Other Names & Variations: Wild Licorice (Glycerrhiza Missouriensis) is native to the United States.
Description: Licorice is a woody shrub with spreading foliage. Roots spread from a central tap root that can reach 4 feet in length. The side roots are the part of the plant that is harvested and utilized.
Cultivation: Most propagation of licorice is done from harvested root sections. It prefers rich, sandy soil and a lot of sun. Moisture is important in the early part of the growing season, while long hot days are needed later.
Culinary: Licorice is used for flavoring and sweetening many foods. The active component, glycerrhizin, is about 50 times sweeter than sucrose (cane sugar). Sometimes it is also used to add color, and as a foaming agent.
Medicinal: Most traditional uses for licorice are in chest complaints and coughs. It is also used to help soothe ulcers, relieve pain from rheumatism and arthritis, and has a mild estrogenic effect which makes it useful in menstrual and menopausal symptoms.
Cosmetic: Licorice extract can help reduce production of scalp oils. It is also soothing and emollient, making it good for the skin.
Sources:
Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. Edited by Claire Kowalchik & William H. Hylton.
Growing & Using the Healing Herbs. By Gaea & Shandor Weiss.
More About Licorice:
• Licorice was mentioned in the first Chinese herbal.
• Though widely used as a culinary ingredient, almost 90 percent of licorice is used in flavoring tobacco products.
• Many modern licorice candies are actually flavored by anise.
Thank you to Kristin JaydJimenez for the speaker recap, and to Jean Bonnen for her book review!
Thanks also to Eliat & Enrique Schmalbach for allowing us to visit their garden for this month’s newsletter.
The meeting in July falls on July 4th this year. We will be holding a vote at the next meeting to see if we want to have an informal gathering for the holiday, or to cancel or postpone the meeting. Your input is valuable, so come out & be heard!
The Green Pharmacy by James A. Duke, Ph.D. Rodale Press, ISBN 0-87596-316-1 New Discoveries in Herbal Remedies for Common Diseases and Conditions from the World’s Foremost Authority on Healing Herbs.
This is a good read, written in a friendly style. Duke makes comments throughout regarding what he would do for his own health.
This is a good reference book about the healing properties of herbs, what to use, how to use it, how to prepare it, what to be aware of. The book is arranged in alphabetical order of health conditions, with a good index to look up the herbs you want to research.
Duke has been called America’s Herbal Laureate. His extensive knowledge gained from traveling the world with the USDA gave him amazing resources from which he developed much of this book.
Although this is a reference book, it’s written in such an easy style that I want to thumb through and keep reading. Highly recommended. You can check it out at the Miami-Dade Public Library but I have it right now!
Eliat and Enrique Schmalbach have an extensive garden planted around their home and fish farm. Most of the plants were placed intentionally, but others grew where their seeds were scattered after meals on the terrace.
Eliat loves growing all manner of plants, and there are herbs, fruits and vegetables thriving in the landscape. There are citrus and tropical fruit trees planted on the property, which provide shade for some of the other plants.
Raspberries flourish in the center “wild” part which is left natural and uncultivated in a Brazilian tradition Enrique adopted.
The Schmalbachs enjoy pomelos, mangos, avocados and loquats from their trees, and flavorings from fennel, basil and rosemary, among other aromatic herbs. They also have flourishing tomatoes and a large aloe that was in gorgeous bloom.
Many thanks to Eliat and Enrique for showing us their garden!
“In spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” -Margaret Atwood
On the website, Member Forums are now active!! Simply visit the main REHS page at www.REHSonline.com and click the link for member forums.
Members are required to register (this is simple and free), and we will be approving members individually in order to avoid spammers.
Discussion topics are (so far): member chat, cultivation, culinary uses & recipes, medicinal & cosmetic uses, arts & crafts, and member classified ads.
Come on in to our virtual home and join the fun!
If you would like to contribute to or have any suggestions for the website, contact the Web Liaison, Tracy, or the Webmaster, Tao.
Contact Tracy at: 305-4445612 or tracy@triskeledesign.us
Contact Tao at: info@umaatantra.com
Please be sure to put REHS in the subject line.
The Tasting Table, our REHS cookbook, is still under construction. Please watch this space for more information and release dates!
Once again, we had a fund raising and membership drive booth at the Fruit & Spice Park.
Cheri O’Neal, offered handmade lotions, deodorants, lip balms and fragrance sprays, and handcrafted bookmarks.
Kristin Jayd-Jimenez had Booger Balm, notecards and jewelry, and did henna artwork on interested customers.
Manny Crump had a selection of hand thrown pottery decorated with the raku glaze technique.
There was also information on membership for patrons to take with them, and hopefully the hard workers persuaded some people to come on in and give us a try.
Many thanks to the members who manned the booth for the event: Kristin, Cheri, Tao Semko, and Miguel Cisneros-Abreu. My apologies if I forgot anyone.
April 21 & 22: Heliconia, Palm & Flower Show. 10am-5pm. $6, children under 12 free.
April 21: Aquaculture Tour of South Miami-Dade County. 10am-1pm. $25.
April 21: Tropical Ice Cream Making. 10am-1pm. $25.
May 5 & 6: Herbs for Your Health. 10am-5pm. $6 general park admission, $90 2 day lecture series package, wellness lunch $8 per day. Preregistration required.
May 18-20: Redland International Orchid Show. 9am5pm. $6.
For more information on any of these events or to register, call the Fruit & Spice Park at 305-247-5727. Registration is required for all classes.
All members and guests are invited (but not required) to bring a contribution to the monthly tasting table. For those not inclined toward the culinary arts, paper plates, plasticware and beverages are also very welcome.
The March Tasting Table was dessert central. Those who enjoy sweets were in heaven!
Yummies were provided by: Kristin Jayd Jimenez— Quinoa Pilaf with Broccoli; Cheri O’Neal—Basil Pesto Pasta; Johne & Marie Thorp—Cake & Cornbread; Val Mazon & Sue Clark— Cake & Key Lime Pie; Leila Werner—Rosemary Cookies; Eliat Schmalbach— Brownie; Tracy Bossinger— ”After Dark” Tea.
Donations are also encouraged for the raffle table. Tickets are on sale at the raffle table during each meeting, and are fifty cents each. Ticket proceeds benefit the Society.
Kristin Jayd Jimenez provided Exotic Chocolate Truffles, and David & Leah Sherman brought a large assortment of goodies to stock the raffle table.
The door prize was a Vick’s Salve Plant.