GARDEN OFFERS REMEDIES

Sunny's search for epazote, a Mexican herb, leads her to a medicinal herbalist's enchanting kitchen garden.

What began as a simple morning jaunt to last Saturday's Farmers Market turned into a memorable afternoon adventure.  Readers may recall that several Chile Knights columns ago I mentioned epazote, a pungent, strongly flavored Mexican herb often used in bean dishes.  Epazote [eh-pah-ZOH-teh] is carminative; that is, it acts as an anti-gas agent especially when combined with beans.  It's also used to complement chile dishes &  to make Mexican tea, enjoyed by many for its alleged soothing qualities.

Several readers phoned to ask where epazote could be purchased locally. VanWinkles IGA carries the spice dried and Las Crucen Marlyse Klepper offered that it could be purchased, fresh (in-season) and in the dried form from the "herb lady" at the Farmer's Market.

Anxious to test epazote's reputation in a black bean dish, I visited the market and met the "herb lady," Bonnie Ochoa, 77.  "A man just came here and bought my last five packages," she said.  Disappointed, I mumbled - actually it was more of a whine - "But I was going to use it in a bean dish today."  "You need it today? Here's my card. Come by my house after 3 and I'll snip you some fresh. But I don't have much," she warned.

At the specified time, I pulled in front of Bonnie's home - a big sunny yellow sign announced her business:  El Vajio Herb Shop.  Bonnie came out to greet me and led me to her kitchen garden where a gaggle of fragrant herbs sprouted hither and thither in freshly moistened earth.

"Here's your epazote," she said, pointing to a clump of burgeoning pale green serrated leaves.  She plucked a handful and passed them to me.  The sturdy leaves exuded a strong, lemon-like odor. The plant, indigenous to Central and Southern Mexico, is today commonplace in the United States and Europe. The word itself -  epazote - comes from Nahuatl, the tongue spoken by the Aztecs before the arrival of the Spanish.

The weedy-like herb is easy to grow from seeds or cuttings and flourish in full sun.  Frequent pruning helps maintain an attractive shape, encourages growth and prevents flowering and the resultant spread of seeds in the garden.

After browsing through her enchanting garden patch, I was invited into Bonnie's herb shop, which resembles an old-fashion general store. But rather than penny candy, anise sticks and licorice, broad glass jars brim with over 100 different dried herbs.  A shelf is lined with a sundry of colorful tonics and a poster of the human body, prescribing different herbs for different ailments, hangs on a door.

Bonnie, a retired nurse, is a herbalist (yerberas in Spanish), a believer that herbs, when used correctly, are safer and more effectual than many conventional drugs.  Born and raised in an adobe just two houses from where she now resides, Bonnie says with pride, "I've never had a shot.  And I've never had an operation." Her mother grew culinary and medicinal herbs in the home garden. "Herbs are not narcotic.  If you take a pill for something, it hurts something else. You don't worry about herbs doing that if you use it right."  More and more, Bonnie said, people are turning to herbs as an alternative form of medicine.  She has sold herbal concoctions for 18 years at her shop and at the Farmers Market and boasts regular customers locally and across the United States. "The epazote works. You'll see," she said, waving as I drove away.

Back home, I prepared the black bean dish punctuated with epazote, a combo that was deliciosa. And, yes, the herb lady was right - epazote is a gas buster.

Visit Bonnie at the Farmers Market on Wednesday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.  When she's not at the market, Bonnie's at El Vajio Herb Shop 4884 S. Hwy 28, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. She can be reached at (505) 526-8946.

FRET-FREE BLACK BEANS (makes 6 servings)

2 cups of dry black beans
2 T lard or bacon drippings (bacon's best) or other fat
1 medium size white onion, diced
2 tsp. salt
3 roasted, peeled, seeded and halved Sandia chiles (or other chile)
2 sprigs epazote or teaspoons dried epazote
1 T fresh lemon juice (brings out the flavor of epazote)

Pick over and rinse beans.  Place rinsed beans into a Dutch oven and add 6 cups of water. Soak beans for six hours.  Drain and return to Dutch oven. Add fat, salt, and chiles. Partially cover with lid.  Simmer over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally until beans are tender, about 1 to 2 hours. During last 30 minutes, add epazote and fresh lemon juice.  (Add hot water as necessary to cover beans by 1/2 inch.) To serve, sprinkle with asadero cheese and epazote leaves.

EPAZOTE TEA (makes two cups)
2 large stems and leaves of fresh epazote
2 cups boiling water
Lemon (optional)
Add epazote to boiling water and let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for another 3 minutes. Strain and serve.