Green Beans and Red Peppers - Weekend Recipe

No, I am not rushing Christmas, I just thought since the garden is still producing for a few more weeks this would be a great recipe to use some of that bounty!

Green Bean  and Red Pepper Salad

1 lb. green beans, steamed

1 large red pepper, thinly sliced

½ cup olive oil

3 Tbls. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon balm  (or lemon verbena)

½ tsp. dry mustard

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. granulated onion

Place beans and peppers in a serving dish.  In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon herbs, mustard, paprika and salt.  Toss with beans and peppers.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Making Herbal Popsicles at Home - How Tos -day

I have not done a How-to in some time so when I stumbled across this great new kitchen accessory, I just had to share!
 

ZIPSICLES!

A zip seal popsicle bag!  These must have come from the mind of genius.  So innovative and so OBVIOUS!  I wish I had thought of it first.

I love pushup frozen pops.  The King of them -- Jel-Sert http://www.jelsert.com/ is headquartered in the town I first lived in when I came to Illinois, West Chicago.  They call the creation Fla-vor-ice.  We used to call them colors as no one was really sure what flavor they were. But since they are made with sugar and food coloring and almost only sugar we stopped buying them to avoid the calories when our lifestyle became more sedentary.

Now I have a solution to my craving for a quick frozen cool down after a hot day in the garden-- Zipzicle pouches!   http://www.zipzicles.com/order.html

Now my recipes for herbal infusions that are awesome frozen can be used to create these treats in a fun and easy way!  And the best part is these can be made with sugar substitutes as well as regular sugar.

And since I ordered my first batch of Zipzicles, I have been experimenting with recipes to make with them.

Here are the steps-- (two recipes are at the bottom.)

Lemon Verbena Sorbetsicles

2 1/2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped lemon verbena
2 tablespoons lemon juice
 

Combine the water, sugar, and lemon verbena in a medium, heavy saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir the pot until the sugar dissolves.

simmering the lemon verbena in the sugar water

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow the pot to simmer for 5 minutes.
 

You can see the green yellow color from the steeped leaves

Remove from the heat and allow the herb-syrup to steep while it cools. 

Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled. 

Strain.

Add the lemon juice.

Then pour into zipzicles 

and freeze until hard.  This recipe tastes like lemon ice heaven.  The fresh smell of lemon verbena is captured in the mixture.  And you will love it as a no sugar version too!

Lemon Verbena Sorbetsicles

2 1/2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped lemon verbena
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine the water, sugar, and lemon verbena in a medium, heavy saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir the pot until the sugar dissolves, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow the pot to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the herb-syrup to steep while it cools. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled. Strain, add the lemon juice, then pour into zipzicles and freeze until hard.

Pineapple-Lemon Balm Sorbetsicles

This pale yellow and green-flecked frozen treat was adapted from a recipe in Herbs in the Kitchen by Carolyn Dille and Susan Belsinger (Interweave Press, 1992).  The original recipe made 1 ½ quarts, but for sorbetsicles you only need a couple of cups.

2 Tablespoons sugar

¼ cup boiling water

¼ of a ripe pineapple, about ½ pound (you could use 2/3 of a 10 ounce can of pineapple packed in water)

2 Tbls. packed lemon balm leaves

Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water and set aside to cool. Remove the rind from the pineapple and core it. Cut it into chunks and measure 1 to 1 ¼ cups of pineapple. Puree the pineapple with the balm leaves in a food processor, or in a blender. Stir the sugar syrup into the puree and blend well.  Pour the mixture into Zipzicles and freeze for 40 minutes to 1 hour, until very firm.

BigOven has this simple syrup recipe you can make with sugar substitute Splenda.  http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/164356/Sugar-free-Simple-Syrup  I suggest you check it out for all the detailed instructions and information.   

Sugar-free Simple Syrup 
1 cup Sucralose Sweetener; Splenda or similar brand 
1 cup water, boiling 
 

Dissolve Splenda in water and allow to cool. Strain through a coffee filter to remove sediment. Use wherever a recipe calls for simple syrup. 

To use this in the recipes above –

For Lemon Verbena Sorbetscicles, add ¾ cup chopped Lemon Verbena leaves to the sugar-free simple syrup before you have strained it and allow to cool to room temperature.  Then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Strain the syrup, add 1 Tbls lemon juice and freeze in your zipzicles. 

