Re: [gardeners] Tagetes minuta
George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Fri, 27 Nov 1998 15:51:50 -0800
Bob Kirk wrote:
>
> My two pesos worth - early messages in this unnoticed thread long gone:
>
> May finally have lost this here in northeast KS, where it volunteered for
> ?? years, but this year got a late start and I'm pretty sure it didn't set
> seed. Would be glad to learn it's readily available since I never got
> around to what I always thought would be the greatest use for it - namely,
> stuffing a mattress.
>
> > I do mean T. minuta. I'm beginning to suspect that it's only the roots
> > that are toxic, although the leaves are not. The leaves are used in the
> > South American cooking. Even Richters identifies it as a culinary herb
> > that is nematocidal, herbicidal, etc. Perhaps they elucidate in one of
> > their herbalgrams. I could look, I guess. Best, Margaret
>
> BK---
> not exactly kidding - one of the things I've always been tempted to do,
> and never done, is to get down and roll around in a big patch of marigolds
If you ever get nematodes it might be the thing to do. Plus other
insects won't bite you nor humans either. Marigolds stink to me. The
Mexican Mint Marigold smells like anise to me, I guess that's where the
name yerba anise came from. Madalyn Hill in "Southern Herb Growing"
gives the Latin name of Tagetes lucida and touts it as a tarragon
substitute that can be grown in the south. We use a lot of the fresh and
dried leaves for culinary purposes and a friend in North Carolina uses
the quart or so of dried leaves a year I send him to make a fine pork
sausage. I don't have the big HSA book on herbs but hope to get it for
Xmas this year.
George