Lemon Herbs my favorite Herbs of the Week with Info from Kathy Musser

 In a recent article in The Essential Herbal Magazine, Kathy Musser of Cloverleaf Herb Farm shared a thorough list of lemon, lime and orange flavored herbs.  It was a great article focusing on the many uses and the distinct flavors of each.

Lemon Verbena

I loved the fact that her first herb in the list was Lemon Verbena, as it is one of my favorite go-to lemon herbs. In her description, she suggested  “Try steeping lemon verbena leaves in warm milk, then cool and strain. Use the infused milk for muffins, quick breads, cakes, puddings, etc. for a wonderful lemon taste.”  I had never tried this before, so I decided an experiment was in order. I Infused Greek yogurt with fresh lemon verbena leaves overnight and then created this savory muffin to serve to the garden club board members.

Savory Lemon Herb Muffins

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt infused with 6 to 12 fresh lemon verbena leaves overnight
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup fresh basil minced
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest grated\

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 6-cup muffin tin.

Measure the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl. Stir together with a fork until blended. Add the cheese and stir the blend.

In a second bowl, add the lemon juice, infused yogurt, olive oil, and egg. Blend together to combine.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the yogurt mixture. Stir by folding over only until just combined. Add the basil, chili powder, and lemon zest last, folding them in only once or twice to distribute evenly. Divide between the six muffin cups.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a knife tip or toothpick emerges clean. Let the muffins cool for about 10 minutes before removing them from the tin and transferring to a wire rack.

 

Lemon Balm

Kathy’s article also focused a bit on Lemon Balm.  Knowing it is in the mint family she addressed the spreading issues that some people experience and gave a solution I have never tried before.

“It (lemon Balm) produces loads of small, white flowers which become masses of seeds, which go everywhere, giving lemon balm its bad reputation. As soon as I see flower stalks developing, I cut the plant back hard - nearly to the ground. It recovers quickly and this eliminates the uncontrolled reseeding.”

Lemon Balm Cut back hard

I’ve trimmed mine to eliminate flower stalks, but never cut it back hard, so I decided she might have something and decided to give it a try.  What I got when it came back, were great fresh bright green leaves that were large and very scented.  I will be doing this from now on.

Lemon Balm coming back

Sorrel

Another lemon herb Kathy mentioned was Sorrel  (Rumex acetosa).  I grow a version of this perennial that has distinctive red veins, rather than the plain green style.  I grow this strictly for personal use to put in salads.  Kathy pointed out it has a tart lemon flavor and when you cook it, it “will moderate the tartness. When cooked, it can be eaten like spinach or used in sauces and soup. Sorrel soup is very popular in Europe, eaten as an early harbinger of spring. It’s high in vitamins A and C and produces a clump which increases in size each year.”

Here is a great recipe for Sorrel soup that is a French version.  My husband is a French-style cook, so this is a favorite of his which allows him to use his emersion blender.

French Style Sorrel Soup

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions, ramps or other wild onion
• 4-6 cups of chopped sorrel, packed
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup cream

Directions:

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the green onions or ramps and turn the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and cook gently for 10 minutes. While the onions are cooking, pour the stock into another pot and bring to a simmer.

Turn the heat up, add the sorrel leaves and a healthy pinch of salt to the pot with the onions and stir well. When the sorrel is mostly wilted, turn the heat back to medium-low, cover and cook 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Mix in the flour and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Whisk in the hot stock, stirring constantly. Bring this to a simmer.

To finish the soup, whisk together the egg yolks and cream. Temper the mixture by ladling a little soup into it with one hand, while you whisk the egg-cream mix with the other. Repeat this three times. (You are doing this to prevent the eggs from scrambling) Now start whisking the soup. Pour the hot egg-cream-soup mixture into the pot with the soup, whisking all the way. Add the final tablespoon of butter. Let this cook -- below a simmer -- for 5 minutes. Do not let it boil or the soup will break. Serve at once.

