Borage cucumber herb composition. Taste qualities, benefits and possible harm of the sounded plant. How to procure a product. Interesting recipes with this gift of nature.
Useful properties of borago
Experts say that cucumber herb is necessary for the prevention of many diseases and some of the existing pathologies. In addition, it should be used in food simply to improve your appearance and add vitality to yourself.
The beneficial properties of cucumber herb are as follows:
- Solving problems with the gastrointestinal tract … Borage is indispensable for gastritis due to the presence of tannins in its composition. Such therapy will not interfere with a systemic malfunction of the intestines.
- Anti-inflammatory effect … At the same time, it is necessary to use for food both the leaves of this plant and its flowers. They not only reduce problems with internal inflammation, but also help fight skin rashes in humans.
- Depressant … Cucumber herb tea can fight problems such as depression, panic attacks, nervousness and hysteria. Quite often, experts advise parents to give a healing drink to their teenage children during their hormonal changes.
- Insomnia treatment … Due to the fact that cucumber herb has a sedative property, its regular use will help overly impressionable individuals and workaholics to get rid of CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome).
- Diuretic … The sonicated product has a mild effect and does not cause side reactions. Experts recommend using borage for people who suffer from edema and cystitis.
- Increased lactation … For this purpose, the seeds of the plant are used directly. It is not easy to get them, because it is necessary to collect the desired product in time before it falls off. When storing seeds, it is worth remembering that in most cases they become a favorite delicacy of rodents.
- Laxative … With chronic constipation, it is necessary to stock up on cucumber grass due to the presence of a large amount of mucous substances in it, which will save a person from a delicate problem.
- Expectorant effect … People with chronic bronchitis and accumulation of phlegm in the bronchi simply cannot do without borago. Sometimes it should be combined with other drugs if their effect did not meet the expected expectations.
- Prolongation of youth … This prevention occurs due to the inclusion of gamma-linolenic acid in the cucumber herb. The long-awaited effect is observed both when the plant is taken internally, and when it is used externally in the form of masks and lotions.
Harm and contraindications to cucumber grass
Specialists do not voice any special warnings when using borage. However, in case of individual intolerance to this product, its inclusion in the diet may result in an allergic reaction.
In addition, it should be remembered that cucumber grass contains a large amount of keratin. Its excess with uncontrolled use of borago in food is dangerous by yellowing of the skin.
When using it together with meat, you should also observe the measure so as not to provoke poisoning of the body.
Borage is useful for pregnant women, but you should play it safe and consult a specialist beforehand.
Note! Contraindications to cucumber herb are so limited that one should not be afraid to eat it.
How borage is harvested
If you want to get this product, you should remember the wise saying that each vegetable has its own term. The use of cucumber herb will only be beneficial if harvested between May and August. However, there are exceptions to each rule, because in any vegetable garden, borago is able, under some circumstances, to retain its properties until the first cold snap. To get a usable product instead of a weed, it should be planted in a shady place. It must be remembered that this plant is capable of spreading throughout the entire site. It is for this reason that you need to harvest on time before the seeds enter the soil. Harvesting of cucumber grass can be done at home right on the windowsill or balcony.
It is recommended to cut the plant to the very root during its flowering (it is best to choose the very beginning of the sounded period). The product is dried exclusively in a well-ventilated room. You can carry out this process under a canopy, if moisture will definitely not enter it.
There is a lot of controversy regarding this issue, because famous culinary experts consider drying cucumber grass to be the main reason for the loss of its taste and recommend eating it fresh.
Borage recipes
Borage perfectly complements any salad, meat and fish delicacy, baked goods. First of all, you should learn how to eat cucumber herb. It is not recommended to scald fresh leaves of the plant before adding to the dish. Rinse them thoroughly and tear them with your hands. The dry borago mixture is added exclusively at the very end of cooking.
Cucumber herb will be especially tasty in the following dishes:
- Fortified salad … Two Jerusalem artichoke tubers must be grated together with three small carrots. To the resulting mass, add young borage leaves and season the salad with olive oil.
- Hearty salad … To prepare it, boiled tongue (you can replace it with ham) is cut in the form of noodles and mixed with fresh tomato, chopped garlic clove, egg, herbs, cucumber grass and mayonnaise. Grated cheese is added to the mixture, and then the salad is decorated with borage flowers.
- Stewed cucumber herb … The product must first be chopped, lightly fried in butter and simmer for 3-4 minutes in salted water. The plant, rubbed through a sieve, is then mixed with two stewed zucchini and one steamed carrot. This dish is an excellent side dish for beef or pork.
