This question is on the verge of OT - but here it goes anyway...

Last spring, I planted a lemon balm in my luxury herb bed. The plant
was tiny, but this year it really has come into its own and looks
glorious in the middle of all the other herb perenials which are
crowding the bed.
I use and abuse all my herbs, putting them into all manners of dishes
and salads, cooked or raw.
However, I don't know what to do with my lemon balm. I know it has
medicinal properties, and is recommended in teas to soothe the stomach,
but I have no idea what to do with it in the kitchen - which is my main
motivation for growing herbs.
Any thought?

Cat(h)

On Mon, 29 May 2006 13:56:34 +0100, Cat(h) wrote
(in article .com):

This question is on the verge of OT - but here it goes anyway...

Last spring, I planted a lemon balm in my luxury herb bed. The plant
was tiny, but this year it really has come into its own and looks
glorious in the middle of all the other herb perenials which are
crowding the bed.
I use and abuse all my herbs, putting them into all manners of dishes
and salads, cooked or raw.
However, I don't know what to do with my lemon balm. I know it has
medicinal properties, and is recommended in teas to soothe the stomach,
but I have no idea what to do with it in the kitchen - which is my main
motivation for growing herbs.
Any thought?


http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants....sa+officinalis

Some people also claim that it helps memory.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
email address on web site

Sacha Hubbard wrote:
On Mon, 29 May 2006 13:56:34 +0100, Cat(h) wrote
(in article .com):

This question is on the verge of OT - but here it goes anyway...

Last spring, I planted a lemon balm in my luxury herb bed. The plant
was tiny, but this year it really has come into its own and looks
glorious in the middle of all the other herb perenials which are
crowding the bed.
I use and abuse all my herbs, putting them into all manners of dishes
and salads, cooked or raw.
However, I don't know what to do with my lemon balm. I know it has
medicinal properties, and is recommended in teas to soothe the stomach,
but I have no idea what to do with it in the kitchen - which is my main
motivation for growing herbs.
Any thought?


http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants....sa+officinalis


Thanks Sacha, that's a pretty good website.
I've just learned two things: 1) mustard is a brassica and 2) tea and
camelia... are one and the same!!!
OK, so the rest of you all knew that already.

Some people also claim that it helps memory.

Ahem. You're about to tell me you had already posted this website in
response to one of my queries, aren't you?

Cat(h) ('tis not because I'm paranoid that they aren't really after me)

On Mon, 29 May 2006 14:22:14 +0100, Cat(h) wrote
(in article .com):


Sacha Hubbard wrote:
On Mon, 29 May 2006 13:56:34 +0100, Cat(h) wrote
(in article .com):

This question is on the verge of OT - but here it goes anyway...

Last spring, I planted a lemon balm in my luxury herb bed. The plant
was tiny, but this year it really has come into its own and looks
glorious in the middle of all the other herb perenials which are
crowding the bed.
I use and abuse all my herbs, putting them into all manners of dishes
and salads, cooked or raw.
However, I don't know what to do with my lemon balm. I know it has
medicinal properties, and is recommended in teas to soothe the stomach,
but I have no idea what to do with it in the kitchen - which is my main
motivation for growing herbs.
Any thought?


http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants....sa+officinalis


Thanks Sacha, that's a pretty good website.
I've just learned two things: 1) mustard is a brassica and 2) tea and
camelia... are one and the same!!!
OK, so the rest of you all knew that already.

Many of us did but we didn't always. ;-)

Some people also claim that it helps memory.

Ahem. You're about to tell me you had already posted this website in
response to one of my queries, aren't you?

I don't remember!

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
email address on web site

In message .com,
"Cat(h)" writes
Last spring, I planted a lemon balm in my luxury herb bed. The plant
was tiny, but this year it really has come into its own and looks
glorious in the middle of all the other herb perenials which are
crowding the bed.

Next year its tiny seedlings will be everywhere and the year after that
there will be seedlings in next doors garden too.

Isn't Lemon Balm supposed to be good for migraine too? - well it seemed
to be when I was getting M~s often.

d

--
dave or stella @ stejonda

On Mon, 29 May 2006 16:26:06 +0100, dave or stella @ stejonda wrote
(in article ):

snip

Isn't Lemon Balm supposed to be good for migraine too? - well it seemed
to be when I was getting M~s often.


It might be but it's Feverfew that's well known for migraines. You can take
it either in tablet form for make a sandwich with a few leaves in it. I
understand they're pretty bitter, though.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
email address on web site

dave or stella @ stejonda wrote:
In message .com,
"Cat(h)" writes
Last spring, I planted a lemon balm in my luxury herb bed. The plant
was tiny, but this year it really has come into its own and looks
glorious in the middle of all the other herb perenials which are
crowding the bed.

Next year its tiny seedlings will be everywhere and the year after that
there will be seedlings in next doors garden too.

Yes. It is definitely not one to allow to set seed or there will be
literally thousands of them next year. It smells nice near a path where
it gets bruised by passers by but is pretty useless in the kitchen. The
variagted form is a bit less vigorous.

I would grub it out if it is in a bed with any delivate herbs you
actually want to survive!

Regards,
Martin Brown

In article .com,
"Cat(h)" writes:
| This question is on the verge of OT - but here it goes anyway...

Not at all!

| However, I don't know what to do with my lemon balm. I know it has
| medicinal properties, and is recommended in teas to soothe the stomach,
| but I have no idea what to do with it in the kitchen - which is my main
| motivation for growing herbs.

You can use it to scent puddings, cakes etc., but it isn't the world's
most useful culinary herb, in my experience.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Cat(h) wrote:
I don't know what to do with my lemon balm. I know it has
medicinal properties, and is recommended in teas to soothe the stomach,
but I have no idea what to do with it in the kitchen - which is my main
motivation for growing herbs.
Any thought?

Tea: Take a teapot. Fill with lemon-balm. Fill with boiling water.
Allow to infuse. Serve.