Lemon Verbena: a Gardener's Joy

    If you are seeking to integrate edible plants into your home landscaping, try growing lemon verbena! Native to South America, this delightful herb has an incredible fragrance, which requires little or no care. If you plant it along a walkway, the leaves will release a wonderful lemony perfume with each passerby. Culinary uses are many, as the finely chopped leaves can be added to any dish when a delicate lemon flavor is desired. An ice cold drink made of ½ lemon verbena tea and ½ homemade lemonade is so refreshingly delightful you’ll want to serve it frequently during the hot days of summer! (Recipe follows.)

    You can buy lemon verbena in small 4 inch pots at the local nursery. I recommend buying three plants, and plant them together. You'll need to choose a fairly sunny location, with some shade during the day, moderate water and plenty of organic material worked into the soil at time of planting. By the second year, the plants together will be an attractive 4 foot tall by 4 food wide shrub. You will need to prune (aka: harvest) fairly regularly during the summer so that doesn’t get too leggy, as pruning it will force it into a more compact shape.

 Lemon Verbena Lemonade-

 First, make the lemon verbena tea:

   A big handful lemon verbena leaves (from two long branches)

   1 quart boiling water

 Wash leaves, crumple them in your fists to bruise them. Place in a pitcher or a bowl. Pour water over the leaves and let steep for five to ten minutes.

 Second, make the lemonade:

    Juice of 6 lemons (if you have a Meyer lemon tree, this is preferred)

    ½ cup sugar

    1 quart cold water

 Combine fresh lemon juice with sugar in a 3 quart pitcher until dissolved. Add water, stir, taste. Add more sugar or water if desired. Note: This should be very tart as it is double strength.

Third, combine the lemonade and the tea:

Place a strainer over the lemonade pitcher and pour the tea into the lemonade. Stir. Add about 1 quart of ice. Chill 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to develop further. Enjoy!