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Additional Lemon Balm Information
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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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