Happy June! I’m sure especially those of you in the education field are pleased to flip the calendar this month and start your well-earned breaks. For me, I will continue to purchase items for the Fairfax County Public Library system and hope to keep a few plants alive in my garden. This month I thought it’d be fun to highlight an herb I only just discovered existed this weekend while at Glenhaven Greenhouse with my mom: the curry plant.
Not to be confused with the curry tree (Murraya koenigii) that folks in India and neighboring areas use in their delicious cuisine, the curry plant (Helichrysum italicum)is an aromatic herb found in the Mediterranean. When you brush it or pinch it with your fingers a gorgeous curry scent wafts through the air. In looking up further information about this plant, I learned that to some folks, it smells more like maple syrup. Either way, it has a lovely savory-sweet scent that lingers on your fingers in the best of ways. It looks not unlike lavender with its narrow green-grey leaves and pointy stems, and can become shrub-like and woody, much like the other plant as well.
Unlike the leaves of the curry tree, the curry plant is not used to flavor many dishes. While edible, it is not as popular and is often used medicinally rather than in a dish. It is mild in taste and can be used to enhance the flavors of mild-flavored dishes such as yogurts, eggs, and even fish. The oil can be used to help with skin burns, chapped lips, and fading scars. There are reports that it can help with heart health, but along with any other herbal remedies, it is best to check with your doctor before using them.
The curry plant is a perennial and likes full sun to part shade. It is frost-resistant and can tolerate a drought once it has been well established. The plant’s little yellow flowers are great for pollinators and apparently have a very strong taste–one article described it as tasting like bleu cheese! While not the top of the list for useful and tasty herbs, this lovely plant is an interesting one to add to a patch of your herb or flower garden.
