During the summer, the MG Herb Study group met monthly to discover and discuss the herb of the month. June's herb was Basil, July's was mint, and August's was lemon balm. All three are great additions for gardens and add unique flavors and aromas to chosen dishes.
Another herb worth mentioning here is the weed Common Purslane. This is an edible plant which can substitute for spinach or lettuce; raw in salads or sandwiches or cooked in soups or quiche. Purslane grows in parts of the world with a wide range of environments including gardens, sidewalk cracks, rocky gravel beds, and even harsh desert-like caliche soil. It tolerates extremes including drought and very salty or nutrient-deficient soil.
Purslane has a long history of use in traditional/alternative medicine and is very nutritional. A 100-gram (3.5 oz) portion contains):
- Vitamin A (from beta-carotene): 26% of the DV.
- Vitamin C: 35% of the DV.
- Magnesium: 17% of the DV.
- Manganese: 15% of the DV.
- Potassium: 14% of the DV.
- Iron: 11% of the DV.
- Calcium: 7% of the RDI.
- It also contains lesser amounts of vitamins B1, B2, B3, folate, copper, and phosphorus.
You get all these nutrients in only sixteen calories! This makes it one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, calorie for calorie!
Allium is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants that includes hundreds of species, including the cultivated onion, garlic, scallion, shallot, leek, and chives. Allium is Latin for garlic. Allium is an herb.
Alum is not an herb! An alum is a type of chemical compound, usually a hydrated double sulfate salt of aluminium with the general formula XAl(SO?)?·12 H?O, with “X” being a cation such as potassium or ammonium. Aluminium and Aluminum are the same element!
For more information on the herb of the month, check out the Herb Society of America.