Unusual Vegetable Plants

 

Angelica - Archangelica

 

Angelica will be known to many that use it preserved in its candid version for  decorating cakes. It is the stems that are used for this purpose, but many people don't realise that the  young leaves can be chopped and added to salads to give a different dimension to ordinary run of the mill lettuce leaves. It has also been used for a long time as a vegetable, in Iceland, where it grows abundantly .

Angelica can be added to any mix of cooked fruit, as it is cooking, to give it more life. If fruit imports become restricted, for environmental or other reasons, we will have to make the most of what fruit can be grown in this country and Angelica is an ideal addition to pep up some unappetising stewed fruit and sweeten things like Rhubarb without adding lots of sugar.. 

Commercially the roots and fruit of Angelica are harvested to produce an oil that is used to flavour certain liqueurs and perfumes.

Angelica is a hardy herbaceous perennial that will grow up to 2 metres, (7 feet) in height and has a tendency to spread.  It is an architectural plant with it's unusual, bold leaves, that can be planted out of the sun, at the back of a border. In fact Angelica grows best in such a moist shady site that also has rich soil. Although Angelica is a really a herb it will produce sweet scented flowers which when pollinated result in viable seeds that will drop and readily germinate if left, but unfortunately the seed will not stay viable from one year to the next.

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