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Saturday, March 5, 2011

Lemon Verbena

Lemon Verbena (Aloysia triphylla) is considered to be the lemon herb with the best lemon scent and flavor.  Lemon Verbena is hardy to zone 8 so I grow mine in a pot and place it outdoors for the summer.  Before bringing it back indoors I prune and spray with insecticidal soap to prevent insects from hitchhiking indoors.  The prunings can be frozen or dried for later use.

Lemon Verbena can be purchased as a plant and is fairly easy to propagate.  Just cut an end of a growing stem, strip off all leaves except the top two pair or so, and stick in vermiculite, a compressed peat disk which has been hydrated, or in your Aerogarden.

Lemon Verbena can be used to flavor herb tea, fish, chicken, sauces, salads, soups, jellies or any recipe that calls for lemon flavor.  The leaves can also be used in potpourri.

Lemon Verbena Sorbet
Lemon Verbena in slushies

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