Lemon Verbena is one of the most delightful herbs. Its pleasant lemon scent is enough to brighten any day which is why lemon verbena is wonderful in potpourri or just as a bowl of dried leaves to crumble and smell when the mood hits. Tip: Dried Lemon Verbena leaves can be ground and mixed with the sugar when making sugar cookies to give a slight lemony flavor. Lemon sugar can also be used to sweeten tea. Lemon Verbena Syrup |
2 cups water 2 cups sugar 1 cup packed lemon verbena leaves |
In a 2-quart saucepan, heat sugar and 2 cups of water over high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils, stirring occasionally. Cover and boil 3 minutes. Add lemon verbena leaves. Cover and boil 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered 10 minutes to allow flavor to develop. Pour mixture through strainer. Cover and refrigerate up to one month. Stir into iced tea, seltzer water or fruit salad.
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Lemon Verbena Scones
2 cups all purpose flour
1½ cups rolled oats 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt ¼ cup brown sugar |
¼ cup very cold butter
¼ cup finely chopped lemon verbena 1 egg, beaten ½ cup plain yogurt or sour cream ¼ cup milk |
Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the lemon verbena leaves; mix until just combined. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add the egg, yogurt, and milk and mix to form a soft dough. Pat the dough into a 12-inch circle on a baking sheet, and cut into wedges. Bake at 425º F for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings.
Lemon Verbena Blueberry Muffins
Fold the flour mixture into the liquids. Do not over mix.
Fold in the blueberries and pour into muffin pan. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes. Optional Streusel: 2 Tbsp flour 1 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp sugar ¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans Just for fun I tried this with Haskap berries (aka honey berries or edible honeysuckle berries) because they were ready a month before the blueberries. Haskaps look like elongated blueberries and are similar in taste except they are more tart. Joel's assessment on the honey berries : "they make lovely muffins." Lemon Verbena Tea Bread
Combine milk and 10 lemon verbena leaves and stems in a small saucepan. Heat on low just until milk is hot (do not boil). Set aside to cool to room temperature. Pour mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into a glass measuring cup, discarding lemon verbena. Add additional milk to measuring cup to equal ½ cup, if needed, and set aside.
Process sugar with 20-30 lemon verbena leaves until they are very fine. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar verbena blend, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with reserved milk, beating at low speed just until blended, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in lemon rind. Spoon batter into greased and floured 8-x 4-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350˚ F for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. Let cook in pan 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack. Combine chopped verbena leaves and lemon juice in a small bowl. Cover and set aside. After bread has cooled completely, pour herb-lemon juice mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into a small bowl, discarding lemon verbena. Add powdered sugar and stir with a small whisk until smooth, adding additional lemon juice, ½ teaspoon at a time, if needed, until desired consistency. Spoon glaze over top of bread, letting excess drip down sides. Garnish with lemon verbena leaves.
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Dried peel of one lemon
2 cups dried lemon verbena leaves 1 cup dried chamomile flowers |
1 cup dried calendula petals
1 tsp orris root powder 6” cinnamon stick, crushed |
Scrape off the lemon peel with a vegetable peeler and spread it out on paper to dry in a warm place for
about 2 weeks, until crisp. Mix all the ingredients together. Seal in a tin and put in a warm place for about 2-3 weeks, shaking occasionally. Use to scent a room, or for sachets. |