Organic Mexican Tarragon - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

Mexican Tarragon, Tagetes lucida in Latin, is a perennial aromatic plant that can be used as a substitute for tarragon, but sparingly as its slightly aniseed aroma is powerful. This beautiful plant can reach a height of 50cm (20in) and offers pleasant summer flowering in yellow-orange. It is easy to grow but not very hardy and is best cultivated in a pot. Sow in April-May for a harvest from June to October the following year.

Also called Sweet Mace or Mexican Mint Marigold, Tagetes lucida is a perennial aromatic plant, originally from (not surprisingly) Latin America, where it was known, in the time of the Aztecs, as “Yauhtli” or “herb of the clouds” because it relieved those who were frightened by lightning. This sacred herb was also used for shamanic rituals.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family and has a branching habit that can reach 50 centimetres (20 inches) in height. Mexican Tarragon has dentate ovate leaves dotted with tiny vesicles containing its essential oil. It flowers in summer or autumn, often in small golden-yellow heads. The whole plant is fragrant and gives off a scent of tarragon mixed with aniseed.

In cooking, Mexican Tarragon can be used fresh or dried. It enhances many preparations such as vinaigrettes, Béarnaise sauce, fish, and poultry.

The leaves and flowers of Mexican Tarragon are used for their aromatic character, but they also have, when consumed in large quantities, entheogenic properties whose side effects are not well known. So use them sparingly, especially since their flavour is powerful.

In the garden Mexican Tarragon is grown in sunny, rich, light, and well-drained soil. It is hardy, but only to -5°C (23°F). In regions with harsh winters, cultivate it in a pot so that you can protect it from severe frost.

Harvest: It is harvested one year after sowing and harvesting extends over a long period, from June to October. Simply use scissors to cut the leaves and flowers.

Storage: It can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days or dried for a few months.

Gardener's tip: From the end of May we recommend mulching the soil with thin successive layers of grass clippings, if possible mixed with dead leaves. This protection, which keeps the soil moist and limits the need for watering, also reduces weeding. This mulch, if renewed at the end of autumn, also protects the plant from the cold.