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Bee Balm | Bergamot | Monarda

illustration: monarda, aka bee balm flower, leaves and stemCambridge Scarlet Bee Balm: Monarda didyma
Lavender Bee Balm: Monarda fistula
Fam: Labiatae (mint family)

Monarda, commonly called bee balm or bergamot, is also known by the names oswego tea and horsemint. Bergarnot is native to North America and was used to make an infusion by the Oswego Indians, hence the name 'Oswego tea'. Oswego tea was embraced as a beverage by the early American settlers, who after the Boston tea party in 1773, boycotted Indian tea which was traded by the English.

Bergamot was identified in the sixteenth century by the Spanish medical botanist Nicolas de Monardes, whose name is used to identify this genus of plants. Bergamot gets its name from the similarity it has in aroma to the bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia). Oil of bergamot comes from the bergamot orange and is used to flavor Earl Grey tea.

Description
Bergamot is a member of the mint family. Bergamot bears a dozen or more tubularshaped flowers clustered in pom-pom shaped whorls atop strong, square stems with pairs of oval, hairy leaves 3 1/4 in. (8 cm) long and 3/4 in. (2 cm) wide. The resplendent flowers range from pink and mauve to a rich, vibrant red in the case of the most popular 'Cambridge scarlet' variety.

This often forgotten herb is easy to find fresh, and can be dried for an aromatic and useful bouquet. Monarda petals can taste citrusy or have a peppery quality similar to oregano, depending on variety and where it is grown. They can be used in salads, herb butters, or sprinkled over steamed vegetables.

Cambridge Scarlet Bee Balm: Citrus-flavored leaves, with hints of orange and lemon. Use fresh whole or chopped leaves in recipes for duck, meat, sausages, and curries. Also complements many fruits, including strawberries, oranges, apples, melons, and tangerines. Combines well with mint. Fresh flowers are edible and can be used in salads or as garnishes. Flower color: brilliant scarlet

Lavender Bee Balm: Large and colorful, spicy flowers. Often called bergamot because its citrusy flavor is similar to the bergamot orange, bee balm flowers make a great addition to oil when frying white fish or scallops. Their strong flavor also goes well with meat and pork dishes. Bee balm leaves have a very strong flavor and should be dried before use. Add the dried leaves to black tea to make your own Earl Grey. Use whole flowers to make attractive floating garnishes in punch bowls of sangria, or use them to decorate the rim of a serving platter. Bee balm flowers can be fresh-frozen and will keep for two months or more. Flower color: purple

Culinary Uses of Bee Balm
Bergamot can be used in several ways outside of tea. The plant can be used as a cooking herb. It is best to use the flowers for tea, the leaves have a hotter, oregano-like flavor. Enliven the taste and look of salads by adding a sprinkling of bergamot flowers. Use fresh or dried leaves in tomato dishes, and as a substitute for sage in stuffing for poultry and meats, especially pork and veal. The fresh leaves can be added to jellies, punch, lemonade or wine to add extra taste.

The flavor of Monarda combines well with tropical fruits like pineapple, mango and orange. Use flowers and leaves in recipes for chicken, turkey, and pork dishes. Monarda fruit punch is delicious, and the flowers a colourful addition to salads.

The flavor of Earl Gray tea is often attributed to Monarda, yet, the taste actually originates from the oil of Citrus aurantium bergamia (Bergamot Orange). The plants are unrelated but have similar flavors. To create a mock-Earl Gray tea, steep 2 tablespoons of dried Monarda flowers with a good black tea for 5-7 minutes. A single cup can be made by pouring one cup of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of dried flowers in a tea infuser or strainer. DO NOT BOIL THE FLOWERS. Boiling can evaporate the oils which produce the flavor.

Dangers: Bergamot stimulates contractions in the uterus. This can be harmful to pregnant women. The thymol present in the plant can cause nausea, convulsions, vomit, gastric pain or external rashes. Bergaptene is also found in bergamot, and may cause phototoxicity. In this case, the skin should not be exposed to sunlight after external use of the oil. The thymol in bergamot can cause vomiting, nausea, gastric pain, convulsion, or rashes. Monarda lutea, or horsemint, is especially known for having high levels of thymol.

Other Names
Bee Balm, Bergamot, American Melissa, Fragrant Balm, Gold Melissa, Horse Mint, Indian Nettle, Indian Plume, Oswego Tea

Hummingbird Bread

from the Sage Cottage Herb Garden Cookbook by Dorry Baird Norris

1 package dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 tbls. margarine
1/2 tsp. honey
4 cups flour
1 cup bee balm flowers (the outer soft petals)
1 cup water at room temperature
1 egg, slightly beaten

Dissolve yeast in warm water in mixing bowl. Add margarine and honey; mix thoroughly. Add flour and flower petals alternately with water; beat down after each addition.

