Cucumber Herb

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Cucumber herb (Latin Borago) Is a monotypic genus of plants of the Boraginaceae family. The plant is also known under the names Borage, Borage, Borago. The only species of the genus is borage. In the wild, cucumber herb grows in the countries of southern Europe, North Africa, South America and Asia Minor. Homeland - Syria. In taste and aroma, the plant resembles a cucumber, and therefore has found wide application in cooking. Cucumber herb is also used in folk medicine.

Characteristics of culture

Cucumber herb is an annual herbaceous stiff-haired plant up to 100 cm high. The root system is pivotal. Stem thickened, ascending or straight, ribbed, hollow, strongly branched from the top. Basal and lower leaves are fleshy, obtuse, elliptical or oval, sitting on short petioles. The upper leaves are sessile, pubescent with whitish hairs, stalk-embracing, oblong-ovate.

The flowers are medium-sized, collected in curls, located on long pedicels. Calyx with linear-lanceolate lobes, densely haired. Corolla whitish or dark blue with pinkish tint, usually longer than the calyx, equipped with a short tube. The fruit is a small lumpy nut of an oblong-ovoid shape. Seeds are black or brown, oblong, ribbed, relatively large.

Cucumber grass blooms in June - August. The fruits ripen in July - September. Cucumber grass is characterized by increased cold resistance, it has a negative attitude to heat. With prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures, the leaves become very coarse, and a flowering stem is prematurely formed from the root rosette.

Growing conditions

Cucumber grass prefers sunny areas with diffused light, with summer sowing - semi-shaded areas. Soils are desirable fertile, moderately moist, loose with a neutral pH. Also, the plant can develop normally on poor soils, but in this case, the harvest of juicy and tasty leaves should not be expected.

Sowing

Sowing of cucumber grass can be carried out both before winter and in early spring. It is not forbidden to sow crops in the summer on several dates, but until August. Podzimny sowing is carried out in September. The seeding depth is 1, 5-2 cm. Cucumber grass is sown in an ordinary way with an interval of 25-30 cm. Seedlings appear 6-7 days after sowing.

Care and harvesting

Caring for cucumber grass consists in weeding, loosening the aisles and watering. Thinning is carried out as necessary in the phase of 2-3 true leaves. Irrigation is systematic, during drought with an increase in water volumes. Top dressing is optional, but without them the plants develop well.

Harvested 15-20 days after germination, but before the plant releases a flower-bearing stem. At a young age, the cucumber herb is very tender and tasty, later the leaves become coarse and less aromatic. Typically, the yield of green leaves of cucumber grass is 500 g per 1 sq. m.

Application

Despite the fact that many gardeners consider cucumber grass a weed, in Western Europe, the plant is cultivated as a vegetable. Leaves and flowers are used for food, and flowers are consumed both fresh and candied. Cucumber herb is added to vinaigrette, okroshka, cold vegetable soups, various salads, side dishes and sauces. Borage roots are used to prepare green oil, cold drinks, beer, essences, syrups, tinctures, etc. Borage herb gives zest to meat and fish dishes. The flowers of plants are used in confectionery and liquor production.

Cucumber herb is also widely used in folk medicine. It is believed that the plant is useful for rheumatism, skin diseases, gout. Cucumber herb is used as a mild laxative, sedative, diaphoretic, diuretic and enveloping agent. In combination with other herbs, borage helps prevent inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys. The plant is recommended for diseases of the liver, circulatory system and gallbladder.