Artemesia 'Cola Plant'
Artemesia abrotanum 'Cola Plant' - A cultivar of the more common Southernwood
This is another herb which is totally new to us for 2014.
Cola Plant is a special cultivar of the more common Southernwood,
it grows into an attractive ornamental shrub with silvery-green foliage and yellow flowers later in the summer
and into the autumn.
It is very easy to look after and tolerates dry conditions and even drought.
It has as much more pleasant fragrance than the more common Southernwood,
which is lemony-camphor and not particularly nice.
As the name suggests the tips of the shoots of Cola Plant have the very aromatic taste and scent of cola.
It is important just to use the young shoots as the older leaves are quite bitter.
In the kitchen the shoots can be used fresh or dried in a variety of ways to flavour sauces,
salads, cakes, desserts and roast meats.
They also add freshness and zest to herb teas and chilled drinks.
Cola Plant is so new to us that we haven't done any testing in the kitchen yet.
So any recipes that you try out, do email them to us!
The name Southernwood is a contraction of southern wormwood, as a Mediterranean variant of wormwood
which is native to Northern Europe.
The old English name of 'Old Man' also distinguishes it from its close relation wormwood, known as 'Old Woman'.
All of the Artemesias are high in essential oils and compounds like alkaloids,
for this reason should be avoided during pregnancy, and a healthcare professional should be consulted
if you have any medical conditions.