Knead the last of the flour/flowers mixture into the dough by hand.

Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning once to oil all surfaces. Cover with a damp towel; allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down; turn onto lightly floured board and knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough in half and shape into two round loaves. Place loaves 4 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and cover with a damp towel. Allow to rise for 30 minutes. Brush top with beaten egg white and spread more bee balm blossoms that have been dipped in the egg white over top of the bread.

Bake in a preheated 400' F oven for 45-50 minutes, or until loaves are lightly browned.

This bread is best when allowed to rest in the refrigerator overnight. It's crumbly texture makes it difficult to use for sandwiches, but thick slices are delicious when toasted and served with a favorite spread.

You may also be interested in Recipes using Bergamot Orange

bee balm | bergamot | monarda © 2009, The Epicentre. All rights reserved.

would you take an hour of poop in the face for eight dollars?

The two of you enter a chinese restaurant. You explain to him that you have spent a year in a country where all of their restaurants are like this. You tell him that the food will be different, the utensils will be different, the waitress will look different. The waitress arrives, and afterward, of course, he makes an obligatory "I'm not gay" remark. He makes 3-4 more such remarks. You let him ask questions about the food, he's hungry, naturally. You make a few jokes he doesn't get about the different and exotic tastes of octopus and dogmeat, then your food arrives.

The most enjoyable dish imaginable. Dumplings. Machisoyo. You flourish your chopsticks a bit to engage his eyes and then begin a basic demonstration. After a bite of your own, you warn him that the dumplings are of high quality, but too hot for consumption. His struggling hands and sticks have not developed a single bite for his insultingly-teased mouth, so he instinctively grabs a dumpling with his hand and shoves the steamy doughy satchel into his gob only to immediately release it in a breathy "fuck!" It lands on the table. He is mad at a dumpling for burning his mouth that you told him was too hot to eat.

The rest of the meal is devoured and then belittled for being not-enough-food. Sharing flavors, sharing experience with this individual is ... pointless.

ET6 THE BITCHES

Denny has the best behavior in her class. She is very polite and never rude to the teacher or any of the other students. She practices good pronunciation and good sentence structure. On her speaking tests she doesn't have a lot of confidence, so sometimes she doesn't answer questions correctly. Her written homework is good, but I would like her to practice in class more. She is very bright and should improve with more practice. Good work, Denny!

Harold is a smart boy with a large English vocabulary. Unfortunately, some of the words he knows are inappropriate for class. His discipline in class has improved, but needs constant attention. Harold needs to stay on task and avoid socializing with his friends. I hope Harold continues to improve his vocabulary while practicing good grammar and pronunciation.

Mark is the best student in his class. They are all becoming strong English speakers, but Mark is the hardest worker and stays on task in class. This is not easy because this class is having discipline problems and frequently needs very firm and strict guidance from the teachers. Mark's pronunciation is improving and I hope he continues to practice writing and speaking. He can read at a high level, and I can always call on him in class to answer a question. Thank you Mark!

Silver is doing well in English Time 6, and will continue to improve if she comes to class prepared. Some days she does not bring her textbook or workbook, this is unacceptable. She has a high level of English, but she does not want to practice speaking in class. I would like to ask her to come to class ready to participate. All you need to do is try, Silver!

Paul has been a very lackadaisical student with me. He does not appear interested in class, he does not complete his work, and sometimes he will not answer questions when I ask him directly. This lethargy in class has led him to be very distracting for his classmates, Mark and Harold. Paul needs to get his priorities straight and be ready to participate in class from now on!

ET6 hotel

Alice is a great student, but she seems to be lacking the drive she used to have a few months ago. I understand that she is a formidable English speaker, but she still needs to study and complete her class assignments with the other students. In class she should avoid speaking in Korean to really test and improve her speaking ability. This is going to be a big part of her English studies from now on, and I think she is ready to avoid speaking in Korean in class completely. Good luck, Alice!

Iris is a good reader. Her pronunciation is practiced, and she won't say a word unless she knows for sure how to pronounce it. This is good, but she can improve by speeding up her reading and speaking. Her vocabulary should be rather large by now, so I hope she tries to practice by using English in conversation with friends or her parents and teachers. Keep working, Iris!

Jinny has been very good this month. Her participation in class is astounding! I love that she is always asking questions and volunteering. Her pronunciation improves in class every day, and she is always improving her speaking skill in class talking with her teacher. Jinny is quickly improving, and she shows a lot of promise. A lovely student, thank you, Jinny!

