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25.09.2017
Borago or borage(lat. Borago, family Borage) is a garden vegetable crop well known as an early spring source of vitamins. The fresh cucumber aroma of crushed borage leaves explains its common names: borage or borage. Borago is an annual herbaceous plant, completely covered with hard villi, reaching a height of 0.6 - 1.0 m, with a taproot and a straight, ribbed, branching stem. During flowering, it forms beautiful inflorescences of five-petal star-flowers, the color of which can vary from white to dark purple. The decorative qualities of borage are often used in flower arrangements, when creating border plantings in flower beds and in flower beds.
The culture is very much appreciated by beekeepers as a nectar-bearing plant. From one hectare of borage thickets, it is possible to collect up to 200 kg of transparent and fragrant honey, as well as valuable perga. Insect honey plants fly to the plant even in cloudy and cool weather. In addition, by attracting bees, borago improves pollination of other crops located nearby. It has been observed that the yield garden trees increases if borage grows along the perimeter of the garden or near it. Another amazing property of grass: grown next to potatoes or eggplants, it is able to save their plantings (up to 95%) from the harmful effects of Colorado beetles.
Young leaves of borage, collected before flowering, and its flowers are widely used in cooking in many countries of the world. In Europe, the plant is grown as a popular spicy vegetable crop. Due to the pronounced cucumber aroma and slightly salty taste, the leaves are used in various salads, vegetable dishes, as a side dish for fish or meat, added to okroshka. Delicious, refreshing and refreshing drinks, homemade lemonade are prepared from flowers and leaves. Candied flowers serve not only as a decorative decoration for culinary dishes, cocktails, but are also used as a delicious dessert. Both fresh and dried, they are used to flavor liqueurs, wines and other alcoholic beverages, in confectionery, minced meat and fish, cheeses, cottage cheese, butter.
The nutritional and dietary advantages of borage are due to the presence in its greens of a large amount of ascorbic acid, retinol, carotene, vitamin P, mineral salts, especially potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium and manganese, easily digestible proteins, organic acids (including malic, citric and silicon), tannins, saponins, tannins and mucous substances, essential oil(in flowers and seeds). V traditional medicine Borago has long been known as a tonic and sedative, helping to find peace of mind, get rid of melancholy and depression. Healers call borage a heart herb for its beneficial effects on the heart muscle, nervous system and blood vessels.
Borage seeds serve as a raw material for obtaining valuable oil containing a significant amount of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, including linoleic, gamma-linolenic, oleic, palmintic, stearic, etc. Regular use of oil eliminates inflammatory processes in the body, slows down the aging process, improves functioning heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, lowers blood pressure, rids the blood of cholesterol and harmful fats. Borage oil is able to protect against destruction and restore body cells, which is vital in the case of cancer. It is also used for various diseases of the joints, disorders of brain activity (multiple sclerosis), diabetes, diseases of the nervous system, as well as in the treatment of drug addiction and alcoholism. Externally, borage oil is used as a strong wound healing and regenerating agent. Its remarkable cosmetic properties are also well known.
However, you should be aware of the contraindications of this product. These include: individual intolerance, pregnancy, chronic cholecystitis, bleeding tendency. In the case of taking anticoagulants, it is necessary to reduce the daily dosage of oil. You can also not use borage constantly, as this can affect the functioning of the liver.
Borago is a very unpretentious culture, often spreads by self-sowing in wastelands and waste lands, it can grow as a weed in household plots, roadsides, and fences. The plant is cold-resistant, shade- and drought-tolerant, therefore it successfully develops even in full shade and does not like too intense lighting. Borago prefers light, fertile, slightly acidic soils, but it can grow on any type of soil. For its cultivation in the garden, the best predecessors are potatoes, tomatoes, legumes. Sow crops both in the pre-winter period and in early spring. To get juicy and abundant greenery, the soil is enriched in advance by adding mineral fertilizers (potassium salt, superphosphate) and organic matter to it. On the beds, shallow (up to 3 cm) grooves are carried out with row spacings of 30–45 cm, where seeds are placed every 8–10 cm. The first shoots usually appear after 8-10 days. A month later, the first leaves for salads are harvested. To get greens for a longer period, periodically pinch the tops of the stems, preventing flowering. Re-sowing borage in August is also practiced. In this case, you can harvest juicy, tasty leaves before the onset of frost.
