Its vigorous growth quickly producing a large biomass, Russian comfrey (Symphytum officinale x upplandicum) is excellent as green mulch, for surface compost, or as a compost accelerator. With its deep roots, it draws on otherwise inaccessible elements and recycles them in its plant biomass. It can then be used to boost the soil’s food web by returning it to the soil, in the form of mulch or comfrey manure, a biodynamic classic. Nourishing organisms including earthworms, its plant biomass is quickly transformed into nutrients that can be assimilated by your crops. Resilient, it can be cut back for this use three times per season, it will always grow back.

As for its elegant bell-shaped flowering, it is often a favorite of pollinators. Robust, Russian comfrey has a strong capacity for adaptation and likes humid places. In the kitchen, its young downy leaves soaking the batter qualify for a crispy tempura with a taste close to spinach. The young shoots are eaten like asparagus in spring. As for the flowers, they are eaten sparingly, they decorate very well. However, caution is advised since the plant contains a small amount of alkaloids, concentrated mainly in the roots and old leaves.