Conclusion

I always suggest that if you love herbs and want to learn from people who are just like you, like Kathy Musser, try subscribing TheEssential Herbal Magazine.  It comes to your email box every two months and is filled with a variety of articles and great photos for beginners and seasoned growers of herbs.  I have been writing for the magazine for years and every issue always gives me new nuggets of herb info.  I am sure it will do the same for you.

 

More Edible Gifts

Prepping for the Holiday

Tea and Muffins are a wonderful gift. You can make this recipe or any other muffin recipe then present it in a fashionable package as a gift.

Banana & Chocolate Muffin Recipe   Yield: 12 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a standard muffin tin, or line with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas, then whisk in the buttermilk, sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, and whisk just until blended.
4. Remove one cup of the batter, and add it to a medium bowl. Whisk in the cocoa powder, just until blended.
5. Divide the main (non-chocolate) batter between muffin cups. It’s about 1/4 cup of batter per cup.
6. Scoop 1 tablespoon of chocolate batter on top of the batter in each muffin cup.
7. Using a toothpick, swirl the chocolate batter into the banana batter.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool for about five minutes.

To create an elegant gift, line a hat box with a tea towel and fill it with homemade muffins and flea market teacups you fill with herbal butter or cream cheese spreads (try each of these: Company Cream Cheese and Herb Flower Spread.)  Tuck loose tea and whole lemons around the box and include a pretty butter knife.

A more casual idea would be to provide a Christmas breakfast by placing the muffins in a basket with a container of muffin themed spread and some gourmet coffee.

I adapted this recipe from an article in the Herb Companion Magazine of December 2007.

Our Jam Surprise Muffin Mix.

Pineapple Sage Muffin Spread 

This is great on muffins, toast and crackers.

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 Tbls. milk

3 Tbls. confectioners sugar (or more to taste)
¼ tsp. cinnamon

4 fresh pineapple sage leaves, minced and rubbed between your fingers to release flavor or ¼ tsp. dried

¼ cup crushed pineapple drained

In a medium bowl mix ricotta and milk on medium speed with a handheld mixer for 1 minute.  Add confectioner’s sugar, 1 Tbls. at a time, mixing after each addition.  Stir in cinnamon and pineapple sage.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Stir mixture and gently fold in pineapple.  Refrigerator for another hour before transferring to a serving bowl.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Products we recommend if you do not have time to make your own:

Scones Mixes

Shortbread Mixes

Jam Surprise and other Muffin Mixes

Bergamot Black Tea

Victorian Lavender Tea

Cinnamon Spice Herbal Tea

Holiday Tea Blends

Weekend Recipe - Ginger Pecan Pumpkin Muffins

When gathering recipes for the recent Advent Calendar, I discovered this one.  I ran out of room in the calendar to use it, but i just thought it was still worth sharing, especially if you have that extra can of pumpkin lurking in your pantry.

Ginger Pecan Pumpkin Muffins (Makes 12 muffins)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (make it gluten free with 1 cup rice flour and 1 cup oat flour)

1 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 cup pumpkin puree (be sure to get the unspiced, unsweetened plain puree)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

2/3 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, sea salt and spices. Set aside.

In a separate, large mixing bowl, mix the pumpkin puree with the beaten eggs, olive oil and yogurt. Whisk thoroughly. Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring until just combined.

In another bowl, combine the chopped pecans with the crystallized ginger. Reserve 1/4 cup for topping muffins. Fold remaining mix into muffin batter.

Grease 12 muffin tins. Divide the batter equally. Top each muffin with a few pieces of the remaining crystallized ginger and pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes.

Weekend recipe - Savory Muffin Spread

Pineapple Sage is a wonderful fall time herb.  It blooms in the fall with tongue –like red blossoms that are a beautiful to behold.  Just before they begin to flower I harvest a number of leaves and use them to make tea and other food items.  I found a recipe for a muffin spread using Pineapple sage in the Herb companion back in 2007.  I’ve adapted this recipe first created by Rose Kennedy.

