My husband was asked today why we let the weeds grow between the rosebushes. “WEEEEDS? Thats the borage!” was his rather indignant reply (well done, R !!). I love my borage: I think it looks as good as it tastes and this year’s inclement weather playing havoc with everything else’s growing cycle, it has been a really positive harbinger of summer for me.
Borage is incredibly easy to grow and self-seeds prolifically once established. It can be grown in a pot, which needs to be about 30cm deep, due to a long taproot. Bees love it, too! Borage has a fabulously delicate taste of cucumber in both the flowers and its ever-so-slightly fuzzy leaves. Don’t be put off by these leaves, as once in the mouth they quickly dissolve. The fuzz will also disappear when cooked. Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads, chopped into cream cheese or yoghurt, added to stocks, soups and stews and used in place of lettuce in sandwiches. Older leaves are better cooked, can be added to soups and stews but best used in place of spinach.
Borage is absolutely fantastic in a G&T or a summer fruit cup such as Pimms. The flowers are a beautiful blue or white and both look and taste fantastic in salads. They can be preserved, candied or frozen in ice cubes before adding to drinks or simply floated in a glass of something summery!
There is an increasingly loud muttering that we, as Brits, should be more adventurous in our herb-growing http://gu.com/p/38axy I would like to nominate beautiful Borage as definitely one that should be in everybody’s garden!
Cheers! clink, clink!
sloegandt 