Crop care is simple and traditional. It consists in the timely removal of weeds, periodic loosening of row spacing and regular watering. Sufficient soil moisture has a beneficial effect on the taste of borage. It is important to remember that uncontrolled self-seeding of a crop can lead to clogging of the site, so it is necessary to collect fruits with seeds in time, preventing the plant from spreading over large areas.
Borage officinalis or Borage herb
Borago officinalis
Family– Borage – Boraginaceae
Used Parts- leaves, flowers, stems.
vernacular name- borage, borage, borage, borage, borage
Botanical description
Cucumber herb or Borage officinalis is an annual stiff-haired plant with a taproot and an upright stem up to 1 m high. Stem erect or ascending, thick, ribbed, hollow, branched above, covered with stiff whitish hairs. Basal and lower stem leaves are elliptical or oval, obtuse at the apex, narrowed to a short petiole towards the base. Stem leaves are oblong-ovate, sessile, amplexicaul, bristly-hairy.
Flowers drooping, on long pedicels, calyx densely hairy, almost to the base divided into linear-lanceolate lobes, wheel-shaped five-membered light blue or dark blue corolla up to 2 cm in diameter, with a short tube, stamens 5 with dark purple anthers, pistil with upper ovary. Blooms in June - September.
The fruits are oblong-ovoid, split into 4 small tuberculate nuts, the fruits ripen in July - July.
Cucumber herb or Borage officinalis is found in almost all regions of Russia. Grows like a weed in gardens and orchards. It is often bred as an early cucumber-scented green (hence the name) and runs wild easily.
Collection and preparation
For medicinal use, flowers and herbs are harvested during the flowering period and dried in the sun or in well-ventilated areas.
Active ingredients
Mucous substances, vitamins, tannins, saponins, organic acids and essential oil.
Use in homeopathy
In homeopathy, fresh borage leaves are used.
Healing action and application
Cucumber herb or Borage officinalis has diuretic, diaphoretic, enveloping and laxative effects.
In folk medicine, borage herb is used in the treatment of gout, heart neurosis, pain in the joints and muscles, edema, edema and inflammation of the kidneys and urinary tract, cholelithiasis and urolithiasis, increased nervous excitability, heart neurosis, cough, feverish conditions, fears , insomnia, externally for skin diseases.
- Infusion. Pour 10 g of herbs with flowers (2 tablespoons) with 1 cup of boiling water and let it brew in a tightly sealed container for 5 hours. Then strain, add a little sugar and take 1 tablespoon 5 times a day for several days. With inflammation of the kidneys, rheumatic pains.
Ph.D., Art. scientific collaborator Federal Scientific Center for Horticulture named after I.V. Michurina, Scientific Secretary of the Academy of Non-traditional and Rare Plants, member of the All-Russian Society of Geneticists and Breeders of the Russian Federation
July is the peak of summer. At this time, it is usually very hot during the day, and there is often not enough moisture in the soil, and in greenhouses it is generally real heat. But it turns out that even in this month, which seems to be quite unfavorable for vegetable crops, you can not only plant a lot of crops, but also get really serious harvests.
Let's talk about when it is better to sow and plant in July, which of the vegetable crops are most suitable for this, and, of course, we will give such advice so that the gardener, having decided to sow vegetables in July, is not disappointed, but turns out to be good and environmentally friendly. harvest.
We all know that when sowing at the traditional time, such crops as, for example, radish, turnip, rutabaga, carrot, beetroot, parsnip, and root parsley are already completely ready for harvest. However, at the height of summer it is still too early to lay the crops of these summer crops for storage, because when the real summer heat is on the street, it is rather difficult to create indoor temperatures close to zero and sufficiently high humidity.
