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sarsaparilla
I am trying to find a source for sarsaparilla for us to grow - We are
in Southern Mississippi... we love root beer, and my sister has started making teas with what she finds at the herb shops, but we want to grow it, not buy it in bulk... I have searched Burpee's, and done google searches looking for a source... does anyone have ideas on where to obtain some? |
"Bear Drummer" wrote in message ups.com... I am trying to find a source for sarsaparilla for us to grow - We are in Southern Mississippi... we love root beer, and my sister has started making teas with what she finds at the herb shops, but we want to grow it, not buy it in bulk... I have searched Burpee's, and done google searches looking for a source... does anyone have ideas on where to obtain some? When I was a young boy, we had a terrible storm in Kentucky where we lived. The wind had blow down many trees including a Sarsaparilla tree. (At least that's what my grand dad called it) He cut off several of the roots and boiled them in a large kettle of water and added a lot of sugar. Best root beer I have ever drank. I don't know if you can find sarsaparilla herbs, but I have found a concentrated liquid form in the food stores that can be diluted and brewed into a good non carbonated drink. |
"Bear Drummer" wrote in message ups.com... I am trying to find a source for sarsaparilla for us to grow - We are in Southern Mississippi... we love root beer, and my sister has started making teas with what she finds at the herb shops, but we want to grow it, not buy it in bulk... I have searched Burpee's, and done google searches looking for a source... does anyone have ideas on where to obtain some? Think it is frowned upon today as possible carcinogen: http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b.../Risk/risk.htm Safrole is the offending ingredient but I see here it is also in black pepper. Oh well, Frank |
On 4/28/05 2:02 PM not too long ago, Bear Drummer attempted to enlighten
me, thusly: I am trying to find a source for sarsaparilla for us to grow - We are in Southern Mississippi... we love root beer, and my sister has started making teas with what she finds at the herb shops, but we want to grow it, not buy it in bulk... I have searched Burpee's, and done google searches looking for a source... does anyone have ideas on where to obtain some? You are looking for the wrong thing, I believe. Sarsaparilla is a vine and not really used to make root beer. You are most likely thinking of the Sassafras tree whose roots are used to make "root" beer. In your searches did you find this?: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_354.html |
Bear Drummer wrote:
I am trying to find a source for sarsaparilla for us to grow - We are in Southern Mississippi... we love root beer, and my sister has started making teas with what she finds at the herb shops, but we want to grow it, not buy it in bulk... I have searched Burpee's, and done google searches looking for a source... does anyone have ideas on where to obtain some? Sarsaparilla is an extract from the roots of Smilax officinalis. Its use in root beer was for the foam (head) it creates, not for its flavoring. You want either sasparilla (different from sarsaparilla) or sassafras, each of which (or together in combination) have been used to FLAVOR root beer. Sasparilla is extracted from the roots of Aralia nudicaulis, a perennial. Sassafras is extracted from the roots of Sassafras officinale or Sassafras albidum, both of which are trees. Sarsaparilla, sasparilla, and sassafras are all toxic in significant quantities. Thus, care should be taken in how strong you make your root beer and how much you drink in a day. Producers of illegal drugs use safrole and isosafrole, derived from the oil of sassafras root bark, as a precursor in the manufacture of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (known as MDMA, ecstasy, XTC, and Adam). The use of sassafras as a flavoring was banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1960 after safrole was found to be hepatocarcinogenic (liver-cancer-causing) in the rat. -- David E. Ross Climate: California Mediterranean Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19) Gardening pages at URL:http://www.rossde.com/garden/ |
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"Bear Drummer" wrote in message ups.com... I am trying to find a source for sarsaparilla for us to grow - We are in Southern Mississippi... we love root beer, and my sister has started making teas with what she finds at the herb shops, but we want to grow it, not buy it in bulk... I have searched Burpee's, and done google searches looking for a source... does anyone have ideas on where to obtain some? that would be the sassafras tree. And you'd have to boil the whole damn thing to get a toxic ticturn. And the person saying there was something at the store, is speaking of the bottled concentrate (it's not THAT strong) is called "Pappy Sassafras" and it's safe to use. I would suspect living in Mississippi youi have it growing in the woods and just don't know it. Ask an older person. They'll point out the palmate leaves and you can dig up a sapling. I have six of them given me by the southern fairies and will encourage them to grow as they are also beautiful trees in the fall. madgardener |
"madgardener" wrote in message ... "Bear Drummer" wrote in message ups.com... I am trying to find a source for sarsaparilla for us to grow - We are in Southern Mississippi... we love root beer, and my sister has started making teas with what she finds at the herb shops, but we want to grow it, not buy it in bulk... I have searched Burpee's, and done google searches looking for a source... does anyone have ideas on where to obtain some? that would be the sassafras tree. And you'd have to boil the whole damn thing to get a toxic ticturn. And the person saying there was something at the store, is speaking of the bottled concentrate (it's not THAT strong) is called "Pappy Sassafras" and it's safe to use. I would suspect living in Mississippi youi have it growing in the woods and just don't know it. Ask an older person. They'll point out the palmate leaves and you can dig up a sapling. I have six of them given me by the southern fairies and will encourage them to grow as they are also beautiful trees in the fall. madgardener The Root Beer Concentrate I wrote about is called just that "Root Beer Concentrate" It is from McCormick. A 2.0 Ounce bottle of concentrate will make 5 Gallons of Root Beer. That seems pretty strong to me! A URL for this product may be found at: http://www.mccormick.com/productdetail.cfm?id=6033 |
Anyone who has ever pulled up a sassafras sapling knows instantly that the
roots smell exactly like root beer......They grow like weeds in the woods of the Southeast. However, I didn't know this until I started clearing some underbrush from the woods behind my house in north Florida. |
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therein lies the problem... I don't know anyone who knows.... it does
make it difficult to locate... |
"Bear Drummer" wrote in message ps.com... therein lies the problem... I don't know anyone who knows.... it does make it difficult to locate... You may buy a Sassafras tree from Nature Hills Nursery. The price for a 4' tree is $21.95 + delivery. Copy the URL below into your browser for more details. http://www.naturehills.com/new/product/productdetails.aspx?proname=Sassafras+Tree&ovchn=G GL&ovcpn=Trees&ovcrn=sasafras+tree&ovtac=PPC |
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lgb expounded:
OTOH, if you live where sassafras doesn't grow, make friends with a rebel, you damyankee :-). We're yankees up here, fer sher, and we've got plenty of sassafras growing around here... -- Ann, gardening in Zone 6a South of Boston, Massachusetts e-mail address is not checked ****************************** |
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