Sweetness without sugar
Latin name: Eucalyptus olida
Also called Strawberry Gum.
One of the most surprising of the native flavours – a gum tree with a sweet, tangy scent.
Eating
- Forestberry Herb adds a sweet, tangy rich scent and flavour to dishes.
- Leaves can be used fresh or dried. Dried and ground is much more concentrated and sweet.
- Makes a fragrant tea.
- Mixes well with other herbs such as Lemon Myrtle.
- Also excellent in cosmetics such as soaps and potpourri due to the lovely scent.
- Forms one-half of our infused Lemonberry Sugar.
Growing
- Forestberry Herb is an elegant, fast-growing, gum tree.
- Does very well in cold temperate regions, as long as water is kept up in the initial planting stage.
- Frost-tolerant even when young, and grows in heavy clay soils with minimal rain.
- This is a tree, not a shrub, so not suitable to small yards.
- You will need to trim it regularly to keep the tree to a size suitable for harvesting the leaves regularly.
Harvesting and storage
- Use both whole and ground leaves, both fresh and dried.
- Leaves dry best in a cool, well-aired location. Keep out of direct sun or heat for the best result.
- If harvesting your own plant, try keeping leaves on pruned branches and placing in a vase with no water. Ensure good airflow around the stems and leaves to prevent mould.
- The result looks wonderful, and will give out a subtle scent over the next week or so as it gently dries.
- Leaves can also be dried at low heat in a dehydrator.
- Leaves can then be stripped off the stems and placed in an airtight container for storage.
- Whole leaves will keep their savour for a good 12 months, if need be.
- Grind by hand or in a high-powered blender and store in an airtight container.
- Ground leaves will retain the best scent for about three months.