Wet Sassafras

Today’s photo is the leaves of a sassafras tree, wet from the storm that I got last evening. The leaves are often described as being a mitten shape, though I've never had a pair of mittens with three fingers. Apparently some of the leaves do have two lobes instead of three, but I don't think I've seen that on any of the local trees.


When I was a kid my dad would pluck a leaf and let me chew on the end of it, the way you might chew on a blade of grass. The flavor is wonderful, kind of minty in a way, though without quite as “bright” a tang to it. The roots were used to make sassafras tea and were at one time the flavoring in root beer. Now I read that sassafras is considered toxic and it is banned from food substances in Canada and the U.S. It was found to cause liver damage, though I suspect you'll need to do more than occasionally chew on the end of one. If there’s anything left with sassafras flavor in it, it cannot be made with real sassafras. All I can say is that I’m still here, though I’ve never gobbled sassafras in any amount. Chewing on a leaf once a year is about my limit. The oil is still used in some fragrances, though.

And did I mention rain again? I’m now up to day 3 with my laundry still on the line. Last evening, if I’d gotten home 5 minutes earlier, I could have had it off the line and in the drawer. Instead, it was doused with nearly an inch of rain. This is starting to be kind of funny. I wonder if tomorrow will be the day….