For Pineapple-Lemon Balm Sorbetsicles add the Splenda equivalent of 2 Tbls to ¼ cup of boiling water and make sure the canned pineapple is packed in water, not syrup.  This one was not as good to the hubby’s blood sugar as the Lemon Verbena one was.

Winter Blah boost With Herbs

Winter Mood Booster Herbs

There has been virtually no snow this winter.  Many days it feels like spring outside, but unlike spring there is not lengthening of the days yet, no greening of the plants and if there is you worry that the next temperature turn will kill them and lessen real spring when it does come months from now.

With my husband going into the hospital at the first of the year and myself gathering a nice seasonal cold by the second week of the month, this year has brought on a serious case of the winter blahs.  I have no creativity at all.  Writing the blogs takes so much energy that I am lucky to write one a day which hardly gets me ahead for gardening season!  My fiction writing is in an untouched pile on the desk and even the thought that I might be getting something back from my editor is not exciting to me.  My beadwork has been spread out on the table for weeks and I have not even bothered to fix my broken earrings.  And we will not even talk about the housework that I have not accomplished this month…

I realized I needed some winter recovery in a hurry.  I turned to a few natural mood boosters. Try adding little things to your life that bring you joy till you reach a tipping point and have to give in to being in better spirits -- from a hot date with your bathtub every night for a week to fresh-cut flowers by your bed.  Sometimes it just takes a little creativity to find your way out of the doldrums of winter.  Someone once told me a cold shower in the morning is good for removing the blah’s too, but I have not yet given that the test.

Here are a few herbs shown to help ease you out of that rut...

Remember always check with your physician before beginning a new regimen (especially if you're on medication).

Lemon balm – Loved by gardeners and herbalists for its fresh minty-lemon aroma, Lemon Balm is known for its relaxing and calming effects and great flavor.  Lemon balm is wonderful in combination with milky oats and chamomile as a relaxing after-dinner tea.

St. John’s Wort might be one of the most well-known herbal remedies for depression.  It has been the focus of many scientific studies, but the evidence of its effectiveness has been inconsistent.  The general consensus seems to be that it can be healthful for mild forms of depression but lacks the ability to treat more severe depression all by itself.  This makes sense, since herbs, though potent, are not drugs and any herbal protocol for serious issues should have a broad and multi-tiered approach.  That said, individuals have had positive results taking St. John’s Wort, and it has a long history of use, especially in Europe.  Taking St. John’s Wort in the form of a tincture is easy and doable.  If you do not make your own tinctures, check out a supplier like Mountain Rose Herbs for a bottle of tincture.  Follow the instructions on the bottle or ask your healthcare provider for their recommended serving size specifically for you.  I am not one from the capsules, but I do make it into tea.  I have never grown more than I can use personally, so I do not have a tea blend with St. John’s Wort.

Lavender is one of the best herbs for relaxing tension, calming anxiety, and easing mild depression.  Turning to lavender essential oil is fast, easy, and uplifting when you’re feeling down.  Dilute the oil in a bath, use an essential oil diffuser, or apply a drop or two to your clothing or pillow case.

One of my first tea blends (a combination of lavender and lemon balm) was created during the winter doldrums when I was trying to make it through an especially dark winter.  After being outside gardening all summer the lack of activity and daylight took its toll.  The resulting blend is Lemon lavender Splash.  It even sounds uplifting, doesn’t it?

My Afternoon Lift  Tea was created the following year with the same idea in mind.  It contains cinnamon, chamomile and lemon balm and lemon peel.  It is a good treatment for winter ailments as well as mood lifting.

Everyone always asks me why I seem happiest in winter when it snows a lot.  That is because I love snow.  After a storm when the air is brisk and the sun is out I love to go for a walk and those in the know will tell you, Vitamin D which we get from sunlight exposure is especially good for improving your mood.  When there is no snow, I do not get outside much.  So don’t forget to get some time in the sunshine when you have the opportunity.  It’s for sure the best way to bring a little extra light into your winter day!

