5 Uses for Anise Hyssop
- Simply Eat. The flowers are edible with a lighter anise flavor than the leaves and make for a tasty and beautiful...
- Tea (Fresh or Dried). The leaves and flowers make a delicious black licorice flavored tea that also has some...
- Cordial. Hyssop is a traditional ingredient in absinthe and makes for a tasty homemade infusion. Fill a jar...
- Use them in cooking by drying the flowers and sprinkling them over your favorite lettuce as a sweet and surprising topping in salads.
- Garnish your favorite desserts by topping ice cream, fruit, or frosted cakes with some fresh blooms for a treat that appeals to both the eye and taste buds.
Can you substitute anise with aniseed in a recipe?
Yes, of course. The anise seed substitute has a licorice flavor and is often mixed with star anise. So, people are often confused that they are the same, but they belong to two different kinds of plants and come from two different countries in the world.
How to plant, grow, and harvest anise?
How to Plant Anise
- Best location: Grow anise in full sun. ...
- Soil preparation: Anise grows best in well-drained soil rich in organic matter; however, anise will grow in poor soil. ...
- Seed starting indoors: Start anise from seed indoors in late winter about 8 weeks before transplanting seedlings outdoors. ...
How do you grow anise?
Tips for starting Anise plant indoors
- Anise seedlings are delicate, so some people have trouble to transplanting them into the garden. ...
- The seeds need to be in a warm environment, between 15-22°C, to germinate.
- If you’re short of outdoor space, try growing Anise in containers. ...
- Sprinkle the seeds and cover them with a slight layer of soil. ...
How to substitute with anise extract?
What can you use in place of anise extract?
- Chinese five-spice powder is an excellent substitute mainly because it contains star anise.
- Fennel seeds are another spice with a licorice-like flavor.
- Allspice is an option despite the fact that it lacks the licorice notes.
- Cloves are another potential star anise stand-in.
Can you eat anise hyssop?
As leaves maintain their scent well when dried, anise hyssop can also be used in potpourri. Flowers are edible and make a nice addition crumbled into a salad, or added to baked goods, such as these anise hyssop whoopee pies, or these butter cookies, pictured below.
How do you harvest and use anise hyssop?
When to harvest: Harvest anise hyssop leaves using a snip or scissors as needed but before flower buds open. Leaves have their best flavor just before the plant flowers. How to harvest: Snip leaves as needed, starting from the bottom of the plant. Use a snip or garden scissors.
Can you eat the hyssop plant?
However, true hyssop, Hyssopus officinalis, is an edible member of the mint family that's been used in a wide variety of foods, drinks, folk remedies, and even perfumes. Compared to other plants known as hyssops, true hyssop is safe to eat and is found in a variety of spice mixes and foods.
What do you do with fresh hyssop?
Both the flowers and leaves are edible, and if you can score fresh hyssop at a garden or farmers market, you can use them like other fresh delicate herbs in salads, pastas, and summer soups. The flowers can be used for garnishes. But you're more likely to find hyssop in dried form.
What is the difference between anise and anise hyssop?
Despite these names, anise hyssop is neither anise (Pimpinella anisum) nor hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis). Although, like hyssop, it is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Anise hyssop is a perennial plant in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 4-8. It prefers well-drained soil in part sun to full sun.
Does anise hyssop come back every year?
Anise Hyssop blooms in the second year. If you cut it back by 1/3 after bloom, the plant will bush out and bloom again. It easily self seeds.
What parts of anise hyssop are medicinal?
Both the leaves and the flowers of Anise hyssop can be used fresh or dried. With a natural sweetness, the plant is very versatile for a variety of uses.
What was hyssop used for in the Bible?
In the Old Testament hyssop was used to sprinkle blood as part of the Jewish Passover. Hyssop was mentioned in the Bible for its cleansing effect in connection with plague, leprosy and chest ailments and symbolically in cleansing the soul.
How do you cook anise hyssop?
The leaves can also be added to baked goods, including fruit tart and pie crusts. Add it to any baked goods that work well with a black licorice flavor, such as cookies or breads. Lemon pairs well with anise hyssop, so give this Lemony Anise Hyssop Tea Bread a try.
What part of the hyssop plant do you use?
The above-ground parts of the plant are what are used for medicine, not the roots. Traditionally, it's been used for a wide variety of ailments, but so far, we don't have enough evidence to prove that it's safe and effective for any of them. Traditional uses of hyssop include treatment for: Digestive aid.
Is hyssop tea good for you?
Hyssop tea may offer mild benefits for heart health, mainly by decreasing inflammation and improving circulation, which helps to decrease the risk of heart attack, blood clots, and blood sugar related disorders.
How do you eat hyssop?
It's less common now so quite hard to come by, but the young leaves can be used in cooking – chop and scatter onto salads, meat or oily fish dishes, or use to flavour soups, stews and fruit dishes. Hyssop is said to aid the digestion of fatty or rich foods.
