Bee balm is a native North American plant in the mint family.  It is easy to grow in the garden and provides fodder for bees as well as flavorful herbs for the kitchen and the herbal apothecary.

Red Bergamot Mint (Monarda didyma) is one of the first mints I grew.  I started with a package of seeds from Richters Herbs.  In those days I knew very little about gardening and even less about herbal remedies.  But in that zone 7 garden near Vancouver, BC, I could grow almost anything, if I could keep the ginormous slugs away.

I planted it in a trash-picked, half barrel, filled with rich compost.  I sprinkled the whole package of tiny seeds over top.  In that rainforest climate, I didn’t need to water.  The plants thrived.

In the second year, the barrel was full of gorgeous 3 to 4 foot tall, red flowers that the hummingbirds loved.  It came back year after year much to my JOY.  I dug up a few roots when we moved to the mountains in 2003, in zone 3.  I still have those original plants growing and attracting pollinators.  But it’s only in the last 5 years that I’ve been bringing this prolific mint-family plant into the kitchen.

 

What’s special about Monarda or Bee Balm

Bee Balm or Monarda is a beautiful, and prolific mint family herb. It is a North American native plant and is beloved by native pollinators, butterflies, and hummingbirds.  Rich in thymol, the phenol that gives oregano and thyme their antimicrobial influence, bee balm can be used in many of the same ways as an herbalist would use oregano or thyme.  But where oregano is limited to zone 5 and higher, bee balm is hardy to zone 3, and found throughout North America.

Monarda has a fragrance that is similar to bergamot, the citrus used to flavor Earl Grey Tea, so it is sometimes called bergamot mint.  In fact, it was used by the Oswego First Nations for tea and thus was called Oswego Tea. Monarda is the native tea plant that the patriots turned to after the Boston Tea Party ended their supply of Asian Tea.

Varieties of Monarda to Plant

The different varieties of Monarda have slightly different flavor profiles, with Monarda didyma, the red flowered plant having a more citrus-like, bergamot flavor.  The mauve or pink flowered Bee Balm has a spicier flavor.  Monarda didyma and Mondarda fistulosa can be used interchangeably in home remedies.

There is a rose-scented sport of Monarda didyma that has a rosy flavor profile and is high in geraniol oil, the phenol that gives geraniums and roses their distinctive fragrance.  The flowers are lavender colored and it is hardy in zones 4 to 10.  It is also used in tea and for flavoring, but has a lower thymol content. Geraniol is also highly antimicrobial, antifungal, and digestive and is valued in skincare products.

There is also a lemon flavored annual Monarda, Monarda citriodora or Lemon Mint. The seeds should be started indoors 8 weeks before your last frost date in colder areas.  They take 110 to 120 days to bloom.  Sold for the cut flower trade, they aren’t the best choice for lazy gardening in short season areas.  They will not overwinter.

Medicinal benefits of Monarda spp.

Rich in aromatic essential oils, monarda is antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, vermifuge, respiratory, carminative digestive, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant.  It supports the immune system and is valued in traditional remedies for colds, flu, sinus congestion, whooping cough, and other upper respiratory problems.  It is also used to relieve gas, nausea, stomach upset, indigestion, and diarrhea.  A salve is made from it to help with skin infections, rashes, and wounds.  For more ideas on how to use this beneficial plant in herbal medicine check out this article from The Herbal Academy.

The flowers of Monarda range from deep red to pink and mauve and grow 3 to 5 feet tall in fertile soil.  The fragrance is spicy and floral.

All the above ground parts of the plant are edible and medicinal.  Monarda makes a lovely addition to salads, ices, and tea.  It is also a good herb to add to cooked meat, as the aromatic flavor is helpful for digestion.

You’ll find that the flavors of Monarda and bee balm vary with some tasting more floral and others tasting more spicy.  Your soil and growing conditions can affect the flavor.

Add Monarda to your pollinator garden or your hummingbird garden

What I love about Monarda is its ability to colonize an area and attract bumblebees, hoverflies, honey bees and other pollinators.  The red flowers of Monarda didyma are especially attractive to hummingbirds.

Monarda fistulosa is the native, mauve flowered, bee balm, hardy to zones 3 to 10. In my garden, it attracts native pollinators and is covered in bumblebees once the first blooms open in July.  Its leaves and flowers are spicy and stronger in flavor than Monarda didyma, the red flowered plant.  In my garden the red flowers of Monarda didyma are a magnet for hummingbirds, who can be seen circling the plant for hours, drawing nectar from the raggedy flowers.

 

 

It’s reported that both perennial Monarda varieties are prone to powdery mildew in the garden but I haven’t had any problems with it.  Keep the plants evenly moist and avoid overhead watering if possible to prevent powdery mildew from taking hold.

Space the plants 18 inches apart to give them good air circulation, and divide them every three years, to keep them healthy.  The center growth will stop growing and can be replaced with new side shoots to renew the Monarda patch every 2 or three years.

When starting plants from seed, Monarda needs to be stratified and is a light dependent germinator.  Sprinkle seeds on the ground where you want them to grow in early spring, or in the fall.  Don’t cover the seeds.  Plants will flower in their second year and continue flowering till a killing frost puts the plants into dormancy.

Monarda prefers moist, slightly acidic soil, rich in organic matter.  Plant it in full sun or partial shade. It takes 2 to 3 years for plants to mature.  Once mature they will provide a long season of flowers and leaves for harvest.  Harvesting the flowers just above a leaf junction will cause the plant to branch and increase the number of flowers for the bees and for you.