How To-sday - How to make Lemon Balm Popsicles

It has been hot for three weeks straight now in Illinois.  This is unusual for us.  About 5 to 7 straight days of extreme 90s (with 100+ heat indexes and humidity) is about all we get in a summer.  We have had so many consecutive days of heat with overflowing humidity that it makes you feel like you will melt into a puddle of mush if you stay out for very long.  My husband, who has asthma, finds it unbearably difficult to breathe, so we do nothing outdoors together for very long.  My garden was dried to a cinder in early July with drought conditions, and then pummeled with heavy rain several times in the last two weeks so that the plants are now struggling with broken stems and muddy leaves or have simply given up all together.

One of the most resilient herbs in the garden have been the mint plants.  They have not gone to seed like the basil, cilantro and dill and they are not as covered in soil as the calendula, sage, oregano and marjoram.  One of the mint family plants I plant in great abundance is Lemon Balm.  It seems unaffected by the heat; although I noticed it was growing very slowly in the dry conditions earlier this month.  The splashed soil from the heavy rain did not seem to stick as badly as it did to the poor calendula.

Gardening in the heat has also been a challenge.  There is no potable water at my garden spot so I have to bring in everything with me.  Did I mention I ride a bicycle to my garden?  The rule recently has been.  If you run out of water and all that you have left is the bike bottle, it is time to go home.  On the way home I then stop to get something frozen from the 7/11.

There is something about a frozen treat when it is hot.  At the last two garden walks it was terribly hot and humid so on the drive home we stopped for slushies and Popsicles.  When we lived on the farm, Chas and I would get Popsicles from the Jel-Sert outlet store in West Chicago. (They make those colored flavored sugar water in the plastic tubes that you buy and freeze- we loved them!)  Now I make a more natural snack using lemon balm. 

Since the heat is not dissipating, I thought it was time to make some Popsicles and since Lemon Balm is doing so well in the heat, I will make them with that.

Lemon Balm Popsicles are very cooling and they are also soothing and calming.

To make them you need water, lemon balm (fresh or dried) sweetener, and containers to freeze in.

Simply cut some fresh lemon balm, then pluck off the leaves and loosely pack them into a measuring cup.  Give yourself about 2 cups of fresh or 4 tablespoons dried.

Using a large bowl or ½ gallon jar place the plant material in the container and cover the herbs with about 8 cups of boiling water.  Let it steep for about 20 minutes (same time for fresh or dried herbs).

Strain the liquid from the herbs and sweeten.  For these I like to use honey and about 1 to 2 Tbls. For 8 cups is plenty.  I generally use 1 tsp. per cup of water.

Pour the liquid into freezer containers.  If you have Popsicle molds that is great.  I have not had those in years, so I use small ½ cup Glad containers and for the stick I use a spoon.

Freeze several hours or overnight and enjoy.

Tallgrass Kitchen posted this recipe for Popsicles using hibiscus that I thought was amazing too!

Hibiscus Lemon Balm Ice Pops

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 small bunch lemon balm
3 tsp. dried hibiscus flowers (you could also use BYP Rosy Bite Tea) 

1 1/3 cups water

1) Heat 1/2 cup water in small saucepan until almost boiling. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar until dissolved. Toss in lemon balm, and let steep for at least 30 minutes. Strain syrup to remove lemon balm.

2) Boil 1 1/3 cups water. Steep hibiscus tied in a coffee filter or placed in a tea infuser for at least 30 minutes. Remove infuser.

3) Combine hibiscus tea and simple syrup. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze until solid.

Comforting Herbal Teas

I got caught out in a monsoon about a week ago.  My clothing was soaked to the skin and the wind whipped my wet clothing giving me a chill.  And this was before the train and bus ride that drops me a mile from my house.  I knew I was going to need to be proactive or the weather was going to take me down, so when I arrived home I brewed a batch of herbal tea and took a warm shower.  I can gladly say now that the immunity boost I got from the vitamin C in the rose hips of my tea, along with the anti bacterial properties of the thyme and sage have kept me from getting even a sniffle since that incident.

As a result I thought it might be good to share with you a few ideas for using a comforting cup of tea to help you recover, or even avoid, a few of winters sniffles.

Colds and Flu symptoms can often be held back with a combination of lemon and ginger.  This unique tea mixture I have made with just a touch of brandy or whiskey too to aid in sleeping.

Ginger and Lemon Tea

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed if you can)
2 to 4 slices of ginger root (about 1/4 inch thick) or 1 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbls. Honey

Bring water to boil, bruise the ginger root and drop it into the boiling water.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min.  Remove from heat ans strain into a heat resistant cup.  Add lemon juice and honey.  If you want to clear your sinuses add a 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper and if you want to aid relaxation add a snifter of brandy or whiskey.  Stir and sip while covered with a warm blanket.

