Drying lemon verbena - this is the best way to do it

Dry lemon verbena, also an excellent herb and medicinal herb when dried

Grow or buy lemon verbena

If you have a garden or a balcony, you can grow lemon verbena outdoors or in pots yourself. Sow the seeds from February (to March) in well-drained, nutrient-poor soil and make sure they have a place in the sun. From July the plant begins to bloom. Their leaves can be harvested all year round.

When buying fresh lemon verbena, you should make sure that verbena is not offered instead of lemon verbena.

If the botanical names are shown, you can recognize lemon verbena by the name Aloysia triphylla or Verbena triphylla.

Also, make sure that the plants do not have any aphids.

Use lemon verbena

The leaves of lemon verbena are used for medicinal and seasoning purposes. As a medicinal plant, it comes in the form of tea

a headache
flu-like infections
to strengthen the nervous system and
to calm the digestive organs

used. The plant has a wide range of uses in the kitchen. It is used as a spice for the preparation of, among other things

Pastries
Desserts
Seafood and
fish

used.

Dry lemon verbena

If the lemon verbena grows in the garden, you can cut off the first shoots when the shoots are about 10 cm long. However, leave three eyes of the shoot to allow the plant to continue sprouting.

In August the plant has developed so large that you can create a winter supply. Cut the long shoots down to three eyes again and strip off the leaves. To dry the leaves, do the following:

Lay out a clean piece of cloth or paper on a suitable board and spread out the sheets of paper.
Make sure that the leaves are not too close together so that a better drying result is achieved.
Bring the board to a warm, dry and dark place.
Let the leaves dry for 14 days.
It is best to fill the dried leaves into dark screw-top jars. Here the dried lemon verbena keeps for about a year.