If the lemon balm withdraws into the ground over the winter, this does not necessarily mean that you have to forego the aromatic culinary herb. Read here how you can easily preserve freshly harvested lemon balm.

Preservation by freezing - this is how it works

Freezing herbs is associated with the prejudice that the leaves clump together and cannot be removed in portions. This does not have to be the case, because this shortcoming can be avoided with lemon balm with the following trick:

  • Harvest the branches just before flowering
  • Clean under running water and let dry on a kitchen towel
  • Spread out whole shoots or individual leaves on a plate or baking sheet
  • place in the freezer compartment for 30 minutes

If the lemon balm leaves are frozen hard, transfer them to freezer bags or a can. In this way they are frozen to save space. You can now remove the lemon balm individually for the next 12 months.

Preserve lemon balm with air - this is how it works

Air is the cheapest preservative in the world. To preserve lemon balm and other herbs, people have been using them for generations. In contrast to freezing, there are two disadvantages here: air drying takes a long time and reduces the aroma content. If you decide to do this anyway, follow these instructions:

  • Cut off lemon balm sprigs a hand’s breadth above the ground just before flowering
  • pluck some leaves from the lower ends of the shoots
  • Tie 3-5 branches together to form a bouquet with raffia or rubber

They thread the lemon balm bundles either on a thick string or a wire in order to hang them up in a dark, dry place. Alternatively, hang the bouquets individually to dry. After a few days, the binding material will be tightened a bit as the stems shrink due to the loss of water. The lemon balm is dried within 14 days and is stored in airtight containers.

tips and tricks

Lemon balm goes well with peppermint in many ways. As plant neighbors in beds and on tree discs, both herbal plants thrive wonderfully and attract hosts of beneficial insects to the garden. Prepared as a tea blend, mint and lemon balm complement each other to create an inimitable pleasure.

Category:

Vegetable garden