- Okroshka … Cucumber herb recipes would be incomplete without describing this cold soup. Beat 750 ml of curdled milk and add to the resulting mass 20 ml of vegetable oil, 30 g of crushed borage leaves, 400 g of chopped cucumbers, two chopped eggs and salt to taste. The sounded components should be poured with 300 ml of chilled boiled water, and also seasoned with dill and black pepper. For those who do not like dairy products, sour milk can be replaced with kvass (0.5 liters of a drink with the addition of 60 g of boiled beef to the described recipe).
- Cucumber soup in a special way … You must first prepare 0.5 liters of beet broth. 2 boiled potatoes should be mixed with 200 g of chopped cucumber herb, 3 eggs, 300 g of shinki (you can replace it with ham), half a can of green peas. The sounded ingredients are then poured with beet broth.
- Fish with cheese … 1 kg fillet of any fish (it is better to take sea fish) should be cut into medium-sized pieces, which should be sprinkled with lemon juice. The baking dish must be greased with any vegetable oil and the prepared seafood should be placed on it. 3 heads of onions cut into half rings should be fried and placed on top of the slices laid out on a baking sheet. Two carrots are also thermally processed and laid out in the third layer in a mold. On top of the fish and vegetables, you need to evenly distribute 200 g of grated hard cheese. Grease the top layer with mayonnaise, add spices to taste and bake the dish for 30 minutes. After its readiness, the fish under the cheese is sprinkled with chopped borage.
The benefits and harms of cucumber herb depend on how to prepare it and how much to consume it. Do not add meat dishes with borago to your diet every day, this can negatively affect the state of the liver.
Borage drinks are especially popular in the East, but they are also prepared in other countries:
- Lemonade … For its preparation, it is necessary to mix the leaves of lemon balm, cucumber herb and mint in a mixer with the addition of half a lemon and two glasses of water to the listed components. Pour a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup into the strained lemonade.
- Tea … In boiling water, you need to place 1 tbsp. l. tartar, hawthorn, oregano and borago herbs. The tea should be infused overnight to become a healthier and more aromatic drink.
- Borage juice … For its manufacture, only the lower leaves of the plant are taken, which must be cranked through a meat grinder. Then the resulting pulp should be diluted with equal doses of boiled water, whey and boiled for 2-3 minutes. This juice can prevent liver problems if consumed in moderation.
- Cucumber herb cocktail … If there is a desire to amaze your guests with an unusual alcoholic drink, you should adhere to certain proportions when making it. It is recommended to mix a small bunch of borage with 100 ml of lemon juice in a mixer, then add a pinch of cinnamon and 25 g of champagne to the poured glasses. You can decorate the resulting cocktail with pineapple slices.
Interesting facts about cucumber grass
The ancient Greeks attached particular importance to this plant. In their opinion, it was able to significantly increase vital energy.
In Rome, a rare warrior did not take a borago with him on a long journey, because he believed in his healing power. In addition, it was believed that such a gift from nature is able to drive away melancholy.
Medieval knights had a peculiar tradition: only after drinking tea from borago, they were not afraid to go to the battlefield. Beautiful ladies adorned the armor of their cavaliers with this plant, considering it a reliable amulet.
This herb is most fond of bees, so it can be called an excellent honey plant. Even in cool weather, voiced insects visit it, which brings a good income to beekeepers. As a result, they get light honey and pollen.
In the fight against the Colorado potato beetle, cucumber grass has no equal. The activity of the pest is significantly reduced if potatoes are planted with it.
If you want to dye your wool product blue, then you can also benefit from the cucumber herb. For this, its aerial part is taken in the form of bright blue petals.
Borago is used in different ways in different national cuisines. In America, the leaves and dried flowers of the plant are preferred. Usually salads are prepared from them, supplementing the cucumber herb with vegetables and herbs. Among Americans, a dessert made from candied borage flowers is also popular.
Italians use this product in the manufacture of sandwiches, ravioli, salads, fish and meat dishes. Locals also prefer to add it to various spices.
In the East, cucumber herb is harvested for brewing and creating various hot drinks. In the West, it is widely used in the alcoholic beverage industry.
The leaves of the unpretentious plant also fell in love with domestic chefs (it became known about it in the 19th century). It is often found in okroshka, homemade kvass and vinaigrette. Tea with the addition of this herb turns out to be very spicy, but still not everyone likes it.
Watch a video about borage cucumber herb:
Some people undeservedly consider borage to be a useless weed. However, the harm from cucumber herb is small compared to its undoubted advantages. Therefore, it is necessary to include this useful product in your diet.
