Lovage

(Levisticum officinale)

I planted this perennial herb last year. It remained a respectable size at about 2 feet all summer. This year it turned into the Lovage monster. At almost 5 feet, it resembles a small shrub.

It’s an attractive plant and flowering now. The flowers are an unspectacular greenish yellow. I’ll cut those off soon. I don’t want seeds. One lovage plant is enough.

All the advice I’ve read says that, in cooking, a “little goes a long way”. I have enough Lovage to feed the second army division.

It tastes like celery I’m told. I haven’t tasted it since cooking isn’t my favorite thing. The best thing I make for dinner is reservations – ba-dum-dum.

If you have any experience with lovage, please leave a comment and let me know.

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More Lovage information from Sharron Coplin, Ohio State University Extension, “No Lovage Lost with Home-grown Herb”.

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Herbs

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Confession of my dirty little secret:

The herbs in my garden are ornamental. I don’t use herbs for cooking, crafts or for medicinal purposes. For me, cooking and crafts rate just above dusting on my "what-I-like-to-do scale". I use other substances for medicinal purposes.

That said, I decided to plant herb seeds in fish boxes just to see what I could grow. On May 5, I planted basil and oregano in one box, parsley and lettuce in the other two.

The lettuce was pretty but it never grew to a size that I considered large enough to eat before going to seed.

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The parsley was growing nicely until the rabbits mowed it down. This box has a sprig of lobelia growing at the end. The lobelia seeds must have been in the soil from another year.

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The basil and oregano did well in the fish boxes with pretty shades of green.

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I couldn’t resist free plants from a friend. Lovage, basil pistou, Christmas basil, lime basil, Plow Church Cemetery basil, Spice Island rosemary, summer savory and Mexican mint marigold were planted in a circle on June 24. They’ve grown large and should have had more space.

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The scents are refreshing. I love to run my hand over the plants to release the aroma or pick a twig to carry as I walk around the garden.

One thing I’ve learned from my little herb experiment – herbs are easy to grow. And, if you like to cook, they can be an easy to grow way to fresh flavor.

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Herbs

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This week I attended the Master Gardener talk “Herbs to Use and Grow”. The presentation was part of Penn State Extension’s “Spring Garden Series” in Lehigh and Northampton County.

The class was super. It included information for growing herbs in full sun, some shade or full shade. Easy to grow herbs and their uses as well as herbal tea, herbal vinegar and household cleaner recipes completed the talk.

A bonus tip:

I have always had trouble drying parsley. I think the temperature in my oven doesn’t stay low enough. The dried parsley ends up brownish and loses some of its flavor.

Here’s the tip. Spread the cut parsley leaves on a tray and put it in the trunk of your car. The heat is supposed to be a perfect drying oven for parsley. I don’t know how long it takes but I plan to give it a try.

The Master Gardener “Spring Garden Series” continues through April. Sessions are filling up fast in both Lehigh and Northampton Counties. If you’re interested, call the Lehigh County Extension office 610-391-9840. Future talks include: “Starting Your Vegetable Garden,” “Rain Gardens,” “Small Space Gardening.”

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(The above picture has nothing to do with herbs. I have had these crocuses in my garden for many years. They are 5 or 6 inches tall with large purple flowers. They are the prettiest of all my crocuses. I don’t know the variety. If anyone has an idea what they might be, please let me know.)

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