If you suffer from coughs or a dry scratchy throat, a bit of peppermint will help with this and add to is some germ fighting sage and thyme and you will have perfect treatment for a fever or a cough.

Peppermint Anti-Cold Tea

1 tsp.dried thyme
1 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. dried peppermint
1 cup bolling water

Boil the water and pour over herbs.  You can place them in a tea ball or the corner of a coffee filter so you don;t have to strain them.  Cover and let step for 8 to 10 minutes.  You can sweeten with honey (not sugar).  Drink up to 2 cups for 3 to 4 days to relieve symptoms.

With the lowering of the barometric pressure as storm fronts move through many people experience headaches. I developed my Headache Tea which I sell at the Backyard Patch for just such headaches which I tend to have regularly in the fall and winter. Here is a link if you want to try some yourself.  Those headaches will effect my sleep as well and although I have developed a Dreamtime and a Rest Easy mint Tea which I sell.  You might try this remedy if you want to make your own:

Snoozing Enhancer Tea

1 tsp. dried chamomile
1 tsp. dried lemon balm
1 tsp. dried lavender flowers

Boil the water and pour over herbs.  You can place them in a tea ball or the corner of a coffee filter so you don't have to strain them.  Cover and let steep for 6 to 8 minutes. Best when sipped before bed time.

Hope you enjoy these teas and if you want to see our entire line of teas, both herbal and those with herbs we've combined with green tea or black tea, just click into our website here.

Harvesting Iris and Orris Root

September and October is the time to dig up and divide your Irises.  This would also be the time of year to harvest orris root.  If you grow Iris germanica this is the iris used to make Orris root, which chopped or powdered is used as a fixative in potpourri.  A fixative is that ingredient you add to perfumes and potpourri that helps the scent to last.  Orris root is the most popular fixative, although there are reports that some people can have an allergic reaction to it, so if you use it be clear in your labeling, even with gifts. 

To harvest this ingredient you need the root of the Iris germanica.  When you dig up the Iris plants, from the two or three roots making up each plant, save the largest rhizomes to use as a fixative and replant the smaller ones.  You can use this same technique with your regular Iris as well.  I remove the largest rhizome and use that to take to plant swaps, or mail to plant traders for new Iris.  My trick for this is to place a tongue depressor with the color of the Iris into the ground in the center of the roots during the blooming season, so I know what I am digging up in the fall.

To Prepare Orris Root

Clean and peel the root with a knife or potato peeler.  Chop into course pieces and allow to air dry for a few days before chopping them more finely in a food processor.  Dry completely before using.  Or try this method.  Scrub the freshly dug roots and slice with a potato chipper.  After the chips dry, they will be about the size of rose petals, curve a little and stay white and look very pretty in your potpourri.

Although the Backyard Patch does not market Potpourri, I do collect recipes for potpourri, so here is one to try with your newly preserved Orris Root:

Basic Flower Potpourri

Use 6 cups of partially dried petals such as roses, chamomile, honeysuckle, violets, lilac, lilies of the valley, carnations, white jasmine and nasturtium.

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon herbs, cinnamon and rosemary.

Add 1/3 cup powdered fixative such as orrisroot and 3 drops of essential oil both available at craft stores.  Just be sure to use 100% essential oil, not perfume oil. Add some citrus peel too.

Mix everything together and place in airtight jars. Let the mixture stand for 4-6 weeks and shake the bottle to mix every week.

Potpourri is beautifully displayed in glass dishes or small decorative baskets. Tie 1-2 cups of potpourri into a sachet of tulle and tie with a cinnamon stick and bow for a sweet way to freshen up a lingerie drawer.

For a simple gift idea, my sister inserted a string of miniature Christmas lights into a small, decorative glass jar. Next poured the potpourri mixture around the lights. Put a crochet doily on top of the jar and secured it to the glass with a decorative ribbon allowing the end of the cord to come down the back of the glass jar. (I think she actually drilled a hole in the canning jar.) When you plug in the arrangement the warmth of the lights will warm the essential oils and release the fragrances. The jar will glow beautifully on a small end table or mantle display. Just remember this does not work with LED lights.

