Taking a walk in Mesogeia Attica, and especially in the “Agios Nikolaos” area in Paiana, the visitor’s eye falls on the bushes with their crimson fruits and thorny branches. In fact, this strange-looking “thorn” has such tight and strong branches that it resembles a web.
For generations it was called “Afana” or “Bloodweed”. It is the Sarcopoterium spinosum plant, which prefers to grow on the edges of forests and hills, as well as on abandoned farms and terraces. It is a real boon to drylands as it holds the soil and feeds some animals with its milky sap. It is also used as kindling for the fireplace and … to make a broom! it is also considered a plant with diuretic, tonic and aphrodisiac properties. Astoivida is a native, perennial, low, cushion-shaped shrub, up to 50 cm high, typical of the phryganic ecosystems of the island regions of Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Astoibida blooms from February to April. In the summer, the plant dries up to withstand the high temperatures. In other words, it falls into a “summer” hibernation. This feature allows Astoivida to save water. Along with the plant, its fruits dry up, and it slowly prepares to scatter its seeds on fresh soil, so that in the fall the new bushes will emerge.
Mythology wants the bright red colour of the fruits of Astoibida to come from the blood that ran from the foot of the goddess Aphrodite, when she stepped on the bush with her bare feet, in her attempt to protect Adonis from the anger of Mars, thus painting the fruits of the plant red !
Simple steps to create a broom, like those of our grandparents!
Firstly we need to choose and cut a good afana plant! Prefer those that grow in sunny places because they have a uniform, round shape and their branches are hardened by the sun light.
After you choose your plant, place them in order on top of each other and add a weight (stones or thick and heavy wood) to reduce their volume and make them narrower.
You then tie a stick with a fork (Y) shape and add pressure again so that it becomes slim. Continue by placing more layers of afana until it reaches the thickness you want for the broom. When the tying of the afana on the fork-shaped stick is finished, cut it into a fan shape with a pruner.
Once the structure is finished, place the broom in water to soak for about an hour and then add pressure to get a flat shape. This final stage might take up to five days!
Lastly, place it at a sunny place until it dries well, dries up and takes its final form.
