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Lemon Balm
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Author:  chillidude [ Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:53 am ]
Post subject:  Lemon Balm
Hey hey - this is the first post in the Herb section - can't believe someone hasn't beaten me to it.

Anyway, I thought I'd start a thread on one of the more obscure herbs I'm growing up in my orchard - Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis.

I mainly use it for flavouring drinks, particularly fruit punches for the kids. I have cooked with a it a few times, but if you are using it fresh it needs to be added very late in the process or the flavour simply cooks off. Favourite use is putting it in white pasta sauces, particularly for seafood pastas, and in risottos as it is lemony in flavour without being at all acidic.

Apologies for the second photo - the howling easterly was making it hard to squat and remain stable and I was in a hurry - will get a better one up soon.

Anybody else out there using it ?

Attachments:
File comment: My Lemon Balm under my Tahitian Lime
Lemon-Balm-Far.JPG
Lemon-Balm-Far.JPG [ 166.39 KiB | Viewed 18384 times ]
File comment: Bit fuzzy but you get the idea
Lemon-Balm-Near.JPG
Lemon-Balm-Near.JPG [ 128.52 KiB | Viewed 18384 times ]
Author:  earthbound [ Wed Jan 13, 2010 1:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lemon Balm
Lemon Balm is one of those herbs I have always passed over, seems I have always had a few other lemon flavours in the garden, lemon grass, lemon thyme, lemon trees.

I tend to use a lemon tree leaf in drinks, very citrus flavour without the bite.
Author:  chillidude [ Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lemon Balm
Yeah, I know what you mean, especially now that I have four lime varieties, a lemon tree, and lemon grass.

However, I've always grown it in other places where I didn't have most of the others above so I just planted some more when I started getting the orchard going.
Author:  Jaymie [ Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lemon Balm
okay, so what are the best growing conditions for it? it doesn't seem to like it here :(
Author:  chillidude [ Thu Jan 14, 2010 10:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Lemon Balm
Jaymie wrote:
okay, so what are the best growing conditions for it? it doesn't seem to like it here :(

Oh, that's a bit odd. It likes the warmth so thought it would do well up there in Jaymie & Axl country. Dies back in the winter down here and Perth never even really gets to 0 Celsius. It likes full sun but does OK in some shade, particularly if it doesn't get much water.

Not sure on the soil chemistry requirements. Will investigate.
Author:  ali_celt [ Thu Jan 14, 2010 1:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lemon Balm
mine was in a pot but it died in the heatwave. Then again - watering is not my strong point, so I can't really blame the poor plant!
Author:  chillidude [ Thu Jan 14, 2010 1:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lemon Balm
Yes, it's not the toughest of herbs that I have experience with - not by a long shot.
Author:  Steve S [ Thu Jan 14, 2010 11:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lemon Balm
chillidude wrote:
Anyway, I thought I'd start a thread on one of the more obscure herbs I'm growing up in my orchard - Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis.
Anybody else out there using it ?
Quite often for a tea together with few leaves of lemon verbena or bergamot if too late at night to have cup of coffee.
Author:  chillidude [ Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Lemon Balm
Yeah Steve, the missus does the same thing on occasion.
Author:  Lord Viykor [ Tue Feb 23, 2010 12:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lemon Balm
I've got Lemon Balm growing in two hanging pots, originally got it to add to drinks. Can't say I've used any of it so far. The hot weather doesn't help my slack watering regime.

Really should pick some it and try it out this weekend.
Author:  anja [ Sun Mar 27, 2011 9:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lemon Balm
I love it in tea and drink it nearly every day. I have it in pots which haven't been fed or had new soil added for quite a long time. Last year I let the seeds develop and now I have it coming up everywhere, even in cracks in the concrete!
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