My first encounter was probably 30 years ago when the Consultant I worked for invited myself and his junior doctor team over for Pimms and croquet; neither of which I had tasted nor played up until that point. Floating in the Pimms were fruits, cucumber and dainty little blue star shaped flowers, aka borage.
For the last 20 years I have created a herb garden wherever we moved house and I have included borage along with rosemary, oregano, marjorum, thyme, sage and various mints. A herb garden is a great asset to a garden with the above being easy to grow, looking good pretty much throughout the year and bringing joy every time you step outside to snip a bit to add to your cooking or salads. Borage flowers are usually a piercing blue colour but this year I have added a white flowering one too. These can be added to salads and drinks or candied for cake decorations. The leaves can also be used in summer drinks to add a cool cucumber flavour.
Last week in Majorca I ate out in an Italian(!) restaurant and enjoyed borage stuffed ravioli with walnut pesto. The ravioli was tasty 'tho' personally I found the walnut pesto a little overpowering and sickly.
The flowers are a great source of nectar and so enjoyed by the bees who go on to make borage honey. Whilst away in the Cotswolds this year I enjoyed borage porridge which appeals to my sense of rhyming in the same way as wearing a Hackett jacket does! Imagine how pleased I was on finding that the Celts believed that borage brought courage! The Greeks thought it made people glad and merry - when added to wine(!) More generally it is regarded as comforting the heart, cheering melancholy, giving a sense of well-being and reviving one on a hot day (especially if served in a large glass of Pimms I suspect! Happy days!)
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