|
The
tea has a delicious fresh lemon-lime taste with an even stronger
citrus flavor than lemon balm.
Lemon
verbena is a tender perennial and best grown in a pot in North
America. The roots are tender so it's recommended to keep
the herb in a pot even when planting out in the summer. In
its native habitat it will grow into a 15-foot high shrub,
but in colder climes it rarely exceeds six feet. Even in South
America it is a deciduous plant and will lose its leaves in
winter. The herb can also be grown as an annual, but it is
best propagated by cuttings.
Lemon verbena unfortunately is susceptible to both spider
mites and whiteflies. A strong jet of cold water is your best
weapon against these pests. The herb is a heavy feeder and
will benefit by regular applications of fish emulsion. Unlike
most herbs, lemon verbena prefers rich, moist, but not soggy
soil. The flowers are tiny, tubular, lavender colored and
generally appear in late summer and fall.
In teas and cooking only the leaves are used. The leaves are
long and pointed and when fresh, tough. If whole, they should
be removed from dishes before serving. Dried, they can be
finely crumbled and added to the batter of carrot cake, banana
bread or any baked dessert where a lemon flavor is desirable.
Finely chopped fresh, or crushed dried lemon verbena is delicious
added to rice just before serving, especially with fish.
The fresh or dried leaves can be added to any dish where the
addition of a lemon flavor enhances the taste, including fish,
poultry, marinades, salad dressings, preserves and desserts.
For fans of bread pudding, here's a great dessert using the
herb:
Bread
Pudding with Lemon Verbena and Fresh Berry Sauce
·
12 x ½ inch slices bread, crusts removed
· 2 cups of milk
· 1 cup fresh minced lemon verbena leaves
· ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
· ¼ tsp. salt
· 1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg
· 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
· 1/3 cup sugar
· 1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
Berry Sauce
· 2 Tbsp. butter
· 4 cups of fresh (halved and hulled) or frozen strawberries
· 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
· 1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
· 2 cups of fresh or frozen red raspberries
Dry the bread slices in a 250-degree F oven for about 15 minutes.
Then increase oven temperature to 300 degrees. In a large
bowl combine the milk, lemon verbena, vanilla, salt and nutmeg.
Tear the toasted bread into pieces and stir into the liquid.
Allow the bread to absorb the liquid. This will take about
10 minutes.
In a small bowl combine the eggs, sugar and lemon juice. Beat
until the mixture turns light yellow and a ribbon forms when
the beaters are lifted. Stir into the bread-milk mixture.
Pour into a buttered two-quart baking dish. Bake about 50
minutes or until the top is set and springs back from gentle
pressure. Remove and set aside.
To make the berry sauce, melt one tablespoon of butter in
a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the strawberries
and cook about five minutes. Add the sugar and lemon juice
and cook for two more minutes. Add the raspberries and remaining
butter. Cook just until the raspberries and soft and warm.
Serve bowls of the bread pudding with the hot berry sauce.
Lemon verbena was once used cosmetically, but there is some
indication that the herb may make the skin more sensitive
to sunlight. It does however make a fine addition to this:
Herbal Mouthwash
· 3 cups of filtered water
· 1oz. of fresh lemon verbena
· 1oz. of fresh peppermint leaves
· 1oz. of fresh rosemary
Bring
the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the herbs and remove
from heat. Infuse (steep) until cool. Filter out the herbs
and bottle the liquid. Keep refrigerated and warm before using
if preferred.
Because of its relative modernity, lemon verbena has few legends
surrounding it. However, the herb hung around one's neck or
some of the juice drunk is supposed to protect one from dreams.
It is also used in love spells and is reputed to make the
wearer attractive to the opposite sex.
|
