I'd like to grow Bergamot to flavor my black tea so it'll taste like Earl Grey. Where can I order plants/seeds? Will it grow in zone 7? I've heard of a wild bergamot--will it taste like the cultivated stuff?

Thanks,

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), February 03, 2002

Answers

Response to I want to grow Bergamot--where do I get it?

OK, I did a Google search and am finding the answer on my own, but I'd love to hear from anyone here who grows it. After I posted here I got scared of Mitc...um, the forum appropriate questions police;) and realized I could get the answer off the 'net myself. Just good- humoredly joking about the police bit, so don't take offence--I love everyone here and am very thankful for you all!

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), February 03, 2002.

Response to I want to grow Bergamot--where do I get it?

I grow bergamot and would be glad to send you some but it won't be up around here until May, at the earliest. If you want to wait that long and it made it through the winter let me know. I've gotten many herbs at Nichols in Oregon.

Nichols Garden Nursery 1190 Old Salem Road NE Albany, Oregon 97321-4580 Toll Free Orders: 1 (866) 408-4851 1 (800) 422-3985 Fax: 1 (800) 231-5306

-- Anna in Iowa (countryanna54@hotmail.com), February 03, 2002.

Response to I want to grow Bergamot--where do I get it?

I forgot to give you their web address.

http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/

-- Anna in Iowa (countryanna54@hotmail.com), February 03, 2002.

FYI, bergamot also goes by the names bee balm and Monarda. The tea that is made from the leaves is called Oswego tea.

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), February 03, 2002.

Liz, what does sexual harrasment have to do with a homesteading forum?? Isn't there a soapopera forum somewhere? What steps on my tail the most is that I see the same questions over and over and over and over and over; its a total waste of space and time. Why do people keep raising the same questions? How many times has the question been: Help, my well is cutting on and off every five minutes? Or my goat is sick, what do I do? The answers are posted, many times over; people ignore the entry info which suggests reading the old answers rather than adding new questions. If I ran this forum, there would be a time delay, and an automatic answer refering to the archives for keywords in questions.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), February 03, 2002.

Some of we newer ones don't have all the answers Elizabeth like older ones do and isn't it always nice the way they welcome us! It would be nice if someone could explain the way to use archives etc., instead of slamming everything we ask but alas, it's more fun to for some to be extremely superior!

I thought this was a nice place to visit but in the last few days I've been wondering why.

-- Anna in Iowa (countryanna54@hotmail.com), February 03, 2002.

I thought there was oil of bergamot in Earl Grey tea. Oil of bergamot is harvested from a citrus tree that is native to Spain. You can get the oil here in the states though. I've heard of various plants that people say are Earl Grey plants. I don't know anything about them though.

-- pc (pc@nowhere.com), February 03, 2002.

Mitch, I am really very sorry for my thoughtless "joke." I was in a good mood and just mistakenly thought it was amusing. I never have been known for sparkling wit and a fine tuned sense of humor--the truth is, my husband has asked me not to try to be funny around our friends anymore.

I wasn't referring to the sexual harassment thing at all; I just remembered a few threads where you seemed irritated that people didn't do their own searches, if I remember correctly. I tend to rather thoughtlessly come to this forum and post questions that I could look up the answer to myself, and with the Bergamot I realized *after* I posted that I ought to check Google.com and see what I might find.

I didn't mean any offense and I'll try to think before I write next time

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), February 04, 2002.

Anna, thank you for your offer--if I don't find some closer and sooner I'll take you up on it!

And I'm sure noone here has all the answers! It's confusing that the archives aren't called archives, but "older messages," and it would be nice if there were a big bold link to them at the top of the forum that couldn't be missed. I think this is a great place but it's a public place and there are a lot of different personalities here. Sometimes everything is great for a long time and then for a while people get on each others' nerves.

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), February 04, 2002.

It is not as easy to look up archived messages as you might think. A lot of questions don't even mention the subject, for one thing, and there are an awful lot of things under miscellaneous. Not complaining, just stating a fact. Some questions aren't easily categorized under the available subjects.

So, in some cases, it is easier just to do an internet search, but not as friendly!

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), February 04, 2002.

