The background & mythology to Salad Burnet
Salad Burnet, also known as Drumsticks, Old man's pepper and Poor man's pepper, is native of Europe and Asia and is from the family Rosaceae. It was taken to New England in the Pilgrim Father's plant collection and was called Pimpernel.
Salad Burnet is a unique herb as it is one of our few soft leaved hardy evergreen perennials making it a wonderful addition to any herb bed. Alternatively, as the Tudors used to do, plant it along the borders so the scent rises up when trodden on.
The Latin is Sanguisorba minor, and the name Sanguisorba comes from sanguis, meaning 'blood' and sorbere, meaning to 'soak up'. The name relates to its ancient medicinal use, which was to staunch wounds.
Want to know more? Watch Jekka's video on Salad Burnet in Jekkapedia.
How do you grow Salad Burnet?
It can be propagated easily from seed in spring and is happy in a container (buy Salad Burnet herb seeds online). If growing in a container, ensure you water regularly and feed with liquid fertiliser (such as with Maxicrop liquid seaweed, available from our shop).
Culinary uses of Salad Burnet
Nowadays, it is predominantly used for culinary purposes. The leaves of Salad Burnet have a nutty flavour and a slight taste of cucumber. The latter is the reason it is often added to Gin & Tonic as a garnish; we prefer it as an addition to salads. When adding to salads, Jekka's tip is to take the new shoots which are tastier and easier to digest. As it is an evergreen perennial it enhances any winter salad. Alternatively, use like Parsley, as a garnish for many dishes.
Salad Burnet butter recipe
One of Jekka's recipes is for a Salad Burnet butter, which is lovely with grilled fish as it adds a subtle cucumber flavour.
Ingredients:
- 75g butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp. chopped Salad Burnet
- 1 tbsp. chopped spearmint
- Salt, black pepper & lemon juice to taste
Steps:
- Mix the chopped herb leaves together.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the herbs and simmer on a very low heat for 10 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- Pour on the grilled fish and enjoy!
If you love the sounds of this recipe, check out our other herb-based recipes and cooking Master Classes for more inspiration.
Want to know more?
For advice on growing and maintaining herbs, check out Jekka's How to Grow Herbs videos and ‘Jekka’s Seasonal Tips’ blog series, which includes what to do in your herb garden in early spring, late spring, summer and autumn & winter.Together they form the basis of Jekka’s guide on how to grow herbs.
For more "All about Herbs" blogs please see Jekka's herbs of the month blogs: Bay (January), Rosemary (February), Salad Burnet (March), French Tarragon (April), Angelica (May), Alliums (June), Lavender (July), Basil (August), Mint (September), Szechuan Pepper (October), Thyme (November) and Curry Tree (December).
Herb plants are available and you can organise a collection from our herb farm in South Gloucestershire or at one of our Open Days or Herb Experiences (see our events calendar). Please see our 'Looking Good List' for availability and use our webform or email your list directly to us (sales@jekkas.com). We no longer offer a mail order service for our plants.