Sweet and Savory Muffin Spread

This is good on muffins, especially those made with oats, and on plain or fruit bagels.

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 Tbls. milk

3 Tbls. confectioner’s sugar, or to taste

¼ tsp. ground allspice

4 fresh pineapple sage leaves (or ¼ tsp. dried leaves)

¼ cup crushed pineapple, drained

In a medium bowl, cream ricotta cheese and milk on medium speed with a handheld mixer for 1 minute.  Add sugar 1 Tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition.  Stir in allspice and pineapple sage.  Refrigerate mixture for 1 hour.  Stir mixture and gently fold in pineapple.  Refrigerate for another hour.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Dill-Sage Cornmeal Muffins

My husband will sometimes out of the blue suddenly disappear into the kitchen and turn up a half hour later with a treat of some kind.  A couple weeks ago it was Cornbread Muffins.  They really hit the spot and I enjoyed them.  When he wanted to make more, I gave him this recipe for an even better muffin that we used with dinner and breakfast.

Sage-Dill Cornbread Muffins

1 1/4 cups sifted flour                                                                         

3/4 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage

2 tablespoon minced fresh dill or 2 teaspoon dried dill

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

4 to 6 calendula flowers, pull out the petals

Preparation:

Grease 12 muffin cups. Preheat oven to 400 F. Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. If using dried herbs, add them to the dry ingredients.

If using fresh herbs, add them to another bowl with milk, vegetable oil and eggs and use a whisk to beat together until they are smooth.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry, mixing just until the flour is moistened. Do not over mix. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups to 2/3 full. Sprinkle flower petals on top of each muffin.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until muffins are golden. Serve warm.

Herbal Gifts for Mom and Dad

I have not done one of these in a while, but knowing that herbs make the perfect gift for both mom and dad, I thought some blatant self-promotion was in order.

Here are some of my suggestions for gifts for your mother and father on their upcoming special days!

FOR MEN

My father and brother-in-law are both grill kings, so with them in mind, I crafted a set of 5 blends for grilling, including marinades and rubs.  It sells for $10.00 and the shipping is low.  You can check out this item at Grilling Collection.

I also put together a Man Gift Basket.  I call it the Master of the Universe collection.  It comes in a copper pail with utensils and herb blends for grilling and cooking.  It is the perfect ensemble for the man with everything who is not afraid to dabble in the kitchen.  With everything including priority mail shipping it comes to around $45.00 depending on where you live.

We also have a few regular products that a man might like.  In addition to individual herbs mixes, we have an aftershave made with sage and lavender, and foot salts.


FOR MOM 

We still have several of our special box sets for an herbal facial or herbal pedicure and a portion of the proceeds from these goes to Susan B. Koman for the Cure!  Each contains a variety of herbal products for treating your face or feet with full instructions for giving yourself a spa treatment at home.  And they are a bargain at $17.00 and $15.00 respectively.

If you want to make mom breakfast in bed you could try our herb infused muffin mixes.  Or perhaps you want to make pancakes -- we have a gift set that includes cinnamon pancake mix, Cinnamon Spice Tea, and a jar of herbed honey, I call it Breakfast in Bed.  And it sells for 9.95.

You can give your gift a special touch with a hand made herbal greeting card, complete with an herb tea bag enclosed.

We also have bath salts and scrubs, bath sachets, and herb pillows to treat headaches and aid sleep (especially appropriate if you are the one mom is losing sleep over!)  You can also browse our loose herbal tea selection.

If you can't decide at all what to do, perhaps a sample of our herbal offerings is what you need.  We have small samplers of each of our main items (Herb mixes, Herb Seasonings, Scented Bath, or Herbal Tea) and they sell for only $4.95.  For a limited time we have created a sampler of samplers which includes five of our 16 samplers (our choice or yours) for $25.00. 

I hope this has given you a few ideas for your mother or father gift shopping this season.  As always you can browse all our products on our web page: http://www.backyardpatch.com/