MEXICAN MINT MARIGOLD (TAGETES LUCIDA)

      Title: MEXICAN MINT MARIGOLD (TAGETES LUCIDA)
  Categories: Seasonings, Info
       Yield: 1 Info below
  
       1    Info below
  
   "Mexican mint marigold has a lot to offer.  It thrives in the hot,
   humid South, where many herbs languish; its small, bright flowers
   blossom in fall when other herbs have played out for the season; its
   licorice-anise flavor is a successful stand-in for French tarragon;
   and it looks good in the garden.
   
   "This paragon, native to the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala, is a
   neat, upright bush some 3 feet tall with narrow, sharply toothed dark
   green leaves.  Its scent recalls that of tarragon more than it does
   the pungent aroma of its familiar bedding-plant cousins, so-called
   French and African marigolds.  In fall, if the growing season is long
   enough, the tips of the stems bear clusters of 3/8-inch golden yellow
   flowers.
   
   "Cloud plant, as this herb is known in Mexico, was first documented
   there in the sixteenth century by Spanish explorers. According to
   legend, the ancient Aztec chieftains used a powder made from the
   aromatic leaves of mint marigold to calm the hapless victims of
   sacrificial rituals. The leaves have also been used medicinally in
   folk remedies for malaria, colic, and colds; a poultice of the leaves
   is a traditional treatment for rattlesnake bite."
   
   "Beside cloud plant, Mexican mint marigold has many other aliases,
   most alluding to its fragrance: sweet mace, Mexican or winter
   tarragon, sweet or mint-scented marigold, root beer plant, Mexican
   marigold mint, and yerba anis.  Its Latin generic name, Tagetes,
   probably comes from Tages, an Etruscan deity said to be the grandson
   of Jupiter. A boy with the wisdom of an old man who sprang from the
   ground (or perhaps was plowed up), he taught the Etruscans the art of
   soothsaying. The specific name, lucida, means 'bright' or 'shining',
   probably referring to the bright yellow-gold flowers.
   
   "T. lucida is closely related to both ordinary garden marigolds and
   the citrus-scented signet marigolds (T. tenuifolia). The latter are
   prized by herb gardeners as potpourri material as well as for their
   ornamental value. They are all native to the New World, unlike pot
   marigold (Calendula officinalis), the herb referred to as 'marigold'
   by Gerard, Culpeper, and other great herbalists.
   
                           - In the Kitchen -
   
   "Chop the fresh leaves and use them to season chicken and tossed green
   salads, or brew them into a sweet, anise-flavored tea. The dried
   leaves retain their fragrance well if kept in a sealed glass
   container and protected from extreme heat and bright light..."
   
   "In the humid South, where French tarragon is difficult to grow, mint
   marigold is a fine culinary substitute. The flavor is almost
   indistinguishable from that of tarragon, but because mint marigold
   breaks down more quickly when heated, it's best if added at the end
   of cooking. In salads, vinegars, oils, or quick-cooking recipes,
   substitute it for tarragon in equal proportions.
   
                              - Crafts -
   
   "Mint marigold's dried leaves add fragrance to potpourris and sachets.
   Harvest the long stems just before frost when they are tipped with
   yellow-gold flowers. While they're still green and pliable, weave them
   together in groups of six or nine as you would braid hair, then tie
   the two ends of each group together to form a circle. Dried leaves
   can be removed as needed for cooking.  If the wreaths are made small
   and interwoven with other herbs, they can be tossed whole into a soup
   or stew as a bouquet garni.
   
   "The flowers add long-lasting color to dried arrangements and
   bouquets. They are attractive combined with sweet Annie, broom, and
   goldenrod in harvest centerpieces, or bundle the stems with
   natural-colored raffia for fragrant hang-ups that add a warm ambiance
   to any room. For a change of pace and scale, clip the stems short and
   make miniature bouquets in tiny vases.  As with other marigolds,
   Mexican mint marigold looks good and lasts well in fresh flower
   arrangements as well."
   
   Excerpted from Diane Morey Sitton's "An Herb to Know" column in "The
   Herb Companion."  April/May 1993, Vol. 5, No. 4. Pp. 20-21. Posted by
   Cathy Harned.
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