Tansy is a bitter herb that was used more in times past than now. A European native, Tansy was mainly used as a medicinal herb or an insect repellant.

In Elizabethan times Tansy was used to make Tansy Custard. It was popular enough that puddings were sometimes called tansies. The taste really doesn’t please most modern palates and it has pretty much been discounted as a culinary herb.

Our uses for Tansy are more of the ornamental kind. It makes a nice tall feathery specimen in the garden. The sprays of little gold buttons are pretty in the garden and make good additions to fresh herb wreaths or arrangements.