HYSSOP
Hyssopus officinalis
Hyssop is a hardy semi-evergreen perennial with blue flowers from summer to early fall. The small, narrow, lance-shaped leaves are dark green and aromatic. There are varieties of white and pink flowering hyssop. It is happy in plenty of sunshine and prefers a south-facing wall. It is also ideal for window boxes and makes a good patio herb. Give it a liquid feed only during the flowering period. Cut back after flowering to maintain a neat shape.
The flowers are delicious tossed in a green salad. In small amounts, leaves aid digestion of fatty foods, although they are somewhat pungent, so use them sparingly. Hyssop has a slightly bitter, minty taste and is good in soups, stews and stuffings. A good idea is to add a teaspoon of the chopped leaf to a Yorkshire pudding batter. It is used in sausages and added to fruit pies, about 1/4 teaspoon can be sprinkled over the fruit before the top crust goes on.
Hyssop is a native of the Mediterranean region, where it grows wild on dry banks. It has been cultivated in gardens elsewhere in Europe for about the last 600 years. Colonists coming to the New World from Europe introduced the herb into America to be used as a tea, in herbal tobacco and as an antiseptic.
