Like the wild garlic, the woodruff is a herald of spring when it invites you to collect it in the forest from March and April. Properly preserved, it can also be used as a medicinal and aromatic herb in the kitchen all year round.

Recognizing woodruff and dosing it correctly

The easiest way to spot the woodruff in the wild is during the flowering period in April and May, when the filigree white blossoms open on the upper shoot tips of the woodruff. Actually, it is then almost too late for a harvest, because typically the plant for drinks such as May punch is cut before it flowers. In principle, a later harvest is still possible, but then the dosage in the kitchen must be much more economical in order to avert toxic effects from the coumarin, which is contained much more strongly from the flowering stage. There are the following options for storing the woodruff for year-round use:

  • the freezing
  • the drying
  • the preparation of woodruff syrup

Dry or freeze woodruff

When woodruff is dried or frozen, the coumarin it contains is broken down, which ensures that the aroma in food and drinks develops even better. A period of about an hour is usually sufficient for freezing. You can also let the leaves wilt for a few hours or overnight before steeping them in liquid when using them fresh. If you want to preserve the woodruff for longer, you can put whole bundles or individual leaves in portions in the freezer. When drying, you should ensure good ventilation and shake the bundles several times so that all areas can dry equally well and no leaves stick together.

The preparation of woodruff syrup

A delicious refreshment with a taste of woodruff can be prepared all year round from woodruff syrup. To do this, let the washed and shaken bundles of woodruff wilt overnight before letting them steep in a boiled sugar solution with lemon juice for a few hours. Then squeeze the leaves well and boil the sugar solution again before bottling it.

tips and tricks

Even if you don't want to use woodruff in the kitchen, it is an easy-care groundcover in shady spots in the garden and, hanging in bunches, provides a pleasant smell in the house.

WK

Category:

Herbs