SWEET CICELY

      Title: SWEET CICELY
  Categories: Harned 1994, Herb/spice, Info
       Yield: 1 Info below
  
       1    Info below
  
   Sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata) is in the Umbelliferae family. It's a
   hardy perennial with a scent that's been compared to lovage and which
   has also been described as having a spicy flavor like licorice. Sweet
   cicely can be substituted for caraway seeds in baking. Press fresh
   sweet cicely leaves firmly into bluefish before grilling them, or
   grate the root and add it to quick breads and muffins.  Anise can be
   substituted for sweet cicely.
   
   Flowers are white, numerous, 2" across and are in compound umbels of
   5 to 10 smaller umbels.  Inner blooms are male and outer blooms are
   bisexual. The leaves are fernlike, two or three times pinnately
   divided and in toothed or finely lobed leaflets.  They are whitish,
   downy and spotted underneath.  Leaf stalks wrap around the stem. The
   fruit is shiny, dark brown and the seeds are sharply ridged and to 1"
   long. The plant flowers in May and June and is native to Europe and
   naturalized in North America. It's hardy to Zone 3 and prefers moist,
   well-drained, humusy soil and partial shade.
   
   Rodale writes:  "Here's an herb that seems to have made it onto
   everyone's 'Most Often Overlooked' list, but not into very many
   gardens. Although some gardeners have found it difficult to
   propagate, it will reward the persistent with a beautiful ornamental
   form, a sweet anise taste and a few medicinal uses.
   
   "Although the plant has been in use in cooking and medicine at least
   since Roman times, little seems to have been written about it.
   Indeed, the old herbalists spent most of their words in comparing it
   to other plants like hemlock, chervil, lovage and anise.  It was used
   as a preventative in time of plague, as a tonic for young girls and
   old people, and as an aromatic, a stomachic, a carminative and an
   expectorate.
   
   "Uses: Medicinal: Sweet cicely is employed in folk medicine in some
   parts of the world, but its uses have not been tested scientifically.
   It does seem to increase appetite and decrease flatulence, and we
   know that the roots are antiseptic.  All seem to agree that it is
   harmless, which in a way seems to be damning it with faint praise."
   
   "Culinary: Sweet cicely's flavor is a combination of celery and
   anise. The leaves of the plant are used fresh as garnishes, in salads
   or in recipes where a sweet touch is needed. The root is steamed,
   simmered or cooked and pureed like a parsnip, and the seeds are used
   in candy, syrups, cakes and liqueurs.
   
   "Sweet cicely cooperates with carrots, parsnips, potatoes, turnips,
   Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cream soups and sauces, and fish, and in
   fruit soups, stewed fruit, fruit salads, pies and tarts.
   
   "Ornamental: The lacy foliage and large white blossoms that bloom in
   spring make it a good plant for mixed flower beds. The seeds are
   decorative enough for winter bouquets."
   
   "Cultivation:  If possible, start from purchased or dug seedling
   plants, or divide the plant in the fall. The seed needs to have
   undergone rather mysterious patterns of freeze and thaw and is
   notoriously slow and finicky about germinating.  If you do use it,
   use fresh seed and sow in the fall.
   
   "Harvesting and storage: Harvest leaves throughout their growing
   season. One plant will yield 4 cups of leaves and 1/2 cup of seeds in
   a season. Plant parts are seldom dried."
   
   From _Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs_, Claire Kowalchik
   and William H. Hylton, Editors. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, Inc., 1987.
   Pg. 474. ISBN 0-87857-699-1. Electronic format by Cathy Harned.
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