How do you harvest hyssop?
How to Harvest HyssopWhen to harvest: Harvest hyssop leaves as needed before the plant flowers. Pick flowers when the blooms are three-quarters open. ... How to harvest: Snip off portions of the stalk when harvesting a small number of leaves for immediate use then strip the leaves from the stem.
How do you use anise plant?
You can infuse oil with crushed aniseed as well. In cooking, use aniseed in cookies, cakes, bread, stews, infused liqueurs, and teas. For medicinal purposes, use it as a tea or use the infused oil to treat skin conditions, like fungal infections.
What is the herb hyssop good for?
Hyssop is used for digestive and intestinal problems including liver and gallbladder conditions, intestinal pain, intestinal gas, colic, and loss of appetite. It is also used for respiratory problems including coughs, the common cold, respiratory infections, sore throat, and asthma.
How do you collect anise hyssop seeds?
To collect seed, allow the flower spikes to dry on the plants and bag the spikes to capture ripening seed or remove from the plants to collect seeds. Sterile hybrids are propagated by semi-ripe cuttings taken in summer.
Do use hyssop in moderation
Hyssop has a minty licorice note that is pungent enough to overpower mild flavors in a dish. Use it with restraint to avoid ruining a dish or beverage and wasting ingredients.
Do pair hyssop with the right ingredients
Because of how intense hyssop’s flavor profile can be, you should use it in applications where other strong flavors are present. Meats like venison and lamb tend to have intensely gamey flavors, which are perfectly complemented by hyssop.
Do use hyssop flowers whenever possible
The mild flavor of the hyssop flower can make it easier to use since you are in less danger of its flavor dominating your dish. In addition to having a more delicate flavor than the leaves, hyssop flowers are visually appealing and make an attractive garnish. Salads are among the preparations that can benefit from hyssop flowers.
Do use hyssop to make tea
Like many in the mint family, hyssop is a great tea herb. The dried herb or the fresh are excellent for making teas as is the flower and the leaf. Hyssop tea is consumed mainly for medicinal reasons. Bitterness often overtakes other notes in the hyssop flavor profile, so honey or another sweetener is recommended.
Do use hyssop to make a compound butter
Combine chopped fresh hyssop leaves with butter for an excellent herbed butter that you can use on proteins and vegetables. Remember to use the leaves sparingly to keep the flavor from being too strong.
Do use hyssop to season fatty meats
Hyssop goes well with fatty meats since its anise and mint notes tend to cut right through the mouth-coating oiliness. You can rub chopped fresh leaves on the exterior of a roast or another cut. An alternative is to use dried and powdered hyssop leaves in a dry rub with other seasonings.
Do add hyssop early in the cooking process
A herb’s ability to stand up to extended cooking times is what determines when it goes into the dish. Hyssop is notorious for its pungency and that intensity is why you need to add it earlier rather than later. In most cases, you won’t have to worry about it losing its flavor even if the dish has to cook for many hours.
Attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds with this extended bloomer
Sienna Mae Heath is a gardening expert with over five years of experience in gardening and landscape design. She grows her own food and flowers in her native Zone 6B. Sienna Mae runs The Quarantined Gardener blog and encourages the Lehigh Valley to develop victory gardens for sustainable, garden-based living.
Anise Hyssop Care
Plant Anise Hyssop in spring after the last frost. Establish seedlings any time until early summer. Space 18 to 24 inches apart in borders, wildflower gardens, herb gardens, or butterfly gardens (or as specimens in containers). Reaching 2 to 5 feet tall and 1 to 3 feet wide, these plants serve well in the middle or the back of perennial borders.
Varieties
There are many types of Agastache, the genus representing 30 different plants, each with varied flower colors, heights, foliage, aroma, and hardiness. Bloom colors of various hybrid varieties range from pink to creamy white, powder blue to red-violet. Foliage can be dark green to lime green. Here are some of the most popular varieties:
Pruning
Overall, Anise Hyssop does not need much attention once it's been established. To encourage blooming and prevent seed heads, deadhead any spent flowers. A light trimming might help keep the plant looking its best, too. Prune in early spring, cutting back up to 1/3 of the woody material, to force a bushier plant.
Propagating
Plants will spread by rhizomes and will easily self-seed if grown in ideal conditions and with proper care. It's easy to start open-pollinated varieties from seed. The seeds need light to germinate, so press seeds into seed starting mix--do not cover with soil. Cold, moist stratification helps improve germination rates.
Common Pests & Diseases
Be mindful that crown/root rot may occur in poorly drained soils. Keep an eye out for rust, powdery mildew, and leaf spots. Despite these potential issues, Anise Hyssop is quite hardy, being deer resistant and a generally vigorous perennial.
