Sweet woodruff

Galium odoratum · Herb

40 pairings

Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) is a low, creeping woodland herb of the bedstraw genus, prized for the warm, hay-and-vanilla scent it gives off as it wilts. Fresh leaves are nearly odourless; the fragrance — pure coumarin — blooms only as the cut plant dries, and is the signature of German May wine (Maibowle) and Waldmeister sweets.

Picking a good onedrag

Green and sound, sweet as it wiltsYellowed, slimy or cellar-musty

Wilted and greenLimp, still green, hay-and-vanilla full: this is May wine and syrup woodruff. A small bunch, steeped briefly and lifted out — coumarin is hard on the liver in quantity.Everyday best

Crush a leafHay comes up thin, more cut grass than vanilla

Leaf and whorlGreen gone matt, lowest leaves just paling

Tear a bladeFloppy but supple, still tears rather than pulls

What to look for, from green and sound, sweet as it wilts to yellowed, slimy or cellar-musty.

Preparing