Cuisine Canada Scene

Lily of Heaven

First let me tell you whence her name has sprung,
Cecilia, meaning as the books agree,
Lily of Heaven in our English tongue
To signify her chaste virginity.
–Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, Second Nun’s Prologue

I’m already harvesting the first sweetly anise sprigs of Sweet Cicely (Myrris odorata) from my kitchen garden here in Bruce County, southwestern Ontario. And I have been doing so since the middle of April when the first lacy shoots first poked through the lingering snow.

Sweet Cicely is actually the common name for two plants: Myrris odorata and Osmorhiza chilensis.

The first, M. odorata is native to Great Britain, grows wild in Europe and is cultivated by herb-savvy chefs all over North America. This is the plant I grow and use as a natural sweetener in tea blends, sugar, simple syrups and in both sweet and savory dishes. It teams beautifully with another spring herb, rhubarb, and I use it in berry compotes and preserves throughout the summer. A fresh supply of leaves from my potager means that I can add them to salads, sweet sauces, puddings and ice creams, even soups and omelets.

In celebration of spring this year, I developed a flourless Almond-Orange Cake featuring fresh chopped Sweet Cicely.

In the fall, I chop the dark brown seeds and use them in baked products, their anise flavour working its magic in everything from cookies to custards to cakes and muffins. Because the plant self-seeds readily, I feel confident in using the thick root of some of the older plants in the fall. I boil the root and serve with a light vinaigrette along with another anise-flavoured herb, fresh fennel bulb. The raw root can be grated into salads, candied or pickled.

In my garden, this versatile plant grows to about 2 feet in height, but in my friend, Simon deBoer’s garden, it reaches almost 3 feet and the stalks grow thick and very woody. The difference in plant growth is directly related to the amount of full sunlight each plant receives. Like most herbs, M. odorata thrives on 8 or more hours of direct sunlight daily.

The second plant commonly called Sweet Cicely (aka Mountain Sweet Cicely, Western Sweet Cicely) is native to the Canadian and U.S. Midwestern regions and is found in the wild as far west as British Columbia and as far south as Chile. As its name O. chilensis implies, it was first identified in the wild there. O. chilensis is found from low to middle elevations in open coniferous and deciduous forests, preferring shady woods and well-drained soils. More information on O. chilensis can be found at here.

Don’t forget, when wild-crafting, it is always wise to have a seasoned guide to help identify wild plants. This plant is similar to wild hemlock, a deadly poisonous plant.

Do you know either (or both) of these plants? If you are using either the wild O. chilensis or the cultivated M. odorata, I would like to hear from you about your impressions and uses for these plants.

I think it would be interesting to learn more about the range of O. chilensis in Canada. You can help me do this by commenting below if you have identified this plant in the wild. Be sure to include where you have seen it growing and add any other observations you have made about this licorice-scented native gem.

---

Pat Crocker is a Home Economist. Culinary Herbalist is the term she coined to describe her work with both wild and cultivated herbs. She has written 3 herb handbooks and 6 cookbooks. Her latest, The Vegan Cooks Bible (Robert Rose) is available from Chapters or online from Amazon.com. For more herb facts and fun, visit Pat’s blog, Food Weds Herbs or her website.

Photo © Pat Crocker.