Harry has been quiet this month, but he still participates with the rest of the class. I still want him to talk more in class so he can get help on his pronunciation. He reads well in class and understands what he reads, but his pronunciation definitely needs work. For improvement, I suggest that he reads out loud to himself or sings songs in English. Both require him to practice pronouncing English words, which is what he needs practice with. Enjoy some English christmas carols, maybe?

Jean was the top student this month for many reasons. Her work in the classroom has been admirable and both her comprehension and pronunciation are still very high. She achieved a perfect score on her speaking test, and that is a huge accomplishment. I'm sorry to see her change schools, but I know that she will rise to the challenge and enjoy success in anything she tries. Thank you for being a wonderful student, Jean!

ET4

Angel has continued to be one of the best students in her class. Her speaking test score is very good again, and I see that she has completed her homework as well. Her improvement in the classroom, with her speaking, pronunciation, and listening skills, has been good, but I think it can be better. She is sometimes the class leader, but other times she talks to her friends. Work hard in class too, Angel!

Ana has been very helpful in class. She is quiet, so I would like her to participate more with speaking and writing exercises during class time. Her speaking test score is good, but he pronunciation can improve. I practice with her in class, but she needs to try to change they way she says certain words. Ana also sometimes forgets to complete workbook assignments, she needs to keep up with the class with homework.

Jane is still one of the best students in her class. She got a very good score on her speaking test and continues to be a very good worker in class. She has improved her pronunciation, and is always participating in class activities. Jane is doing well on her homework assignments as well. She is advancing as an English speaker splendidly, keep up the great work, Jane! (but stay seated in class)

Julia is improving in class, but sometimes she does not complete her homework on time. I hope she can finish her workbook assignments and hand them in at the same time as the rest of the class. In class, she is very productive, and participates all the time. She follows the lessons and only gets distracted very rarely. Her pronunciation is good, but I would like to focus on her speaking so she can form sentences easier. Thank you, Julia!

Tina has been a great student this month and I hope she keeps trying to improve. She still needs to work on her pronunciation and speaking ability. Her writing and reading is very good but it seems like she doesn't focus on her speaking when she does her homework. She can make improvements by speaking every sentence on her homework (the questions, and the answers) out loud. Great job, Tina!

Rosy did wonderfully on her speaking test! I'm so happy to see her relax and get a good speaking grade on the test. Her speaking and pronunciation have always been very high, and she appears to have been practicing. Her homework is completed but in class she gets distracted and will walk around the classroom. Sit down, Rosy! She will improve in class with her speaking and reading if she stays in her desk! Good work!

Sam sometimes doesn't complete the workbook homework. I would like him to complete his homework, then practice his reading and speaking by reviewing his work and reading it out loud. He could even read it twice out loud! This simple reading out loud to practice speaking in English can help even the most inexperienced speakers. Sam has made improvements but I still want him to try harder in and out of class.

Peter is one of my most talkative students, in both English and Korean. I want him to continue practicing speaking in class, but I also want him to behave and stay seated in the classroom. Peter has a high level of comprehension and is very good at reading and speaking. His pronunciation needs to improve. He can imitate me rather well, so I hope he can listen to the textbook CD and try to mimic the pronunciations he hears from the audio. Peter has always been one of my favorite people in class, good job Peter!

Paul continues to be too quiet in his English Time 4 class. He participates when called upon, but sometimes does not try to speak in English. I think his speaking needs to be practiced more in class, as well as his reading. Paul also forgets to complete his workbook homework occasionally. I need him to finish this homework in order to keep up with the rest of his class.

Arthur is working on his pronunciation, I can tell! This is great! He will improve if he keeps practicing! He enjoys reading in class, and I am happy to help him practice. He could get better at reading if he could read along with the book and CD at home. If he already does this, then basic conversation will help him practice his English. Arthur is a very hard worker, and I'm happy to be his teacher!

Jenny has great pronunciation, but in class she sometimes does not take my corrections very well. She should listen and try to pronounce words like her native English speaking teacher. Also sometimes in class she will work ahead of the lesson instead of listening and following along with the class. I would like Jenny to work with her teacher and classmates instead of working alone, that way she will not make any mistakes. Wonderful job on her speaking test this month!

Jean is a fun girl and uses good English pronunciation. But she has been disruptive in class and this is hampering her improvement as an English speaker. She walks around the classroom, and at other times just avoids completing work. I would like her to finish her homework on time and to be attentive in class. Her progress is limited if she continues to lack focus in class.

