A squirt of lemon juice on grilled trout or a spoonful of grated zest added to a pound cake batter instantly packs a refreshing flavor that wakes the palate.
Sure, the pebble-skinned, sunny yellow orbs are a staple in any supermarket or kitchen, but members of the Herb Society of America think green when they think of lemon. Green, as in the color of leafy lemon herb plants, particularly lemon balm, which is the herb gardeners pick as herb of the year for 2007.
The Denver Botanic Gardens featured lemon balm, lime basil and other citrus herbs at its annual sale in May, and the Connecticut chapter of the Herb Society has planted a lemon herb garden, just steps from the formal herb garden that the group maintains in Hartford.
If the scalloped-edge leaves of the lemon balm plant resemble mint, that’s because balm is a member of the mint family. Its flavor and aroma, however, are strictly a subtle lemon. Oils – or different combinations of oils – in the leaves give the plants that citrus essence. Lemon balm attracts bees but has a calming effect on them, which makes for better honey, according to Kathy Donohue, an herb society member in Connecticut.
The herb also has a place in the Donohues’ kitchen, where she and her husband, Jack, make the most of balm in simple ways. “You can take a handful of leaves, stuff a trout and grill it,” she says, “or chop it into fruit salad or ice tea.”
Though balm may not win any beauty contests, another lemon herb is certainly a contender. Lemon Gem marigold “is a small, showy, single-flowered marigold with a pungent lemon flavor and aroma,” writes Ellen Spector Platt in her book “Lemon Herbs” (Stackpole, $19.95), which Donohue recommends as a useful introduction to growing these herbs.
“The flower is what’s edible – throw them in salads – and they’re cute and bloom all summer long,” Donohue says of the annual plant.
Another flowering plant grown in herb gardens more for its leaves than its buds is the scented geranium, including a lemon-scented geranium. Related to the regular geranium, which is not a culinary plant, the scented variety is a different species called a pelargonium.
“The fun thing about scented geraniums is they can be used as houseplants in the winter in a sunny window,” Donohue says. The leaves have myriad uses: Infuse sugar syrup or liquid called for in a recipe with the leaves; mince them into fruit salads or tea; in jelly.
“If you’re making a pound cake, put a couple of leaves in the bottom of the pan and (add) the batter,” Donohue says. “You’ll have essence of lemon coming through the cake.”
She said she had just read of another tip: Tuck a few leaves into a plastic storage bag with a cake or muffins, and the baked good will absorb some of the lemon aroma.
For fans of thyme, the lemon variety will add an extra flavor dimension to savory dishes. Lemon verbena has perhaps the strongest lemon flavor among the lemon herbs. A sprig or two gives a lift to a tall glass of iced tea.
The most exotic of the lemon herbs is lemongrass, a perennial herb used primarily in Asian cooking, especially Vietnamese and Thai dishes.
“It grows like an ornamental grass,” Donohue says. Garden centers often carry lemongrass in their herb sections, but Asian grocery stores also are a source – and cheaper.
The useful part of the lemongrass plant is the lower part of each stem. “Peel off the outer skin and use the root like a scallion,” Donohue says, adding that the leaves also can be steeped for tea.
