2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
This small annual has an unusual appearance and wonderful aroma, in addition, it is also very useful. Add it to tea for a drink with a light pineapple, strawberry and caramel aroma. Plant in a flower bed and enjoy a pleasant scent. You can also add it to sauces, compotes and other canned foods. The most important thing here is to observe the measure, otherwise the cephalophora will drown out the taste and aroma of other ingredients. And also this plant is very undemanding and unpretentious. Can't a combination of all these qualities fail to charm any summer resident?
What is cephalophora
Cephalophora came to us from warm South America, but it has perfectly adapted and grows well not only in the southern regions of our country, but also in the middle lane and even occurs in the northern regions! It is an annual plant no more than 60 centimeters high. Leaves are dark green, narrow, small on each stem, up to one and a half centimeters in diameter, ideally round yellow inflorescence. By the way, these stalks with inflorescences can be dried and they will look great both in any composition of dried flowers, and as an independent bouquet. This beauty blooms in warm regions in June, in cooler regions - in July.
Growing and propagating this plant
Cephalophora is a very non-capricious plant, but loves places where there is a lot of light. In shaded areas, it will grow poorly, keep this in mind when choosing a place for a flower bed. In addition, in the shade, the plant produces very few aromatic essential oils, for which it is grown.
It grows in any soil, but most of all it loves light and nutritious soil. Therefore, it is better to take care of the place for planting the cephalophora in the fall, carefully fertilizing the soil with compost or humus and loosening it well. The plant propagates by seeds, which can be sown in advance to obtain seedlings, or you can immediately plant them in open ground simply by scattering them over the soil surface and lightly pressing into it. The distance between adjacent rows should be about half a meter. After the emergence of sprouts, water as needed, avoiding stagnant water, because the plant tolerates drought well, and may die from excessive moisture.
Important: do not stock up on cephalophora seeds for future use, as they quickly lose their germination!
How to harvest a plant for the winter
The cephalophora is harvested during the period of its active flowering. For drying early in the morning in clear sunny weather, cut off all flowering shoots, leaving about 10 centimeters. Cut the plant only after the dew has dried! It was at this time that the plant contains the largest amount of valuable aromatic essential oils.
For the winter, the cephalophora is dried, and the entire aerial part of this plant is dried. They dry it by hanging it upside down in a dry, dark room with good ventilation. After the plant is completely dry, it is crushed and dried in bags. By the way, pay attention to one small but important detail: the leaves contain bitterness, so it is advisable to store them separately from the inflorescences.
Use of cephalophora
The whole plant, except for the root, exudes a pleasant aroma, a spicy mixture of pineapple, strawberry smells with a slight hint of caramel. Therefore, cephalophora is a wonderful natural air freshener and flavoring agent.
In addition, cephalophora is added to tea, sauces, compotes, jams, and various alcoholic tinctures as a flavoring agent. 1-2 leaves are enough for the prepared dish to smell of strawberry-pineapple aroma. The main thing is not to add too much, otherwise the cooked dish or tea may have a bitter taste.
It is believed that the cephalophora has a capillary-strengthening, antitumor and bactericidal effect.
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