Sweet Gale, catkin

What is sweet gale?

Sweet gale, also called bayberry, is used mainly in cooking to season all sorts of dishes, such as stews les soupes or game. The catkins are used in craft and microbrewery beer, where they add flavour and help the head form. Sweet gale catkins can also be infused for an excellent boreal tea from right here.

What is the difference between sweet gale catkins and leaves?

The taste is much the same. The catkins, though, are more intense — peppery and strongly of the forest.

How do you use sweet gale catkins?

1. As an infusion : Alone or blended with other northern plants, it makes a fragrant, calming tea.
   
   
2. In cooking : fresh or dried, the catkins can scent marinades, soups or sauces with a subtle aromatic note.
   
   
3. En parfumerie naturelle : used in scented sachets or infused oils, sweet gale catkins give off a woody, bracing fragrance.
   
   
4. In home skincare : with its purifying properties, it can be added to creams or lotions to revive the skin and scalp.
   
   

More on this

This is an astringent plant, meaning it tightens the mucous membranes of the mouth. It is also abortifacient if taken during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Sweet gale was once used to repel insects, and to make dye. If you walk in Québec forests you have almost certainly passed it. The same goes if you canoe on our lakes, where it grows along the edges — and where you have probably got your boat stuck in a stand of it.

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