May 2000

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Sweet Woodruff Caprilands May Wine 1 gallon Rhine wine 12 or more sprigs of sweet woodruff 1 10 oz. Package of sliced frozen strawberries 1 cup sugar 2 cups brandy (optional) 1 qt. fresh strawberries ____________________ Pick the woodruff and place 3 or 4 leaves in the oven to release the coumarin. Place in the wine and steep 3-7 days. Combine steeped wine and brandy. Mash strawberries with sugar and stir into wine mixture. Garnish with flowers and place a flower and a whole strawberry in each cup. From Herb Gardening in Five Seasons by Adelma Simmons

Sweet Woodruff - Asperula odorata What would May be without the dainty Sweet Woodruff?  One of the first herbs to rise and bloom in spring, it has held a connection with romantic celebrations of May Day for centuries.  Sweet Woodruff has an affinity for shaded banks and woodland areas. It can be recognized by its small white flowers that bloom in May and June set on a tender stalk, with narrow bright green leaves growing in whorls, eight leaves to a whorl. Sweet Woodruff makes an excellent ground cover, spreading rapidly in favorable conditions. While Sweet Woodruff's medicinal use has been mostly forgotten, it was used as a stomachic, (that is, it soothes the stomach.) and for healing cuts and wounds. One of the most curious effects that Woodruff possesses is its odor. Picked fresh it has little, if any odor. But once dried it has a most refreshing scent of new-mown hay, due to the release of its essential oil, coumerin, which lasts for years. In the Middle Ages Woodruff or 'Woodderowffe' was placed among the linens to freshen them and preserve it from insects, mattresses were stuffed with it, and it was hung and strewed in churches where its alluring scent dispelled the offensive odors of unsanitary practices.  Perhaps its most famous use was in the maibowle, however.  Drunk on the first of May, the maibowle brings a final celebrational farewell to winter. The ancients thought Woodruff to 'make folks merry' and therefore included it in their merriest of celebrations: May Day. Garlands of flowers, couples carousing in the woods, bonfires on hilltops and dancing in the village square were all part of this wondrous celebration. Young couples would wander off into the woods and return at daybreak, arms laden with flowers to decorate the traditional maypole. Even though the first of May has past, you can still capture the romance of the May Day celebration. Make some May Wine or Family Maibowle and sip as you reflect on the long winter past and the freshness of spring and summer yet to be. If you are lucky enough to find spring flowers here in New England pick some and leave a May Basket for an unwitting friend. Dry sprigs of Sweet Woodruff and tuck them in your correspondences with gardening friends to scent your good wishes. Spring has sprung!!