Hello,

I have tons of lemon balm herb plants and asking suggestions what to do with it.
Thanks
chris

growingJadePlant.com

You can use it in tea. I use it to flavor fish and chicken.


While it doesn't lend a whole lot of fragrance to a potpourri... it sure is pretty and smells nice in a flower arrangement (I'm not sure how you are wanting to use it).

The one thing I have been doing with herbs I dried (just because they were there) is making some calico Christmas decorations for the tree and filling the stitched birds, stockings, etc with dried herbs rather than using stuffing I may have to otherwise buy.

While I grow it "just because", I definitely do NOT use it in tea or in fish or chicken dishes. Once in awhile I'll use it in baked desserts. Why? Because it smells like friggin Lemon Plege furniture polish. In fact, around here we call it the "Lemon Pledge Plant" - lol!!

If you're look for a true pure lemon scent & flavor for cooking, go with Lemon Verbena or Lemon Grass.

BUG DOPE! It has the same thingy as all those citronella candles you dish out big bucks for. So grow it around your deck, porch, and walk ways, then grab a handfull each time you go into your garden and wipe it all over yourself, your kids, the hubs for a safe and natural insect repelant.

While any of the lemon-scented herbs (Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, Lemon Thyme, etc., etc.) will provide a certain amount of mild protection against bloodsucking insects, the "citronella oil" used in candles & lanterns comes from Citronella Grass, a 6-foot-tall tropical plant that is grown commercially for just that purpose. Quite different from Lemon Balm.

Other herbs purported to provide a certain amount of insect protection are Catnip, Rosemary, & the so-called "Mosquito Plant" (which is just a citronella-scented Pelargonium).

Excellent ideas.
Will use them as air refreshers.

Lemon Balm (Mellisa oficinalis)is a versatile medicinal herb. It's gentile enough to use with kids. It a nervine so it is a good calming herb, it's an antivirus and a antibacterial so use with colds and flu’s, it's also an antihistamine, it's good for digestion as well. You can use it in teas, salves, vinegars, tinctures, salads. You might even be able to sell it to an herb shop if it is good quality. Lemon balm is a great plant!

Several years ago I boiled about 4 ounces of the fresh (or 2 ounces of dried)for several hours, then let it soak overnight. After I strained the oil, I heated it and added 1 to 1-1/2 ounces of beeswax to the mixture. I poured it into little wide-mouth jars (like baby food jars). It was a very soothing ointment (which is why 'balm' is in its name. It is said to be good for herpes sores. We put it on almost every wound until it was gone.

I used the same recipe with calendula blossoms and got a nice healing ointment from those also.

Mindwing

I planted lemon balm for the first time this year...two little teeny plants grew into two huge plants!

Thanks for all the ideas for what to do with it. I picked a bunch yest. and put it in my bathroom for an air freshener. Also put a bunch in the camper. Smells good!

Here's a link with plenty of Lemon Balm Recipes:

http://www.preferredconsumer.c...on_balm_recipes.html