Borage or Starflower

This morning I went for a walk in the neighborhood across West Union Rd, where they have a wonderful community garden. I was delighted to see many flowering herbs and lots of beautiful poppies! I had no idea what this plant was, until I arrived home and did some research. It is such a beautiful flower, but Borage or Starflower is also a medicinal herb.

Vegetable use of borage is common in Germany, in the Spanish regions of Aragón and Navarra, in the Greek island of Crete and in the Italian northern region Liguria. Although often used in soups, one of the better known German borage recipes is the Green Sauce (Grüne Soße) made in Frankfurt. In Italian Liguria, borage is commonly used as filling of the traditional pasta ravioli and pansoti.

The leaves and flowers were originally used in Pimms before it was replaced by mint or cucumber peel. It is used to flavour pickled gherkins in Poland.

After my morning walk, we headed out to see Whitaker Pond near Portland International Airport. It was beautiful today and so different from my last visit when I saw so many swallows. This time, there were more ducks, and lots of new flowers, including the yelow iris lining the edge of the pond.

To see more of my photos from today, CLICK HERE!