And if you cheat and sow the above crops in the summer, that is, in July, then they will ripen exactly in time for the period when it is not so hot outside, and it will be much easier to provide them with proper storage conditions.
Let's start with green crops. So, what kind of greens can be sown in July without fear of being left without a crop? Of course, this borago, or borage. For borage, you need to pick up a light shade, because under the scorching July rays, the borage will bloom and bloom, so abundantly that the young leaves will instantly coarsen.
Dill under the hot June sun can be planted twice - at the very end of the month and at the beginning. However, if you do not want the dill seeds in a protective shell, being in warm ground, to sleep through the whole of July, then first soak them for a day in rainwater.
Next, prepare the soil for dill, make a bed. Be sure to choose the most well-lit place, certainly with fertile soil. If the soil does not differ in fertility, then about a week before sowing dill, add to this area for digging the soil a bucket of humus and a tablespoon of nitroammophoska in terms of square meter.
In the future, when the beds are ready, and the dill can be safely sown, try to place the seeds at a distance of 1-2 cm from each other so that further thinning is not required, and the crops are not overly thickened.
But watercress sprouts and ripens as quickly as possible, so it can be safely planted in July. Imagine - seedlings on the surface of the soil will appear after only 14 days after sowing the seeds in the soil.
Lettuce grows a little slower, also if it is planted in July, usually 25-30 days pass before harvesting. As for leaf lettuce, it is imperative to thin the seedlings, otherwise the plants will begin to stretch, and the leaves from lack of nutrition and moisture, that is, due to banal competition, will begin to wither and may even become covered with rot, which will be almost impossible to get rid of.
By the way, there is one secret - if you want the leaf rosette to be as lush as possible, be aware that the salad simply loves moisture, so in hot and dry weather it will need to be thoroughly watered.
In July, spinach cannot be ignored, it must be found a suitable place. In order for capricious spinach to sprout as quickly and amicably as possible, you must first soak the seeds for two hours in ordinary rainwater, then you can sow them, and after 7-8 days, entrances must appear on the soil surface.
You won’t have to wait for the spinach harvest either, it will take only 14 days, and it will be possible to harvest it.
Next in line is ours arugula, or indau - she is also not at all averse to basking under the summer July sunbeams. With normal sowing, without soaking at all, arugula seeds will sprout in a maximum of a week. The main thing is to prepare the soil for this crop in an appropriate way - moisten it, add a bucket of humus per square meter and a tablespoon of nitroammophoska. Know that the most delicious in arugula are the lowest leaves. Best grown in conditions of high heat varieties such as Solitaire and Rococo.
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Parsley and leeks, if planted at the very beginning of July, give the first full harvest by the end of the month. The most interesting thing is that these plants can not be removed from the site with the advent of cold weather - next year they will sprout earlier than others and will delight you with elegant greenery.
Quite suitable for sowing in July and radish, the first sowing can be done at the very beginning of the month, and the second - at the end of July. The main thing is to ensure sufficient nitrogen in the soil, for this, before sowing radishes in the area where it will grow, it is necessary to add a tablespoon of urea diluted in a bucket of water, this is the norm per square meter of land.
Radishes can be sown both on a fresh plot and on a plot where early potatoes have grown and been harvested before.
Daikon - when sowing this beautiful crop in June, already in October you will harvest a rich harvest of daikon and, most interestingly, such a crop will be stored without problems until March, with absolutely no loss of varietal qualities.
In addition, if you sow daikon in June, then you will forever forget about such misfortune as cruciferous flea, turnip scoop and cabbage scoop.
Well, where without peas, beans and beans? After all, they ripen quite quickly, and therefore in July they can be sown. In addition, any of these crops is cold-resistant, and if the first autumn frosts suddenly strike, they will endure them without fear.
The main thing is that for friendly germination, the seeds of these crops must be soaked overnight in rainwater. The bed itself, in which you will place the seed, also needs to be shed very well.