Years ago I added a colorful pine-based potpourri to clear glass Christmas tree ornaments and dressed them up with a fancy gold bow. Because they are stored year around in a dark, dry location the scent and color are still vibrant each year to enjoy.

Instant Gourmet - making herbal butter!

I was surfing the net the other day and ran across a quote from a Gourmet Cooking blog.  They said “Herb butters are among the small but important details offered by fine restaurants and appreciated by gourmet diners.”  Reading that reminded me that the first items I experimented with after harvesting from my original herb garden were Herb Butters.

Herbal Butter is a simple, fun and easy way to experiment with different herbs.  It helps you to realize the tastes and the flavor families.

The best part about herbal butter is you can use either salted or unsalted butter or even margarine or butter substitutes.  You can also use fresh or dried herbs.  That makes them a great item to make in the winter when you are missing fresh herbs and planning your herb garden for next year.

How to Craft Herb Butter

 When using fresh herbs instead of dried herbs double the amount used in a recipe calling for dried herbs, as dry herbs have a more intense flavor.  The general rule in making herbal butter is: Use 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh herbs; 1-1/2 teaspoons of dried herbs or 1/2 teaspoon of ground seeds like dill seed, fennel seed etc. for every 4 ounces or 1/2 cup of butter which has been softened to room temperature.

Herb butters can be used to flavor to cooked foods, a way to rev-up your morning toast, or even as an appetizer on crackers.  They can be made in advance, kept in the refrigerator for days or frozen and kept for months. I used to make a bunch at one time, roll them into a ball or pack them into a ramekin and freeze them.  Then when friends stopped by, I grab one out, let it thaw and serve.  They all thought I was a genius and I was just thrifty, by making extra every time I made herb butter.

Some suggestions to get you started

Basil Butter:  1 tablespoon dried basil and 1-1/2 teaspoon dried parsley. Use on green beans, summer squash or zucchini. It is equally delicious on top of poached eggs, noodles or for sautéed fish.

Fine Herbs Butter:  1-1/2 teaspoon parsley; 3/4 teaspoon tarragon; 1/2 teaspoon rosemary; 1/2 teaspoon chives. This is delicious on cheese and egg dishes or can be used on fish, meats, or vegetables.

Mint Butter:  Combine 1 tablespoon of mint and 1 tablespoon of lemon choice with the butter. Add the lemon juice gradually to prevent curdling. This is ideal with lamb or can be used on new potatoes, carrots or green peas.

Mixed Herb Butter:  Add 3/4 teaspoons of each of the following dried herbs – chervil, chives, dill, mint and tarragon plus 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. This is great on noodles or broiled tomatoes or can be used on broiled fish or meat.

Sage Butter:  1 teaspoon dried sage; 1/2 teaspoon dried celery leaves or 1/4 teaspoon celery seed; 1 teaspoon onion juice; 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Use it on poultry, lamb chops, veal, or vegetables.

Tarragon Butter:  2 teaspoons dried tarragon; 1-1/2 teaspoon dried parsley; 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. This adds a unique flavor to tomato dishes, eggs, cheese, or noodles. It can also be used on lamb or fish.

Lemon butter: 1 teaspoon lemon peel; 2 teaspoons dried lemon balm; 1 Tablespoon lemon juice.

When you have made the butter spoon it into ice cube molds or candy molds and use within 2 days. Alternatively, if you want to keep it longer, freeze it.  Remove it from the freezer and allow to thaw at room temperature for several hours before it is required. 

These are just a few ideas as the possibilities are endless. Try experimenting with your own favorite combinations. You should be able to think of many more recipes to make your own herb butter.

And if you want to save the hassle, the Backyard Patch has a multitude of pre-blended Herb Mixes formulated just for making herbal butters.  You can find them all right here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=370330738928&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Lemon Balm - Herb-of-the-Week

Having christened Wednesday Herb-of-the-Week day, I feature a blog on a special herb each Wednesday and detail it uses, growing habit and include recipes using the herb, and they are not only for food.

