Eastern Herb Salad

Another recipe that I want to try, it looks really healthy and good!

Eastern Herb Salad

Ingredients:
*1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded, and diced
*salt and pepper
*3 tbsp. olive oil
*3 pita breads, toasted and broken into small pieces, or 5 slices of white bread, toasted and cut into strips
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*juice of 1 lemon
*2 tbsp. young Gotu kola leaves, roughly chopped
*4 tbsp. purslane leaves, removed from their stalks and chopped (or baby spinach)
*2 tbsp. flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
*2 tbsp. cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
*2 tbsp. mint, roughly chopped
*1 red onion, finely chopped
*5 ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped

Directions:
1) Place the diced cucumber in a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for 20 minutes.
2) Toast the the bread. In a large bowl, mix together the garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil to make a dressing.
3) Add the herbs, the diced vegetables, the pieces of bread and toss well to coat with the dressing.
4) Season with salt and pepper, serve immediately. The salad does not keep. Enjoy!

I got this recipe from: Jekka McVicar, The Complete Herb Book, pg. 77

For additional information, see: references and warnings

Gotu kola

Name:
*Gotu kola (Centella asiatica)

Description:
*tropical perennial plant
*grows similar to strawberries
*best in zone 8 or higher
*happy in containers, very pretty in hanging baskets

Parts Used:
*whole plant, esp. leaves, fresh or dried

Position:
*natural habitat: damp places
*also eaily grown in a large pot or a garden with well-drained sandy soil enriched with compost and kept moist
*full sun to light shade

Propagation:
*can be propagated by seed, but more easily grown from rooted sections with at least one attached plantlet
*will reseed itself in warmer climates
*divide in the summer

Maintenance:
*regularly water and weed
*feed regularly with liquid fertilizer (such as fish emulsion) from spring until fall, especially if you are growing it in a container and especially if you are picking its' leaves regularly
*if you have a cooler climate than zone 8, you can grow it, but make sure you cover it in the winter. It will probably die back but it will regrow in the spring. It tolerates temps as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, cover it or plant in a pot and bring it in during cooler weather

Harvesting:
*harvest the leaves and use them fresh as required
*dry the leaves by spreading them in a single layer out of the direct sunlight on a cookie sheet/tray, then store them in an airtight container

Medicinal:
*effective nerve tonic that calms and strengthens nerve and brain cells
*improves memory
*reduces anxiety
*possibly good for arthritis
*use new leaves instead of mature ones whenever possible

Culinary:
*add leaves to salads, sandwiches, and stir fries for a slightly spicy flavor

For additional information, see: references and warnings