Okay, so on this Memorial Weekend, I am picking an herb that absolutely gets no respect. It’s tough, it’s a perennial, its easy to grow, its good looking, has yellow flowers (celery like seeds), and it’s easy to use all the time. The entire plant is edible, from root to the top, and the flavor is a crispy citrusy celery on steroids! (Which is why we grow it – a perennial celery substitute!) It’s packed with vitamin C, B complex vitamins, and quercetin, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, digestive aide, used in alcoholic beverages, skin conditioner, and a whole lot more. You can even grow it from seed indoors in the winter and use the stems as a celery substitute. Yet when it gets mentioned, very few times does anyone recognize this wonderful herb…which I totally enjoy chewing on the smaller stems.
It’s Levisticum officinale, or otherwise known as ‘Lovage’ (smellage, maggi plant, mountain celery, false celery)’. So, have you heard about it? No? That’s what I’m talking about! Get out to your local garden store and grab yourself some Lovage. (PS…it has been known to have ‘Love’ powers as well!)