Be sure to take into account the previous crops that have grown in this area before. So, for example, summer radish, peas, dill, potatoes, and early cucumbers are considered good predecessors.
All these perennials that we have indicated above, even before the onset of frost, they will certainly form a full-fledged rosette of leaf blades. All you need to do in the future is, with the onset of cold weather, lay a layer of mulch under these plants in the form of humus or compost with a layer of 4-6 cm.
First of all, of course, give preference to the most early-ripening hybrids and cultivars, do not forget to plant only compatible crops side by side, be sure to consider crop rotation and prepare the beds as carefully as possible, fertilizing them, getting rid of plant residues, predecessors and weeds. If there is a need, for example, in the case when the soil is very compacted, then dig on a full bayonet of a shovel with the addition of 25 urea, 40 g of superphosphate and 18 g of potassium sulfate per square meter of soil.
It is also necessary to take into account the fact that crops in July can suffer greatly from a lack of moisture in the soil, therefore, it is advisable to pre-soak the seeds, and the holes or furrows in which they should be placed also need to be thoroughly moistened.
The height of summer, that is, July, is the same fertile month, and if you sow even at this burning time, knowing the subtleties and biological characteristics of each crop, you can get a good harvest without any problems.
Borage family (Boraginaceae).
Folk names: borage, borage.
Used parts. Grass and flowers.
Botanical description. Borage (Vogado officinalis) is a hard-haired annual. The stem of the plant is straight, thick, hollow, up to 80 cm high. The leaves are large, juicy, oval, with a strong cucumber smell. The flowers are usually blue, regular, in few-flowered inflorescences, curls, which, in turn, form a loose corymbose inflorescence. The plant blooms from June to August. In the South of Russia, it usually grows on its own like a weed. Often grown in vegetable gardens as a food plant. Borage leaves are used to make salads, to which it imparts a cucumber flavor. Cucumber grass is good because it grows much earlier than the cucumbers ripen.
Collection and preparation. Grass and flowers are collected, which are dried in a ventilated room, spreading the raw materials in a thin layer. Cucumber grass leaves are harvested at a young age, before the flower stem appears.
pharmacological properties. The diaphoretic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, emollient and slightly laxative properties of borage are known among the people. In addition, it has been found that herbal infusions improve metabolism, normalize cardiac activity and stimulate appetite.
active substances. The plant contains vitamin C (up to 17 mg%) and provitamin A (carotene) (up to 3.5 mg%), and other complex organic substances. The leaves of the plant contain carotene, ascorbic acid, dissolved silicic acid, salts of calcium, magnesium and especially a lot of potassium, organic acids (malic, citric), mucous substances, traces of essential oil.
Application. Borage is used not only as food, but also as a medicinal plant. Cucumber herb is used only in traditional medicine and homeopathy. Traditional healers recommend borage for inflammation of the urinary tract, fever, respiratory diseases, rheumatism, various neuroses, gout and skin diseases. Lettuce with borage leaves has long been known as a "blood-purifying" agent that simultaneously prevents the development of various inflammatory processes in the body. internal organs. Both the leaves and the whole plant in crushed form can be used as a side dish or as an independent dish. Cucumber leaves stewed with butter, or a salad prepared from it, which is well acidified with lemon, are considered a delicacy. In Liguria (in northern Italy), minced meat is made from borage for the national dish - ravioli.
Herbal infusion. 1 tablespoon of herbs or 1 teaspoon of flowers per 200 ml of boiling water, insist until cool. Drink lightly sweetened 1/4 cup 4 times a day.
Salad with cucumber grass. Boiled potatoes are sprinkled with finely chopped borage leaves and chopped (or green) onions, seasoned with sour cream; salt is added to taste.
Borage is one of the most visited plants in the world by bees. middle lane Russia. Cucumber grass is a good honey plant when sown in the beneficiary plots. One flower of the plant releases 1.4–2 mg of sugar per day (in nectar), and the honey productivity of borage exceeds 400 kg per 1 hectare. Honey is light, pleasant to the taste.
