Epizote

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Got some from a friend this year. Didn't really know what it was...only knew what he told me about it and that it was good in mexican dishes. (My sister-in-law is mexican and she cooks for us alot so I thought, "Yeah, I'll grow some.) Well...I am just wondering if any of you are knowledgeable enough about the ozarks AND epizote to put two plus two together? Am I just seeing things or is this plant a HUGE native weed that is often a pesky problem out here??? It smells looks and seeds the same as a weed that I have a hard time getting rid of...and now....it has been pampered in my garden! :eek: :eek: :eek:

If it is the same this WEED/HERB seeds itself like crazy! Once you have got it....youve got it. Round up even has a very difficult time killing it. (Yeah I got overrun and pulled out the big guns...Cliff would be proud of me!) Now it is in my garden...

Or am I just wrong in my comparison of the weed on the property and what is in my garden???

Any takers????

Chad

[zebraman]

Hey Creation Groans;I also grow Epazote and it imparts an unmistakable flavor to bean dishes and is also great layered between tortillas in a tortilla warmer.Yeah it does grow like a weed which is true with a lot of herbs.Don't worry about any of your livestock eating it because .....They Won't.-

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Well if what is growing wild is the same thing that I have in my garden I will never ever ever ever have to plant Epizote. Neither will anyone else in my area. I guess the plant that I did not know was Epizote to many here is considered a noxious weed in the ozarks. If this is the case I am ripping the one that I have in my garden out cuz there are plenty of weeds everywhere else...Uhhh I mean herbs. Dont want it in my garden.

Does anyone want any??? I got plenty of it!

Chad

[GreenZone]

Chad, it is indeed native to the Ozarks. I grew it in New Mexico and didn't care too much for it. I thought I smelled it one day while cutting grass and, yup, sure enough. I didn't realize it's invasive, though.

[Amaranthos]

You can find epazote growing wild in Chicago's vacant lots -- an escapee from Mexican gardens -- some friends of mine are still trying to eradicate it from their backyard. It's nothing compared with the prevalence of Amaranthus cruentus which seems to spout from every sidewalk crack and fence row...

[johno]

After a visit to Chad's garden, I realized I have a good quantity of epizote in my yard...

[bluelacedredhead]

You visited Chad??
Okay, come on..We want to hear the details!!!
What's his garden like? What did you talk about? Did you do some trading? Seeds? Plants? Ideas??
Any pics of the meeting of the Minds??

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Bluelaced....

I almost am flattered that you would want to know what my garden looks like. Alot of my gardens are not for the atmosphere that everyone tries to make. I do alot of big plots that do not have a whole lot of pizaz to them. I found that the garden scene for serenity does not really produce enough for me to justify all the time involved with it. It takes me longer to plant my atmosphere garden than it does an acre and a half of tight row cropping. (kind of developed my own teqnique.) I had to apologize to Johno for my garden not being up to par...been spread so thin lately that I have not had time to keep up with it all. That is ok....next year I am doing about 2 acres. I will probably try and do some floating row covers over the winter and grow all year long. Carrots, lettuce, beets, etc. I might put in a couple of 100 foot rows in especially for this. I have been hauling manure for the last couple of mornings...Trying to get my garlic going good. I am planting a 200 by 60 foot plot of 10 different varieties this year....plus french grey shallots that I am itching to try.

But anyone who is in the area is welcome to come by. It isnt a fantasy garden by any means...but it sure does produce a lot of veggies.

But you can take Johno's opinion about what he thought....

Later!
Chad

[johno]

Hey, it's near the end of the season - I don't hear too many people bragging this time of year... However, my impression was that Chad's garden nearer the house was pretty fantastic! The two big plots were recently plowed, so of course there wasn't anything to see there. His okra is about two feet taller than mine, his castor bean tree was twice the size of the biggest one I've ever grown, his month old marigolds are three feet tall, and so on. Chad has plants I've never even heard of.

As far as pics of the adventure, I figured if Chad wanted pics of his place posted, he would have done it himself, so I didn't bring my camera. But I wish I had...

I was immediately struck by how nice his place was overall, but keep in mind he also keeps bees and sells honey, tends a congregation, and from what I could tell (I didn't ask) he appears to take care of a good size family... I don't know how he keeps up with it all. Really remarkable person with a wonderful garden. Well, that was my opinion. My only regret was that I only took up an hour of his time.

[bluelacedredhead]

Johno, Didn't I say that Chad is generous and modest, almost to a fault.
And Chad, we like you that way!!
And please don't apologize for your garden. Mine looks positively horrid right now. But I've had fun experimenting with some new varieties, even if I didn't have a lot to put by for winter this year.
And hopefully, some of the plans to be made will be the result of feedback from friends like both of you.

[mrtomatoexpres]

hi chad if you have any seeds left if possible can i get some the mexican women asked me if i can grow it they will buy it ballon peppers watermelon tomatoes and garlic are doing great :)

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

Hey Johno,

Thanks for all the kind words! Though it does look like from your picture that your garden is pretty kickin....I thought, "Man that could be cool to have a garden like that." So ladies and Gents lets not let ole Johno fool us....he seemed to know his stuff pretty well too!

Looking forward to more visits Johno! Stop by anytime!

Thanks Bluelaced...if you are ever around you can swing in for some Basil tea as well!
Mr. Tomato.....yeah I will try and save some for you...if not I will take some cuttings or pull up some new plants next year and send you some. But either way I'll get em to ya! K??

Later folks!

Chad

[johno]

I'd like more visits. It was fun. Maybe sometime when your on a honey route out this way you could stop by here and see my junky yard on the way to the garden. I wish my cohabitants were as industrious as yours seem to be, maybe it wouldn't look like Sanford and Son live here (to be fair, half of the junk is mine...) but I'm working on it one year at a time... Let's make it a time when the garden is truly kickin'! Hopefully I'll be building some new raised beds and a 'garden palace', as the wife refers to it, over the winter (kickin' projects.) And there's always Spring! Who knows, I might even get snowed in and have nothing better to do than fix one of those old tractors. That would spawn some new garden projects around here for certain!

Oh yeah, the topic is epizote... Maybe I'll try some soon. Any Mexicans out there with a good recipe for it?

[sunmad strawgirl]

I grew epizote this year but haven't done anything too fancy with it. So far I've just chopped it up and threw it in with the beans as I cooked them for refried beans. Put in approximately 1/4 cup with 2 cups of dried beans, perhaps.

[johno]

Can anybody post a picture of epizote? I have already forgotten how to identify it by scent...

[Sandbar]

Is this it?

http://www.wildplantdatabase.net/WildPlantDataBase/PlantDetail.asp?PlantID=98

[Sandbar]

Or, this? I seem to have found another spelling ... "epazote"

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/epazote.htm

One site says it's crushed leaves smell like varnish, but this one characterizes it as smelling like gasoline or kerosene.

And, you want to eat this stuff?

[sunmad strawgirl]

Yep - both sets of pictures look like what I grew this year (at various stages). The crushed leaves do have a pretty unappetizing smell, but it adds a nice taste when cooked with beans (either whole or in preparation for refried). Also supposed to aid in digestion and is a traditional ingredient in mexican bean dishes.

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

I also read somewhere that it is known to kill intestinal worms. Which may sound kind of funny, but I suspect more of us suffer with than one would think...

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

It actually is very good in beans....