Thoughts on Lemon Balm (Melissa)
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| Flowering lemon balm |
Lemon balm is one of my favorite herbs. It has a light, sweet, lemony fragrance that can be used in many ways in your cooking and crafts. It is also easy to grow.
Lemon Balm Potpourri
One of its traditional uses is in potpourri, where it works well with lavender, rosemary, and rose petals. Be sure to use a fixative to prevent the fragrance from dissipating to quickly. Orris root can be used for this at a concentration of one teaspoon for each 1-½ cups of potpourri. When drying lemon balm, using a dehydrator will help retain leaf coloration.
For a complete Lemon Balm Profile, visit my post: How to Grow Lemon Balm (Melissa Officinalis) where you'll learn about its history and discover how to use it lemon balm in cooking, herbal remedies and crafts.
Reference
Photo - LemonBalm2.jpg By Kenraiz - Krzysztof Ziarnek (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Melissa_officinalis_fl_kz.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMelissa_officinalis_fl_kz.jpg
This is a wonderful plant! It works well in stir-fries - I just chop a few leaves into it at the end. It is also wonderful to add to a chicken that you are roasting - toss a few of the leaves in with your fresh sage and thyme, garlic and other herbs used. Dried and mixed in with peppermint it makes a wonderful tea. Just some of the ways I have used it so far. . .
ReplyDeleteThis site is full of good tips that I was not familiary with - this time I found your lemon balm use in stir fries - a good idea that is logical too. What a nice added aroma!
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy lemon balm, however, people with low thyroid should not ingest it. Lemon balm can lower thyroid function and cause problems. Please be sure to consult a doctor when using any herbs. That being said, I enjoy putting it in potpurri with rosemary and lavender.
ReplyDeleteThanks Craig. The lemon balm profile referenced (and linked to) in this post has quite a bit of additional information, including cautions about using this herb. You can find it here: http://theherbgardener.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-grow-lemon-balm-melissa.html
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