Costmary

The next time you go on a walk on a country road, take a look around. Chances are, if you are in a temperate region of the US, you will find a few plants that look suspiciously like some you find in your grandmothers' and neighbors' yards. If you were to look closer, you might find one that looks very common to you, a plant with broad, long leaves, growing in clumps 3 to four feet high. If this plant produces beautiful yellow, buttonlike flowers and you recognize that it is generally used as a border, you have probably stumbled onto a specimen of Alecost, or Costmary.

This plant, Chrysanthemum balsamita, is also known as Bibleleaf because its broad, long leaves were often used as bookmarks in the Bibles of the early colonies. The name Alecost comes fromthe fact that Alecost was, at one time, one of the most beloved flavorings for food and ales made in England.

Alecost was known and used by the early Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Charlemagne loved to gaze upon this fragrant herb in his garden, and the first recorded use of it in the culinary realm was as early as the ninth century. The fresh leaves of Alecost may be pulled any time during the season (as rhubarb is pulled), and may be used fresh or dried. To dry, the freshly pulled leaves may be spread on a screen or clean try in a dark, airy room. Then, strip the leaves from the stalks and store in tightly covered containers for use as desired.

To cultivate in your garden, plants may be started either as root divisions (being perennials) or as seeds. From seed, plant them in a window box early in the spring and transplant the young seedlings at least 2 feet apart in a bed where they may remain undisturbed for several seasons. The whole plant grows up from the roots (again, like a rhubarb), and a dry soil in the shade will give the most luxuriant foliage. If flowers are wanted, the plants will blossom only in the sun. Every 3 years, the plants should be dug up and divided.