How pleasantly fresh cucumbers smell, especially when their season has not yet come. But nature gave us a wonderful plant that combines not only the smell of cucumber, but also a lot of useful properties. For this, he was “christened” - borage, and its scientific name is Borage officinalis (Borago officinalis).
Regarding the appearance of the Latin name, there are two versions. First, that this word "borago" - distorted Arabic "Abu Rush"- the father of sweat, which indicates its diaphoretic action. According to another, the name comes from the Latin "burra"- coarse woolen fabric, which indicates a strong pubescence of the plant.
This low annual plant resembles both lungwort and comfrey, only greatly reduced, but has ... a cucumber smell. It reaches a height of 60 cm. Elliptical, wrinkled, wavy leaves sit on a short-pubescent stem, and a curl of lilac or less often white drooping, similar to five-pointed stars, flowers crowns the stem. The whole plant feels rough to the touch. Borage blooms in June-July. Seeds - wrinkled brown or black nuts, ripen in July-August. Weight 1000 pieces 13-18 g.
During campaigns, Roman soldiers enthusiastically chewed borage to stimulate courage. In the legions of Caesar there was even a song on this subject: "Fortified by borage, I always go boldly ...". Wine infused with borage was drunk before the battle "for courage" and the crusaders. Its medicinal properties have been known for a long time, and its names were quite eloquent - "joy of the heart", "heart flower". Flowers during the time of Queen Elizabeth I (in England) were added to salads to evoke pleasant thoughts. They insisted on wine to "amuse people" and brewed cough syrups. At the end of the 16th century, English herbalists treated sleepwalking, melancholy, and bad mood with syrup from borage flowers. As it turned out, this use of it was quite justified. It has been proven that preparations from this plant stimulate the adrenal cortex and promote the production of adrenaline, and this, of course, increases tone.
As a medicinal raw material, grass collected during flowering or flowers is used. They are cut and dried in the shade in a well-ventilated area. If dried in the sun, the flowers lose their color very quickly. Drying at temperatures above +40°C is not recommended. Leaves and flowers contain saponins, mucus, tannins, vitamin C, malic and citric acid, potassium and calcium.
How is borage used in folk medicine?
Flowers and leaves used as an antipyretic, antirheumatic, diaphoretic, expectorant for pleurisy and whooping cough, diuretic. Given that borage stimulates the adrenal cortex, it has a noticeable anti-inflammatory effect, which allows it to be used for rheumatoid and metabolic arthritis, as well as eczema. The plant has the property to alleviate premenstrual syndrome. The plant is sometimes recommended as a milk extractor, but given the content of alkaloids, it is better to refrain from this. Leaves are used for depression and to overcome the negative effects of steroid therapy.
In modern European studies, borage seeds are of great interest. . seeds in terms of the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, they will compete with Oslinnik biennial, whose oil under the commercial name "Evening Primrose Oil" at an immoderate price can be found in a pharmacy. Fatty oil from borage seeds contains omega 3 fatty acids and omega 6 fatty acids, as well as γ-linolenic acid. Thanks to the F-vitamin activity, it alleviates the condition of patients with eczema, regulates the menstrual cycle. The oil extract of the seeds is used for rheumatoid arthritis, eczema and hangover, 500 mg each.
For rheumatoid arthritis daily dose is about 7 g of oil, which corresponds to 1.4 γ-linolenic acid. Its main action is to suppress the substances that accompany the process of inflammation in the body, in particular, prostaglandins. These results are confirmed by extensive clinical trials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and skin diseases. However, borage oil is contraindicated in epilepsy and taking anticoagulants, drugs that reduce blood clotting.
Now about how to prepare borage as a medicinal plant
The infusion is prepared from one tablespoon of dry raw materials and a glass of boiling water. Insist until cool, filter and take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day. A similar infusion is used as an anti-inflammatory agent for diseases of the urinary tract and as an expectorant for bronchitis, tracheitis, pharyngitis.
