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Cowslip
Botanical: Primula veris
Family: N.O. Primulaceae
Early in the spring, the Cowslip produces its first leaves. All the leaves lie nearly flat on the ground in a rosette, from the centre of which rises a long stalk, crowned by the flowers, which spring all from one point, in separate little stalks, and thus form an 'umbel.'
The flowers have a very distinctive and fresh fragrance and somewhat narcotic juices,
often used in making the fermented liquor called Cowslip Wine. It is made from the 'peeps,' i.e. the yellow petal rings, in the following way: A gallon of 'peeps' with 4 lb. of lump sugar and the rind of 3 lemons is added to a gallon of cold spring water. A cup of fresh yeast is then included and the liquor stirred every day for a week. It is then put into a barrel with the juice of the lemons and left to 'work.' When 'quiet,' it is corked down for eight or nine months and finally bottled. The wine should be perfectly clear and of a pale yellow
color and has almost the value of a liqueur.
Young Cowslip leaves were at one time eaten in salads and mixed with other herbs to stuff meat, the flowers
often made into a delicate conserve. Cowslip salad from the petals, with white sugar, is said to make an excellent and refreshing dish.
Children delight in making Cowslip Balls from the flowers. The umbels are picked off close to the top of the main
flower stalk and about fifty to sixty are hung across a string which may be stretched for convenience between the backs of two chairs. The flowers are then pressed carefully together and the string tied tightly so as to collect them into a ball. Care must be taken to choose only such heads or umbels in which all the flowers are open, as otherwise the surface of the ball will be uneven.
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