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Native Plants
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The Monday Garden
August 17, 2003, issue no. 73
Great Americans: Burdock
by Sue Sweeney
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If I ever made a drought-resistant, sunny garden of native and naturalized
plants, tropical-looking burdock would be a star. |
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Normally found along roadsides, fence lines and the like, burdock likes sun/part
sun and well-drained soil. It's a bi-annual, flowering in the second
summer. The flowers, of course, are followed by the famous burs, a natural form
of Velcro.
Burdock is another national treasure that we pretty much ignore. The
pre-Columbian Americans, however, knew that the first year tap-roots are good
eating as are the second years stems. The Japanese version, Gobo, is widely
grown in Asia for its tender roots. Gobo, at least, is very high in healthful
fiber. Burdock is widely used in herbal remedies: its astringent and
anti-macrobiotic properties are helpful with skin conditions; it's also used as
a mild laxative and diuretic. Burdock is believed to have anti-cancer
properties.
There are two kinds of burdock present in North America: the "common" burdock, a
native, with flower stalks up to 5' high, and the great burdock, a European
native with a flower stalk up to 9'. Both kinds now grow through out Europe
and North America.
Burdock is "low risk" by the poison centers, but parents and animal caretakers
complain about the burs. They're awful if they get in the eyes or are ingested
(very rare). Mostly, they're just very difficult to get out of hair and fur. I
once suffered a major haircut after crawling through a mess of them.
Recipe: They say to cook both the roots and stem by boiling for about 20
minutes, then season to taste, like parsnips. Before, cooking the stems should
be peeled and roots scrubbed with a scouring pad to remove the bitter rind. See
also
www.gloriamundipress.com/foods_burdock.htm
&
www.asiafood.org/asianroots.cfm#burdock.Interesting additional reading:
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