Hoja Santa Thanksgiving?

Maybe So!

NOTE: This video is from the “old days,” when resolutions were determined by YouTube, so it wasn’t up to my standards THEN or NOW!

I can’t believe this plant is no longer with us! In fact, seeing this video, whilst doing an “inventory” of my YouTube videos, counting nearly 500 now, reminded me of the literal beauty of the Hoja Santa plant(s) once growing in our back yard. That Texas Governor Abbott – Cancun Cruz freeze event (Feb. 11-20, 2022) killed this plant, dead. But seeing this video revived my hope for spring, and maybe we will find and plant another Hoja Santa now that the climate is, scientifically, ever warming in North Texas. Regardless, this leaf has a sublime taste that even I can sense with all my dead and chemo-ed tastebuds! I’ll make a point of updating you this spring, but if you are in San Antonio or south? feel free to start a Hoja Santa NOW! And if you know where I can find one, let me know! It is a beautiful plant and so resilient, you will be giving leaves away to friends, as we once did.

Here’s a very brief, clean scientific description of Hoja Santa that covers climate needs and food uses:

Hoja Santa (Piper auritum)

Hoja Santa (Piper auritum) is a large, aromatic perennial herb native to tropical Mesoamerica. It grows from a rhizomatous base and is recognized for its heart-shaped leaves rich in essential oils—especially safrole—which give it an anise, sassafras, and peppery aroma.

Climate Requirements:
Hoja Santa thrives in warm, humid, frost-free climates, typically USDA Zones 9–11. It prefers partial shade, consistently moist soils, and protection from strong winds. Even brief freezes can damage or kill the plant. NOTE: Although they can appear “dead,” they can stage a brilliant comeback as the one in this video did for years!

Food Uses:
The fresh leaves are widely used in Mexican and Central American cooking to wrap and steam foods (fish, tamales, cheeses), to flavor soups, moles, stews, and beans, and to infuse teas or atoles. The flavor is subtle but distinctive—herbal, anise-like, slightly spicy.