FR: Frene GER: Esche IT: Frassino SP: Fresno
BOT: Fraxinus excelsior FAM: Oleaceae
The shoots and ‘keys’ when young can be used in salads – dressed with oil and vinegar. In France, the leaves are sometimes used to make a fermented drink – frenette. If first boiled till tender in plenty of water to remove bitterness, the keys make an excellent pickle in salted spiced vinegar.
In Italy, both the leaves and the fruit are infused to make a tea (one tablespoon to a cup of boiling water), which is refreshing as well as diuretic and mildly laxative. The use of herbs in country medicine frequently overlaps with their uses in the kitchen.
