itself widely, especially in coastal areas, often being one of the first plants to green up banks and verges in the spring. 

Being an early flowerer, it is worth encouraging a plant or two at the back of the border, or a wild corner for early bees and butterflies.

It has regained popularity again in recent years with a new breed of  foragers and wild cooks and there are many recipes out there both online and in new foraging cookbooks, although it is important to identify the plant correctly as there are many other umberfels which are not palatable and even poisonous. 

Rosemary

A Mediterranean sun loving shrub which has had plenty of time to adapt well to our damper climate since its introduction by the Romans over 2000 years ago. Although as climate change is now a reality and our own climate is becoming drier, if not necessarily sunnier, this is the type of drought loving plant we may need to grow more of.

Its culinary, medicinal uses and lore are well documented it has a long association with memory and remembrance, the Egyptians placed it their tombs, the Romans also believed that it brought peace and contentment to the deceased, in Medieval Times a sprig was handed out at funerals to cast upon the coffin after it had been lowered into the ground…

William Shakespeare wrote “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember; and there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.

Medicinally it is an antiseptic and was burnt along with Juniper Berries in sick room and hospitals, during the Plague of 1665-66, which killed 100,000 people in London alone, the price rose from 12 pence to 72 pence an armful!

It is an ingredient of Hungary Water which is believed to date from the 14^th Century, of which there have been many variations including Eau de Cologne which has been in production since 1709 and is still available today.

Such is Rosemary’s link to memory and remembrance that I have called my social history project recording peoples memories of plants Rosemary Lane, I welcome all memoires that you are willing to share of home remedies, cooking, baking, playing, crafts, games... or memories your parents and grandparents have shared with you, of collecting hedgerow berries and fruits to make jams and jellies, collecting rose hips and nettles to help the war effort, making posies for Mothers Day, making bows and arrows out of twigs...countryside or town, hedgerow or garden, I would love to hear them and record them for future generations, before this knowledge which may be key to our survival is lost. 

You can email me or visit and post on the Facebook page

Camellia

Do you look forward to your morning cuppa or afternoon tea? Then you may be surprised to know that you most likely have a tea plant in your garden or one growing very nearby in a neighbour’s garden. They can flower here in the UK as early as January, gracing our spring gardens with beautifully showy blooms in a range of reds, pinks and whites, the one pictured here is garden variety, Camellia Japonica, however, it is very closely related to a plant that we consume copious amounts of, yes tea is made from Camellia leaves, Camellia Sinensis a less assuming plant with its less showy single white flowers than the garden varieties.

Also, many people don’t realise that all varieties and types of tea, black, white, green, come from the same bush, they are just different stages of the drying and oxidation process.

Tea originates from China, where the earliest credible record of it being drunk medicinally dates back to the 3^rd Century AD, although it wasn’t introduced to Britain until the 17^th century, when it very quickly became a popular beverage, however it was very pricey, which created a lucrative smuggling industry, it was even more popular than ale at one point, which meant that taxes from ale had dropped, an important source of income to the government of the time, so they stepped in and taxed it! Thankfully over time the government dropped the tax, this along with the new tea plantations in India and better transportation, meant that tea became more readily available and affordable, meaning we can all enjoy our cup of tea, morning, afternoon or night time.

Japanese Quince or Japonica - Chaenomeles speciosa

is normally grown as a garden shrub which brightens up the garden with flowers early in the spring, on the bare wood before the leaves. There are several garden varieties with flowers ranging from white to pink, salmon and dark red. Once pollinated they form hard green fruits over the summer months, which turn golden colour in the autumn. These tart fruits rich in Vitamin C can be used to make a delicate red jelly, a delicious alternative to marmalade on toast at breakfast.

The Japanese Quince is a manageable shrub for the smaller garden, even lending itself to being tamed into a hedge, whereas as the Common Quince - Cydonia oblong to which it is distantly related, is a small to medium tree of untidy growth, grown for its larger but also hard, tart fruits which mature late in the autumn and has had something of a revival in recent years due to peoples growing interest in old varieties and future food security.

Discovered by a botanist in the late 1700’s and introduced to the UK in the early 1800’s by Joseph Banks makes the Japanese Quince a relatively new species to the UK therefore there is little or no reference in any of the early herbals and Mrs Grieve’s  in her 1931 A Modern Herbal lists it under Cydonia Japonica and really only discusses it as an ornamental shrub, however it does seem to have an extensive history and uses in Chinese Medicine.

The shrub is the title of and features in a short story written in 1910, The Japanese Quince by John Galsworthy.

Wild Daffodil

Wild Daffodil - Narcissus pseudonarcissus, also known as Lent Lily, once common throughout the british countryside, this would have been the golden flower that inspired William Wordsworth.

'I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.'

a bright cheery flower, heralding spring - birth and renewal, it is the national flower of Wales as it blooms around St Davids Day.

there is a lot of historical evidence of using Daffodils for medical preparation, it is an emetic and excellent wound healer, drawing out impurities, but it is NOT advised for the novice to use, however there is currently a lot of interest and research being done on it's possible use for Alzheimer's and Cancer treatments, once again we find ourselves looking to Mother Nature for the answer. 

Sweet Violet, Viola odorata

An unassuming but tenacious little plant, often hiding in shady corners of the garden, flowers profusely in early spring but will often have flowers throughout the year.

One of the earliest plants to flower in the spring, it gladdens the heart when one spots it, I like to make little posies of these lovely little flowers wrapped with a few of their heart shaped leaves to brighten friends Winter Days, although historically it is the flower of loss and grief, especially in literature: -

“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows”

- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act II, Scene 1

As a child I remember picking Violets with mum to crystallise for decorating Mother’s Day Cakes, also the little Parma Violet Sweets, which are still available.

Crystallising the flowers is easy to do and can be used to decorate cakes, ice cream and puddings, a few raw flowers can make an interesting addition to a salad.

Medically violets are cooling, anti-inflammatory and expectorant, violet syrup is an effective cough remedy and decongestant. On a mental level they are useful for anxiety and insomnia, the two often going hand in hand.