Nov 19 EL4

Julia has continued to have attention problems in class. The class will be doing an assignment, or speaking, or listening to the CD and Julia will be playing with her eraser or drawing on paper instead of participating. I have tried to keep her interested, but she is very easily distracted. Her pronunciation still needs to improve, and I have worked with her on pronouncing words better. She needs to focus to make real improvement.

Lucy had the best score on the speaking test, and she is a wonderfully behaved student in the classroom. She has been an ideal student and classmate, she stays on task and helps other students when they do not understand something. Lucy has very good pronunciation and a good listening ability, she should work on speaking in English whenever possible just to practice her conversation skills. Great work, Lucy! Thank you!

Julie is a good student, but sometimes she gets ahead of the syllabus and finishes her classwork before I teach that lesson. When she comes to class, she should be ready to do textbook assignments, not come to class with her assignments already completed. Her work is good, and she knows how to answer most questions, but I want her to do this work in class. Julie has a good listening ability, but sometimes she mixes up her speaking grammar. If Julie wants to do more work at home, I suggest she put in the student book CD and speak along with the conversations in each unit. Keep up the good work, Julie!

Sally has been much better behaved in class and I'm happy to say that she earned the best score on her writing test this month. Her attitude in class has improved and she has been much more productive and participated so much more, it has been very good for her! Sally still talks to her friends in class a lot, but she is still following the lesson. She needs to respect the pronunciation of English words and try harder to avoid her bad habit pronunciations. She can continue to improve! Keep it up!

Clementine tries very hard in class and always participates, but still likes to talk to her friends. I would like her to focus on her pronunciation, as it seems like she has a speech impediment. This makes it harder for her to pronounce certain words, but she can do it with more practice! Clementine always wants to volunteer and speak in class, this is one of her best traits and she is making so much progress with this positive attitude! Great job, Clementine!

David is severely distracted in class. His productivity and participation are waning because he cannot focus in the classroom. I have to hold his hand in order to keep his attention, and this is unacceptable considering that there is an entire classroom that I am responsible for. David needs to listen to his teacher in class, and he needs to leave distracting things like toys at home. He is intelligent, and can participate in the lessons when he tries, but getting him to focus is a large task. Come to class ready to listen and learn, David!

Joey is a good English speaker, and participates in class. He has a good attitude and appears to enjoy class. I would like him to work harder on his pronunciation, just like the rest of his class, he needs more practice. I would like Joey to read aloud with his student book CD at home for homework, and practice pronouncing words just as he hears them on the CD from the native speakers. This kind of practice will improve his speaking and listening skills, it is very easy and does not take a lot of time. Glad to have you in class, Joey!

Rick has had trouble participating in class. He seems disinterested in English, and only reads aloud in class when called upon. He is very distracted in class, and frequently talks to the other boys in class. He really needs to improve his pronunciation and reading comprehension skills. Sometimes I don't think he understands what he is reading.

Paul has had discipline problems in my class in the past few months, and I would like him to work on that. He is speaking in class, which is good but I want him to be able to speak to me using sentences instead of disjointed English words. Paul has a good understanding when he reads, but that is hard for him to express verbally. Please spend some time practicing English at home in order to improve! Read things out loud or repeat after the textbook's listening CD.

Denny completes her homework and participates in class, I'm very happy to teach her. When she reads in class, I don't think she understands all of what she's reading. I suggest that Denny work on reading English in order to improve her reading comprehension. She can do this by simply reading anything in English: news, books, magazines, comic books, anything that is written in English. If she is allowed to choose something interesting to read about, maybe she will become more interested in studying.

Harold broke his collar bone this month and that has really been helpful to keep his attitude in check. He is the troublemaker in class, but since he has been injured, his behavior has been very tame. With this new docile Harold, I can see that he understands English better than i thought. Speaking is not a problem for him, and he has little trouble reading, but his pronunciation can improve drastically. He will talk to me and mispronounce words so poorly that I will have to ask him to write them down. Work on this at home: read out loud, repeat English from the CD, even singing in English will help. Practice makes perfect, hope your bones heal quickly, Harold!

Mark has been the best student in his class. He is participating in class and avoiding speaking in Korean. His behavior has been far superior to his male classmates, so he stands out in a good way. I hope Mark is practicing his reading and pronunciation at home with the book and CD, because even though he is ahead of his classmates, he can still improve. Thanks for all the hard work in class, Mark!

Silver has been participating in class, but her attitude has been up and down. She will sometimes speak in Korean in class, but this is mostly to defend herself from her male classmates. She can improve her pronunciation as well as her listening skills. I will give her directions in class but she does not always understand. She should work with the CD at home when studying, this is an easy way to engage her listening comprehension.