IL marshmallows are a 4000 year old food beginning in ancient Egypt AND originally they were made from the sap of a mallow plant…that grows in marshes…
History of Marshmallows Ancient Egyptians were the first to enjoy a gooey treat now called marshmallow as early as 2000 BC. The treat was considered very special and it was reserved for gods and royalty. Marshmallow was made from the...
Legit thought the headline was talking about marshmallows in Illinois for a second. Like, we have the same marshmallows as the rest of the country, what's the big deal about Illinois?
You can use pretty much any herbal tea in the place of the mallow root to make different flavors. I usually dust mine with coconut powder instead of arrowroot, too. Mallow powder can be found at most health food stores, but you can also forage your own Mallows or cheese weed to make your own if you know what to look for.
There's a native marshmallow plant(althea officinalis) that I grow in my gardens. Trying to get the roots out to make marshmallows is like trying to pull an octopus out of the ground.
It's so worth it. The flowers are quite pretty too.
I'm in zone 6! Marshmallows like a lot of water, and will take partial shade. If you have an area that likes to puddle or gets really water logged that's a perfect place tp put them since they'll soak up all the water.
Also, they get VERY large. Like 6-7ft tall and 3-4ft wide on their second year. They do die back to the ground completely in winter though. And they can spread when they're happy so make sure you leave lots of space for them.
They are very easy to grow from seed with some stratifying in the fridge(simulate winter), or get pre-stratified seeds. Good luck and enjoy!
Hmm, I don't get the reference. I guess I'll just have to add it to the list of mysteries like where KFC originated, the main dish at waffle house and what post hole diggers are used for.