This week’s herb is: Lemon Balm

I could not go any farther into the herb-of-the week program without introducing you to a lemon herb.  I will admit a lemon herb bias.  I adore anything in the herb kingdom that is lemon scents, lemon flavored or citrus in taste.  I am on the hunt every spring for lemon herbs that are newly introduced.  For this entry I am going to share Lemon Balm.  It is an easy to grow herb with such a variety of uses that anyone can add it to their herb or vegetable garden.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is native to the Mediterranean and has a history going back at least 2000 years.  In the doctrine of signatures the heart shape of the herb led to its use as a treatment for heart ailments.  It is however, known to be good for lifting depression, calming anxiety, relieving insomnia, and helping to relieve nervous tension..  It is considered one of the good herbs for lowering blood pressure and can help with allergic reactions to the skin because of its antihistamine action.  Being gentle and light it can be given to children and its anti nausea applications make it a good herb to take when feeling under the weather.  As a cooking herb, it is valued for its lemon flavor.

Growing

Lemon Balm is a dependable perennial up through zone 3.  The plant will grow 2 feet high, bearing small white non-descript flowers in mid- to late summer.  The square and branching stems support broadly ovate or heart-shaped leaves with scalloped edges.  The whole plant smells delightfully lemony, with the scent being best when the tiny flowers begin to open.

It dies back completely when winter arrives and comes back when the soil begins to warm.  Its sunny yellow green leaves are usually the first you see emerging in the spring.  It is in the mint family and can grow prolifically.  It tolerates just about any soil conditions and can grow in sun or shade.  The seed will spread this plant easily around your garden, so best to harvest it strongly and often to keep it from producing flowers.

There are several varieties of Lemon Balm available.  Of special note is Golden Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis ‘Aurea’) which does not flower and has an attractive chartreuse color that contrasts well with other shades of green.  There is also a lime-scented version known as  Lime Balm (Melissa officinalis ‘Lime’).

Cooking

Light and fresh, lemon balm adds a splash of citrus and mint undertones to both savory and sweet dishes.  Use the young tops for cooking and teas because the large, older leaves tend to have a soapy, musty flavor.  It is best used fresh, but can be dried quickly and stored carefully for use in teas and herb blends; on drying it will lose some of the nuance of its flavor.

You can chop it into fruit salad, add it to lemonade, you can even put the leaves in ice water and use them for finger bowls.  The lemon fragrance is perfect as an added green to salads and the medicinal properties of relaxation are great in an herbal tea.  It can be used in cooking wherever a taste of lemon is desired, which means it is perfect on fish, great with chicken and adds a splash of flavor to vegetables and rice.  The only thing to remember is like oregano, you should add the fresh or dried lemon balm toward the end of cooking, as cooking lemon balm too long will dissipate its flavor.

Problems with Lemon Balm

About its only growing problems (besides its desire to spread seed) is that in the damp months of fall, like September it can get powdery mildew due to thick leafy stems and lack of air circulation.  To cure this just cut the effected foliage and discard.  It will grow back just fine.

Recipes

Lemon Herb Butter

½ cup (one stick) of butter or margarine

1 Tbls. finely chopped lemon balm

1 Tbls. finely chopped Lemon thyme

1 tsp. Chipped lemon verbena (remove leaf center rib)

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate overnight.  Delicious on breads, vegetables and as a baste on fish or poultry.  I have even used this as a butter served with steak (like Bobby Flay!)

Lemon Balm Dip

4 Tbls. dried dill

4 Tbls. dried lemon balm

2 tsp. granulated lemon peel

1 tsp. ground lemon pepper

Mix all ingredients together.  Use 1 Tbls. of this blend with 1 cup sour Cream and 1 cup mayonnaise to create a dip.

Lemon-Berry Chardonnay Cordial

3/4 cup sugar

1/4cup chopped fresh lemon balm

3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries

3 cups chardonnay

In a blender or food processor, process sugar and lemon balm until leaves are finely chopped and mixed into the sugar.  Wash and drain the berries and place in a quart jar.  Sprinkle with herbed sugar.  Add wine to jar and cover.  Refrigerate at least 1 month or until mixture is slightly thick and sweet.

To use:  1. For an aperitif, strain and pour into glasses.  Garnish with fresh sprigs

 2. For a summer beverage: Strain and pour ¼ cup into a tall, ice-filled glass.  Fill the glass with soda water or sparkling water.

 3. For dessert sauce: spoon over baked meringues, fresh fruit or ice cream.

Trouble sleeping?

Let the aroma of Lemon balm give you restful sleep by making an herb pillow.  Blend 2 Tablespoons each of lavender, hops, lemon balm and rosemary.  Place the blend in a cloth bag or tie into the corners of your pillow case to add with restful sleep.