Lemon Balm is a perennial herb that is grown mostly for culinary purposes. It is a member of the mint family, and as with the mints, it grows quickly and spreads easily (but usually not rampantly like the mints) with minimal care.   It reseeds freely, and under reasonable conditions forms a nice clump of dark green, toothed leaves.  It is native to the Mediterranean region, but is grown widely in herb gardens across America.  Lemon Balm is perfectly safe for ingestion, and is used to enhance tea and other iced drinks, soups, stews, salads, sauces, and vegetables. . 

Lemon Balm has a light, lemony scent with maybe a hint of mint.  Add fresh Lemon Balm leaves  to green salads, fruit salads, chicken salads, poultry stuffings, and fish marinades.  The leaves also make a tasty addition to asparagus, broccoli, corn, beans, olives, and shellfish.  

Lemon Balm prefers rich, moist soil in either full sun or partial shade, but will still perform in less than perfect conditions.  In fact, this year as I cleaned out a neglected part of my garden, I found a healthy little stand of Lemon Balm that I started 5 years ago that has had no care whatsoever!  Lemon Balm is an excellent first plant for the beginning herb grower because of this, and will forgive lapses in watering and fertilizing.  Flowers are fairly inconspicuous and are white or off-white, with the same taste and properties as the leaves.  Lemon Balm is hardy to at least zone 5, but will appreciate a nice blanket of mulch in fall in all but the warmest areas. 

Lemon Balm can be used fresh, dried, or ground.  Harvest before it flowers for optimum taste.  Dry it quickly because it loses much of its taste in long drying processes.  Be sure when you harvest that it is on a dry, non-humid day for optimal drying conditions.  Use both dried leaves and stems for Teas.

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