The burnet is a very easy to care for and undemanding plant that can also be easily planted in your own garden. Here you can find out under which conditions the herbaceous plant grows best.
The burnet, as the small burnet is also known, is a popular classic in the famous Frankfurt green sauce. Unfortunately, the small herb is hardly known nowadays, but the plant has an excellent taste. You wouldn't believe these little papers, but they have a very strong taste. They have a spicy note and a slightly bitter aftertaste.
The burnet burnet (Sanguisorba minor) is not only suitable for the green sauce, but also gives quark, dips, yoghurts and dressings a wonderful taste. Be sure to try the spicy herb once. Planted in a herb garden, the plant is also a real visual highlight.
➜ An enrichment in the herb bed
The undemanding burnet grows well in sunny to partially shaded and warm locations. So that it can develop its typical taste, a slightly moist, calcareous and nutrient-rich soil is important. You can harvest the young leaves from early summer to autumn and use them, for example, as an ingredient in the well-known Frankfurt green sauce.
For people who don't like cooking: the burnet burnet is a pretty eye-catcher in the garden or in a pot on the balcony with its fresh green leaves and delicate greenish-brown flowers.
| Pimpinelle (Sanguisorba minor) | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | upright, clumpy |
| Growth: | 35 - 40 cm |
| Growth: | 25 - 35 cm |
| Flower: | greenish-brown, May to August |
| Location: | Sun to partial shade |
| Floor: | dry, permeable, neutral to calcareous |
➜ Sow your own burnets or buy seedlings
You can sow the burnet directly outdoors or cultivate it in a pot.
In nurseries you can get seedlings that you can plant from April or May. It is sown in April. In the potsprinkle the seeds loosely and cover them thinly with soil. In the garden, make furrows two centimeters deep and about 25 centimeters apart between rows. 20 seeds per meter are sufficient. Then cover with soil and water. The seeds will germinate within a week or two.
Then separate the young plants about 25 centimeters apart, leaving only the strongest. The distance to the neighboring plant ensures sufficient ventilation and prevents pest infestation. The burnet forms very strong taproots, later transplanting is difficult. Therefore sow immediately at the final location.
➜ Location and soil for the burnet
Sun or semi-shade - both are possible. The burnet makes no great demands on the soil. It does well in a calcareous, moist garden soil. In the wild, the plant also grows on dry soil, but then the fine taste is not as pronounced. With mature compost and horn shavings you ensure the right mix of nutrients.
➜ Further care measures
Casting
Keep the soil always moist, the burnet needs water regularly. Water from below to keep leaves dry.
» pruning
If you want to use the leaves for seasoning, cut off the blossoms. This intensifies the aroma in the leaves. In addition, by pruning the flowers early, you prevent the plant from sowing itself and starting to proliferate; Otherwise you'll soon have a lot of burnets in your garden.
If you cut back the perennial vigorously at the end of July/beginning of August, it will sprout again. You can then harvest well into the fall.
» Harvest
As soon as a number of leaves have formed, you can harvest continuously: This is usually the case from May/June. Only the young leaves are used, older leaves are hard and not tasty. The burnet leaves taste best when freshly plucked and chopped up. You can also dry the harvest, freeze it or use it to flavor vinegar.
» Overwintering
The plant is hardy and does not need any special protection. However, the potency decreases with older plants, and the typical taste also gradually disappears. Sow fresh every two or three years and dig up the old plants.
By the way, the leaves taste tender and mild like cucumbers and are among the herbs that should not be cooked. Always use freshly chopped at the end of the preparation, then it unfoldsthe flavor best. Pimpinelle goes wonderfully with salads and vegetable dishes, as well as with cold and warm sauces. The flowers are also edible when they are freshly opened.
Coming soon:
- Sow directly outdoors in April
- Plants in pots also possible
- Sunny to semi-shady location, moist soil
- Water regularly
- Cut the flowers to intensify the aroma