The Salubrious Sassafras

The Salubrious Sassafras Several years ago, a Kentucky mountain man reflected, "During the Depression some folks lived pretty good on sassafras tea, sorghum, and cornbread. Nothing wrong with that!" Indeed. Whether good times or bad, it is known that sassafras tea has been used as a stimulating drink since the sixteenth century. What could be more heartening than entering the house on a cold, wintry day to encounter the heady aroma from a pot of the tea steaming atop a woodburning stove? I get sassafras at Granny's Cove, small sassafras shoots often crop up in the old sled roads interlacing the hills. Distinctive handmitten-shaped leaves and aromatic twigs make them instantly identifiable . After a good rain soaks the forest floor, pull up the small plants when they are a foot or so high, take them to the cabin to chop off the root ends with the hatchet, and scrub them thoroughly at the spring branch runoff. Then spread them to dry naturally and, when brittle, put them in glass jars to store in a dark cupboard. To make the tea, boil in water until it becomes a rich red color. Just a few root pieces will make several cups of tea and can be reused for a milder flavor. Just the thing to cure those winter doldrums or provide a spring tonic. This tea can be also used to make a spicy jelly to serve as a meat condiment. If you don't have time to gather your own, sassafras root bark for tea is available at most grocery stores. Ruth Trimble Dried sassafras leaves, rubbed to a powder and sifted, constitute the file ' used by Creole cooks to thicken their famous gumbos. It is just as effective as flour or cornstarch in thickening soups, gravies, and stews, while adding a subtle flavor all its own. Fresh new green leaves can be added to other edible wild greens in the spring. Sassafras has many other uses. Hikers and deer alike find the tender shoots a refreshing nibble. Many animals and birds dote on the dark blue fruits in their scarlet cups. The wood shrinks less than other woods and is used in making furniture , especially storage chests as a protection against moths. Hobbyists use the wood for float-stream paddles. Sassafras oil (safrole) is no longer used commercially for soft drinks or candies but can be found at some natural food stores. A few drops of the oil impart a tantalizing fragrance to homemade lye soap. The oil and leaves have proven effective in discouraging ants and other insects. A spoonful of the bark adds a woodsy filip to a potpourri simmerer. During colonial days sassafras was used to make dyes. If your are not familiar with the growing sassafras, look for it in the fall. The leaf color is spectacular—red, orange, yellow, plum, and maroon. Sometimes a mixture of these colors will appear while some of the leaves are still green. Truly, its many unique aspects and assets ensure that the sassafras is in a class by itself. 47 ...