Lemon bush, lemon leaf and verbena are other names for the lemon verbena, a perennial subshrub that also thrives and overwinters well in our latitudes. Its dried leaves are used in herbal medicine or in the kitchen as a spice.

Lemon verbena can be used dried as a spice or as a tea

Grow or buy lemon verbena

If you have a garden or a balcony, you can grow the lemon verbena outdoors or in pots yourself. Sow the seeds from February (to March) in well-drained, nutrient-poor soil and provide a spot in the sun. From July the plant begins to bloom. Its leaves can be harvested all year round.
When buying fresh lemon verbena, you should make sure that verbena is not offered instead of lemon verbena.
If the botanical names are shown, you can recognize the lemon verbena by the name Aloysia triphylla or Verbena triphylla.
Also make sure the plants are free of aphids.

Use lemon verbena

The leaves of the lemon verbena are used for medicinal and flavoring purposes. As a medicinal plant, it is used in the form of tea

  • a headache
  • influenza infections
  • to strengthen the nervous system and
  • to soothe the digestive organs

deployed. The plant has a wide range of uses in the kitchen. It is used as a spice, among other things, for the preparation of

  • pastries
  • desserts
  • seafood and
  • fish

used.

Dry lemon verbena

If the lemon verbena grows in the garden, you can cut off the first shoots when the shoots are about 10 cm long. However, leave three eyes of the shoot so that the plant can continue to sprout.
In August, the plant is so large that you can stock up for the winter. Cut the long shoots back down to three eyes and strip off the leaves. When drying the leaves, do the following:

  1. Lay out a piece of clean cloth or paper on a suitable board and spread out the sheets.
  2. Make sure that the leaves are not too close together so that a better drying result is achieved.
  3. Bring the board to a warm, dry and dark place.
  4. Leave the leaves to dry for 14 days.
  5. It is best to fill the dried leaves in dark screw-top jars. The dried lemon verbena can be kept here for about a year.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Vegetable garden