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All docks resemble our garden rhubarb more or less, both in their
general characteristics and in the tannin they possess. It was
largely described for diseases of the blood, which would be skin
problems, jaundice etc. It has an action on the bowels very similar
to that of rhubarb, which makes it a good tonic for the stomach and
general system. It is found throughout the United States in meadows,
roadsides and waste places. The young leaves may be eaten fresh as a
salad or cooked like spinach.
This plant can grow to 5 feet tall. The leaves are nearly all at the
base. They are long with a slightly heart-shaped base with margins
being wavy and curly. The blossoms are green to yellowish maturing
in late summer and fall to a dusty to dark brown. The small one-
seeded fruit is enclosed in 3 tiny valves. Dock is reported to help
tone up the entire system, and is a good blood purifier, helps in
eruptive diseases and fungus. For glandular tumors and swellings
apply a fomentation wrung from the hot tea. Dock makes a valuable
ointment for itch and sores.
There are few places where docks do not grow. Their rhubarblike leaves have been prized as cooked greens since antiquity, and their wandlike clusters of brown seeds were gathered, hand winnowed, and stone ground into flour by Indians and settlers. The bitter taste of the young leaves is not unpleasant, but older leaves must be boiled in at least two changes of water to make them palatable. Dock root is an effective tonic and cleanser for the whole system.
Source Unknown
Docks
Despite the gardener's best intentions, Nature will improvise.
~Michael P. Garafalo
To get the best basil crop wait until the soil has warmed to 65F to plant. Basil is very susceptible to chilling; if the weather's too cool, the leaves will brown and the plants wilt.
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