In contrast to other well-known kitchen herbs, lovage grows extremely quickly. In the course of a gardening season, lovage can often be harvested 4 to 5 times from a good location. One is quickly overwhelmed by the large quantities. A reason to dry the lovage…
Pros and cons of drying
By drying lovage, it has a long shelf life and can be used in the kitchen as needed. In addition, the result is more space-saving than the fresh or frozen variant, since the water is removed.
But drying also has disadvantages. The lovage:
- loses aroma (essential oils) - result: change in taste
- loses color and radiance
- oxidizes and should therefore be stored in sealable containers
How is lovage dried?
If you planted the maggi herb in the spring, wait until the harvest in May. Then the shoots should be big enough for the first cut. Cut off individual stems with scissors. The lovage can be cut off carefree to just above the ground.
The stems can then be tied into small bouquets and hung in a dark place. A second variant is to dry the stems with the leaves in the dehydrator or, for example, to spread them out on newspaper and dry them in the shade. The temperature in the dehydrator should not exceed 45 °C.
After drying, which takes 1 to 2 days in the dehydrator and about a week in the air, the dried lovage can be filled into cans, jars or bags. The storage location should be tightly closed. In addition to the leaves and stems, the seeds and roots can also be dried. In contrast to the leaves and stems, they have a stronger taste.
And what do you do with it?
After drying, the maggi herb can have a long grace period. It can be kept in this form for several years. If you want to use it, grind it between your hands or with a mortar and add it to the respective food. Among other things, it is suitable for:
- tea e.g. B. for heartburn
- Meat dishes like lamb
- Fish like trout
- soups
- stews
tips and tricks
You should never dry herbs like lovage in the blazing sun, as this will brown the leaves and lose a huge amount of flavor.
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