Juice is squeezed from a fresh plant. It is diluted with water 1:1 and lubricated with skin irritations and neurodermatitis, as well as with problematic facial skin as a cosmetic. Juice drink 10 ml 3 times a day for depression.
Borage in cooking
For the use of borage as a vegetable plant, the leaves are preferably harvested before flowering. Culinary delights from this plant are very diverse. Different countries have their own recipes. For example, in Greece, the leaves are preserved in vinegar marinade and used as a side dish for meat dishes. In Nice and parts of Italy, the leaves are used as a filling for pies.
Leaves and shoots have a refreshing, slightly pungent taste. Sliced leaves seasoned with vinegar, oil and salt make a delicious spring salad. You can mix the leaves with radishes, potatoes, sorrel, green onions. And you can cook more exotic, but very healthy green salads, mixing borage leaves with primrose leaves, nasturtium or scalded nettle leaves.
Poached leaves with onions or mushrooms can be used as a filling for pies. Fresh flowers are put in kvass, okroshka, and also decorate various dishes with them.
The flight of fancy is unlimited.
Borage omelette
This simple recipe from a French cookbook makes sense to try cooking at home.
To do this, you need 750 g of fresh borage leaves, 6 eggs, 100 g of grated cheese, 2 cloves of garlic, salt, thyme, anise.
Beat eggs and add grated cheese. Cut the leaves into thin strips and mix with beaten eggs. Leave to stand for 5 minutes. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and pour in the mixture. Fry on each side for 5 minutes, and the omelet is ready. Place the hot omelet on a plate and sprinkle with chopped thyme and star anise.
cultivation
Growing this plant is absolutely easy. Borage tolerates light shade and prefers well-drained fertile soils. It blooms for a long time, and it grows quickly, so it is quite possible to plant it on a plot in a conspicuous place, and not hide it in secluded corners. Seeds are sown in the spring, in early May, without pre-training. The seeding depth is about 3 cm, the distance between rows is 40-45 cm. You will not have to wait long for seedlings. If they turn out to be too thick, then it is better to thin them out and leave no more than 15 plants per 1 m of row. Otherwise, the leaves will be small and more difficult to collect.
To obtain an early harvest, plants can be sown in pots at the end of March, and at the age of 3-4 leaves planted under a film. And for a late harvest, on the contrary, the seeds are sown in August.
Care consists in weeding and, if possible, in a dry summer - in watering so that the leaves do not become leathery and hard.
Another remarkable feature of the plant is the absence of pests and diseases. Just a dream of any gardener. And besides, it is a wonderful honey plant, the honey productivity of which is up to 200 kg / ha.
When cutting raw materials, do not forget that borage is an annual and you will need seeds for sowing next year. Therefore, leave 3-4 plants. It is not worth waiting for all the seeds to ripen. Their maturation is very uneven. And if you wait for the last ones, then the first largest ones will simply crumble. Therefore, when the last flowers begin to bloom, cut off the flower stalks and lay them out on paper in a dry place. As the seeds dry, the unripe seeds will ripen, and the ripened ones will spill out onto paper. After that, you can collect them and calmly wait for the next season. Seeds remain viable for 5 years.
Borage is an excellent honey plant with early, and in the case of August crops, very late flowering. It is willingly visited by bees, and the honey is light and transparent.
Varieties
"Vladykinskoye Semko" characterized by a semi-spreading rosette, large, oval and heavily pubescent leaf. The inflorescence is spreading, corymbose-paniculate. The flower is large, blue. Recommended for summer cottages and farms.
"Dwarf"- a plant 30-60 cm high with a strongly branched and pubescent stem. Rosette raised, consists of 22-25 leaves. The cucumber flavor is very pronounced. The variety is resistant to low temperatures in the early spring. The period from germination to harvest (leaves) is 30 days.
In addition, the State Register of Selection Achievements Approved for Use includes varieties " Okroshka, Brook and "April".
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