Herbs and Spices Untitled Document

Southernwood

Åbrodd

Plant Description

Herb, Southernwood, (Artemisia abrotanum) is a shrubby plant which has very fine bipinnate leaves with linear pointed segments and a strong characteristic fragrance ans is in the family Artemisia. Southernwood is a flowering plant. Found in Europe and Great Britain, the genus

Season:
It is best collected in August and September during the flowering period, and dried carefully to preserve the volatile oil.

Uses in Cooking:

Southernwood is mostly suited for meats. Similar to mugwort, southernwood is far superior, it is a good choice to flavor aromatic and rather fat meat (pork, duck, goose, mutton), the bitter constituents improving digestibility and stimulating the appetite. On the other hand, southernwood can also be used for rather bland meats (veal, turkey), thus adding an interesting taste sensation to an otherwise insipid dish. This half-forgotten herb truly rewards experiments; for example, it can be used for an unusual bouquet garni.

Possible Substitutes:

How it comes:

Spice Mixes

Use fresh southernwood only.

Other Uses:

The scent of Southernwood is repellent to insects, and the French call it garde robe because when it is laid among clothes it repels moths. The foliage is used in aromatic vinegars, floral waters and pot pourri. A yellow dye can be extracted from the branches of the plant, for use with wool.