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Herbs @ PathWalkers.Net - A Sunwheel Herb Garden: The Nine Sacred Herbs of Wisdom
consumption of Crabapples in Early England, and compensation for a Crabapple
tree in Anglo-Saxon times was 30 pence. Crabapples make a fine jam, and have
been used to flavor mead. For mead, or more technically melomel, peel and seed
the Crabapples and then boil in water to a mush. Add plenty of sugar to taste, and
cinnamon if you like, and then steep in the honey wort.
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Fennel - Chervil and Fennel, two very mighty ones. They were created by the wise
one-eyed Lord, holy in Asgard as he hung on the tree; He set and sent them to the
nine worlds, to the wretched and the fortunate, as a help to all.
Common Fennel, Foeniculum Vulgare, is a hardy perennial in temperate regions,
but may be grown as an annual where winters are harsh. It is sown readily from
seed, and can also be purchased as a young plant from most nurseries. To grow
from seed, sow directly in the garden 15 inches apart, or sow early indoors inflats,
and transplant after the last frost. Fennel will grow almost anywhere, but prefers a
well-drained, alkaline soil. Depending on your soil type, you may wish to add
bonemeal, lime or ash in the area you will be planting it.
Fennel grows very large, up to six feet, and needs to be planted towards the center
of the garden, behind the smaller plants, and may overshadow the Crabapple the
first year or two. If you are cultivating a smaller garden, one or two plants is all
you will need.
Fennel’s small, yellow flowers will be seen in June and July, and will set seed in
late summer. Unless you wish it to re-seed voluntarily, collect the seed heads at
maturity, when they harden and turn brown. In the fall cut it back to the ground,
and it should send out new shoots in the following spring. Or you can dig up the
root, which can been eaten as a vegetable, and sow new seed the following year.
Fennel has a strong, licorice-like scent, and can be used medicinally and in
cooking. Fennel seed, bruised and boiled in water, and then added to syrup and
soda water will relieve flatulence in infants. The herbalist Nicholas Culpeper
relates a common use of it, its seed or leaves boiled in barley water and then drunk
by nursing mothers to increase their milk and its quality for the infant. In
Lacnunga, Fennel is used in charms against all manner of ill-meaning wights, from
elves to sorcerers, and even against insanity. An infusion of the leaves or crushed
seeds will ease flatulence and increase appetite in adults, and should be drunk three
times a day.
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Chervil - There are two plants commonly known as Chervil: Sweet Chervil, or
Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) and French Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium). The
first is native to the British Isles, and likely to be the chervil of the Anglo-Saxons,
and therefore will be the herb discussed here. French Chervil’s use is primarily
culinary, but is an adequate substitute for Myrrhis odorata in your garden, as these
herbs are often mistaken for one another. Additionally, if you live in an arid region,
French Chervil may prove the hardier herb.
Sweet Cicely is found in mountainous regions, and prefers a rocky, well-drained
soil. A hardy perennial, it is best cultivated from root or plant, but can be grown
from seed. It can reach two to three feet in height, and should be planted towards
the center of the Sunwheel, not quite one foot apart. Its aromatic foliage is similar
to Anise or Lovage, and its small white flowers attract bees.
The entire plant is edible. John Gerard, garden keeper to Queen Elizabeth, reports
its leaves and roots were commonly eaten in salads in his day, and it is said that
Chervil comforts the heart and increases a lust for life. Culpeper states that Chervil
provokes menstruation, which may be why this herb is considered a valuable tonic
for adolescent girls. Chervil tea is also an effective relief for bronchitis and
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