Wild pollinators gain a long blooming nectar source when you add Monarda to your pollinator garden

Using Monarda in the kitchen

But it’s not just the wild pollinators and hummingbirds that benefit when you plant Monarda.  The flowers and leaves are a welcome addition in the kitchen, as well.  A tasty pesto can be made from leaves and flowers.  Flowers can be added to salads for a colorful and spicy addition.  The leaves, chopped finely, can be used to flavor sauces, poultry, and red meat dishes.  Add the leaves to fish dishes for a citrusy lift.

One of my favorite ways to bring Monarda into the kitchen is by making Bee Balm infused vinegar.  I use white balsamic vinegar for this recipe as it has a milder flavor that allows the virtues of bee balm to shine. When Monarda or Bee Balm leaves and flowers are placed in white balsamic vinegar the color of the flowers transfers to the infusion, along with the flavor and fragrance, tinting the final product.

Print

Bee Balm Vinegar

Yield: 3 cups

Use this vinegar in salad dressings and meat marinades or as a basis for a cough relieving oxymel.  (Use 1 parts vinegar to 1 part honey to make an oxymel.)

• 4 cups finely chopped bee balm or Monarda leaves and flowers
• 3 cups of white balsamic vinegar

Put the Monarda leaves and flowers in a wide mouth quart jar.  Cover with cold white balsamic vinegar.

Cap the jar.  Set out of direct sunlight.

Shake once a day for 3 weeks.  The color of the vinegar will deepen.

Strain.  Pour into a dark bottle to protect from light.  Cap tightly with a corrosion resistant cap or a wine cork.  Label and date.

Vinegar can be used freely in cooking or salad dressings.

Contraindications:

Monarda is a member of the mint family.  Those who are allergic or sensitive to mint should use caution around bee balm or Monarda.

Monarda has not been tested medicinally for use during pregnancy or lactation.  Talk to your midwife before using medicinal amounts of Monarda if you are pregnant or nursing. Culinary use is fine.

 

The Herbal Handbook for Homesteaders

I recently read The Herbal Handbook for Homesteaders, Farmed and Foraged Herbal Remedies and Recipes by Abby Artemisia.  (Voyageur Press, 2019).  Ms. Artemisia discusses both bee balm and Monarda in her chapter on The Mints and Herbal Tea.  For those new to growing and using their own herbs, the book is a foundational resource for growing and using herbal remedies.

The book is divided into 6 chapters that include basic instructions on making many traditional herbal preparations including: herbal tea, skin soothing herbal remedies, pain relieving remedies, remedies for colds and flu, household cleaners, and culinary herbs.

With sweet line drawings, the appealing photography, the book offers step by step instructions for many basic herbal preparations.  If you were wondering how to make a poultice, herbal steam, a tincture, a liniment or another kind of herbal preparation, this book not only guides you through each step but also offers a list of herbs that are commonly used in that specific preparation.  Each chapter offers a brief material medica highlighting 7 garden herbs that are used within the chapter.   For instance, in the chapter on Immunity and Remedies (chapter 3) black walnut, echinacea, elderberry, mullein, sage, thyme, and yarrow are highlighted in alphabetical order.

Looks at 25+ herbs in detail

Each one page material medica entry contains growing conditions, as well as medicinal uses, and contraindications appropriate for a beginner to know.  The list of herbal benefits is truncated to only the herbal benefits that fit in with the chapter so this material medica should be taken as a jumping off point to further research, not the final word.

While there is one recipe for an herbal flea wash for dogs, the book is not a guide to using herbal remedies with livestock or family pets.  The “homestead” promise made by the title is limited to garden plants and family use.  So if you only have a backyard or access to a vacant lot, you shouldn’t be put off by the title.  The book is appropriate for the beginner forager and those just starting out making and using their own herbal remedies.

The experienced herb gardener and those who have experience making the most common herbal preparations may be disappointed though.  The growing and cultivation information for each herb is about the same as what you’d find inside a seed catalogue.  There’s no additional information beyond the growing zone and sun density requirements.  You’ll need to look up the actual seed germination requirements from another source.  Does it require light to germinate? Does it need stratification? Scarification?  The information on when to harvest the plant is also lacking.  How long does it take for the plant to mature before harvesting?  Do you harvest the flowers before they open or when they are fully open?  You’ll need an additional knowledge base for this critical information.

Would I recommend this book?

This book is a good beginner book for those wanting to get a first taste of making their own herbal remedies, growing herbs in their garden, or learning to forage a few easy to identify herbs. It lays out the basics in step by step fashion with illustrations to make it easy to understand and act on.  This is a must have skill for everyone and this book sets you on the right path to mastery.

If you love herbs and want to introduce this love to older children or grandchildren this book would be a good starting point and conversation spark.  It’s the kind of book to keep around for reference when you need just a few remedies and need to know which garden plant is the right one to harvest for a specific remedy.

However, as you gain experience with herbs, you’ll want to add a broader herbal to your library – one that lets you look up various complaints and gives you the remedies that will help.  This book may be the spark that lights the fire to further study.

Monarda in the garden

Monarda is the perfect herb to pair with anise hyssop in a border along with echinacea, offering you herbs to gather for tea, the foundation for an herbal apothecary, a pollinator habitat, and increased biodiversity in your garden.

 

 

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher.  This review is my honest opinion of the work.