Costmary.

Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 16:48:51 -0500
To: The Culinary Herbs & Spices List <HERBS.HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM>
From: Chris Bobbitt <bobbittc.INDIANA.EDU>
Subject: Re: costmary

> I was at one of our local nurseries perusing the herb section when one of the nursery workers suggested trying "costmary" (Chrysanthemum Balsamita). She said no one was buying it because they didn't know what it was. On the card it says fragrant/culinary, and I was wondering what the culinary uses were.

Costmary, also called Bible leaf, can be brewed for a wonderful cold tea, has been used as a flavoring in brewing ale, and can be eaten as an aromatic green in salads. It also makes a good bookmark!

From: Pat Peck <arpeck.FREENET.SCRI.FSU.EDU>

Costmary leaves were once used to make perfumed toilet water and added a spicy flavour to ale. Was called bible-leaf by early American settlers who used the long leaves as bookmarks, reviving themselves with the pleasant scent or nibbling a leaf during lengthy sermons.