Back on UK soil, I’ve noticed that things suddenly have started to happen: ground elder is shooting out of the ground, comfrey is everywhere (I’ll write about that one a little later), and butterbur stalks are getting longer and thicker. Plus, there is a new kid in town: Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata).
It’s growing alongside a path near our house that we call the “bumpy track”. It’s an old country lane that somehow has escaped the tarmac epidemic. There are no streetlights and it’s a great spot for watching bats in the evening twilight.
Sweet cicely has a few lookalikes; most notably Cow Parsley and Poison Hemlock (and they all grow along this bumpy track!). There are visual features that help you decided which is which, but there is another feature that is more helpful than that: the smell! The Latin ‘odorata’ means ‘scented’, and it’s obvious why Sweet Cicely was given this name. When you break off a part of the leaf and sniff the stem, you get a strong aniseed smell. For this reason it is often used as a sweetener, for instance in rhubarb crumbles.
John and I just like to make a drink with it. To make a nice tea for 1 person, get a handful of Sweet Cicely leaves, chop them finely, and put in a strainer. Add whatever you like. Personally I put Chaga and Scots Pine needles with everything, because they are a ‘forest in a mug’. Add freshly boiled water and leave to infuse for as long as you like. Add sugar to taste (none for me, but John likes his sweet stuff), sit back and relax!
The healthy forager 