What is the benefit of drinking bergamont tea? I know that some of the herbal tea, when you drink too much of it, is liver toxic. I want to develop my herbal garden next season, do you know of any website,to buy herbs and such ? About nasty messages, I think must of them are from young people, but there is two things you could do. 1.ignore them completly like I do. When I receive nasty e-mails I block the sender. 2. Report them to Mark (I believe thats the name of this site supervisor) 3. If harasment is involve, well then you have to contact Mark and the FBI. They could trace the nasty e-mail and do something about it, like sending letter to their employers, and so. Good Luck! I love this site. And like I always say, is a window for homesteading, when we open it we get a lot of light, and also some flies. Ralph.

-- Ralph Roces (rroces1@yahoo.com), February 04, 2002.

There are many different varieties of Monarda and they are beautiful as well as useful. Many nurseries that sell herbs, sell Bee Balm. Scarlett Queen, I believe, is a popular one. The wild variety has the same flavor, maybe not exactly, but you will recognize it as the same genus. The bergamot that flavors Earl Grey tea is a different plant, however, the flavor is close enough to make a very good tea. The plants are truly beautiful and the hummingbirds, bees and butterflies love them. Monardas do have medicinal uses, mostly for stomach complaints, though certain Native Americans used Bee Balm for colds and fevers. I don't think that posting this information hurt anyone and least of all me. I enjoy a chance to flex my mind a little now and then, I learn as well as teach and isn't that what teaching is about? Why is it a problem to ask the same question over and over? Isn't this forum a place to share information and experience? If no one asked questions, who would post and why? Personally, I would rather ask a friend with experience first and then do my own research using what I learned from my friend as a starting point. I do not mean to criticize anyone, I just do not understand why anyone would be annoyed about an honest, sincere question. Conversation is made up of sharing knowledge, experiences, ideas and opinions. If the conversation is not of interest to me, I simply ignore it and do not get involved. So, please do not chastise people for asking questions, by doing that you might deprive someone on the list of a chance to share what they know and make a contact that is important to them. I do not have a lot to share about homesteading, but I know about herbs, wild plants, spinning wool and a few other things. By answering questions about what I know it allows me to give back something to the list where I learn so much ... the only contribution I can make. If anyone has questions about the things that I know, I am happy to answer ... even if someone else asked yesterday. Nichol's is a great place to buy herbs, etc. Fedco has seeds for Monarda didyma and Monarda fistulosa. Richter's also sell several varieties of Bergamot.

-- nancy (stoneground@catskill.net), February 04, 2002.

If we all had to search the archives first to see if a question had been answered already after a few years forums like this would have very little traffic since it's fairly seldom that something truly new comes along.

The questions largely stay the same but the answers aren't necessarily so static. The state of knowledge changes, experience begins to affect perspective, and new people with new skills, experiences and insights arrive that weren't here before when a question was asked the first (or first six) time who have something new to share. How will we know this if no one is allowed to ask a question if it's been asked before?

There's also the matter of the search fuction being somewhat clumsy and many folks not being aware that it's even possible.

When things begin to look too repetitive to me I start looking for new pastures. In a few weeks or months I come back to the old forums and things don't look so same-old, same-old.

Now as for bergamot, I see it pretty commonly in the nurseries here in North Florida but have never looked at mail order sources. Personally don't care for the taste. It does grow well though and supposedly has some insect repellant qualities.

........Alan.

-- Alan (athagan@atlantic.net), February 04, 2002.

I guess the question about bergamot has been answered well.

You know, I was hesitant to ask a quesstion about gout this weekend because I wondered if someone was going to jump on me for it. I looked in the archives a bit before getting brave and posting. I thought for certain someone would get their knickers all twisted. Guess I lucked out!

-- Ardie/WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), February 04, 2002.

Bountiful Gardens. Bees and hummingbirds and butterflies love it!!!

-- marcee (thathope@mwt.net), February 04, 2002.

The herb bergamot is NOT what is used to flavour Earl Grey tea. Oil of bergamot is, and that is indeed the oil of a citrus fruit. You can order it from Frontier Products. It is quiet expensive, but you don't need a lot for each batch. (I am the founder and now former owner of the Teahouse Kuan Yin in Seattle -- we made our own Earl Grey blend, so I do know whereof I speak.) People do drink an infusion of bergamot herb, but it doesn't taste like much of anything.

-- snoozy (bunny@northsound.net), February 06, 2002.