Let's Talk About: Goldenrod

He is everywhere.

Waving at me from above the blue and purple chicory, teasing me, dancing behind the brown grasses drying in the autumn sun.

Goldenrod, Solidago, Golden Dagger!

Many people take one look at Goldenrod and run in the other direction, sneezing and coughing, but Goldenrod is NOT the source of your autumnal allergies.  Poor showy Goldenrod has the bright, obvious flowers and so gets blamed. The big yellow flowers do not have airborne pollen, so you'd have to put the flowers IN your nose to cause a reaction (watch out for hornets).

The plant to blame is Ragweed - this sneaky plant is small, green, and unassuming, but the pollen blown on the breeze irritates many, many people.  Ragweed and Goldenrod do tend to grow near each other in ditches and fields, hence the confusion.

The worst part is that Goldenrod is one of those cures that grows with the ailment, and it actually offers great relief for sinus allergy sufferers.

(Read more to see a recipe for Goldenrod Infused Honey...)
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