And the Winner Is…Burdock!

The Mystery Plant growing in Zone 9 of my garden is, officially, burdock. (Thank you, Balsam!) And the timing couldn’t be better — since it’s a good idea that I harvest it sooner rather than later. Here’s what I know, now, about burdock:

• It’s a biennial, so it will grow this year and next and then go to seed for good.
• The first year, burdock grows in a large-leaf cluster, low to the ground; the second year, it grows tall (up to nine feet), sending up a central flower stem in the Spring.
• The flowers are a glorious purple that look thistle-like, and they are followed by brown burrs (that grab onto clothing, transporting seeds to wherever our socks, pants or sweaters travel).
• The large, deep taproot, which can be quite a task to unearth, is edible — with a taste and texture similar to artichoke hearts. (Save the leaves for the goats.)
• The root is not only good for eating, but it is also powerful medicine — it stimulates the liver, kidneys and lymphatics, so it is an excellent detox agent. It is also very good for the skin (acne, eczema, etc.).
• To cook the root, scrub (don’t peel) the root, slice it into paper-thin sections, and boil the root slivers for 20 minutes. Or, slice a two-inch chunk of the root into smaller bits, simmer in six cups of water, and steep the “tea” (adding more water and re-boiling as necessary until the “tea” is no longer blue).

If I wait until next year to harvest the burdock, I must make sure to do so in the early Spring, before the central flower stalk sprouts — otherwise, the taproot will be woody and inedible. Waiting also means that I’ll risk burdock consuming the entirety of Zone 9, and by now I think it’s clear how I feel about boundaries! I’m loving how this burdock looks in its one square, but I would like to maintain the garden’s diversity. So, digging up the burdock root this Fall will be my way of stating a clear boundary. (Also, my mom’s winter-time eczema is coming on strong, and brewing her a cup of Annie’s Homegrown Burdock Elixir makes more sense now than it will in six months’ time.)

I’ll confer with my garden Deva tomorrow morning, but I’m betting that I spend part of this Columbus Day weekend in my garden clogs, with a shovel in my hands, digging a couple of feet into the ground to find the tip of that wonderful burdock taproot. And, I might just whip up a batch of Turkish-Style Burdock Root in celebration (thank you, Wildman Steve Brill!).

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Sources: 1) www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Burdock.html; 2) www.normanallan.com/Med/herbs/burdock.htm; 3) www.herbalremediesinfo.com/Burdock.html