Borage for you, the Bees and Butterflies
Borago officinalis
Family: Boraginaceae
COOL SEASON HERB
native to the Mediterranean region. Although the plant contains small amounts of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, some parts are edible and its seeds provide oil.
This plant grows 2-3’ tall and has hairy leaves, forming rosettes. Usually, purple flowers emerge from the rosettes which fade to pink. There are white-flowering varieties available too. The flowers attract loads of domestic bees.
Traditionally, borage was cultivated for culinary and medicinal uses, although today, commercial cultivation is mainly as an oilseed.
Borage is used as either a fresh vegetable or a dried herb. As a fresh vegetable, borage, with a cucumber-like taste, is often used in salads or as a garnish.
The flower has a sweet, honey-like taste and is often used to decorate desserts and cocktails, sometimes frozen in ice cubes.
Vegetable use of borage is common in Germany, in the Spanish regions of Aragón and Navarre, on the Greek island of Crete, and in the northern Italian region of Liguria.
Although often used in soups, one of the better known German borage recipes is the Frankfurt speciality grüne Soße ("green sauce").
In Liguria, Italy, borage (in Italian, borragine) is commonly used as a filling of the traditional pasta ravioli and pansoti.
It is used to flavor pickled gherkins in Poland and Russia.
GROWING
SEASON & PLANTING
Seed can be started in August and planted throughout the cool season. Plant starters can be used when they become available. Just make sure you have time for the plants to develop. They take some time to develop.
SOIL & NUTRITION
Plant in well-amended garden soil. Feed throughout the season with a general purpose organic fertilizer.
TEMPERATURE & SUN EXPOSURE
Plant in full to part sun. Borage is tolerant of light, brief frosts or even hard cold snaps if they are brief. During the colder times, the foliage may be somewhat damaged, but plants usually grow back from damage, especially if they are established. Young seedlings just planted out may be more cold susceptible.
WATER
Provide steady, regular water, as usually found in a garden bed.
HARVESTING
As the buds develop, some people will wrap some of the outer leaves around the buds to help protect them as they get larger. Harvest before the flower buds open up into flowers. People often try for the largest size buds, but the younger buds are more tender and delicious.
WILDLIFE
Borage seems to have few problems. Probably due to the pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Monarch and queen butterflies use the alkaloid in mating, and coat their eggs with the alkaloid to deter predation.
INVASIVENESS
Borage does not seem to escape cultivation in our region.