Lovage - For The Herb Garden

The things that interest me most, are usually the things I don't know about which brings me to blog about, LOVAGE !!!

I'd never heard of lovage, and asked Eda about it and she said, "The leaves taste like celery."  That got me imagining all kinds of things.  So I did some research and found some interesting uses.

All parts of this plant are edible.  The leaves are one of the oldest known salad greens in the world. WOW The root is carrot-like and can be eaten as a vegetable or grated in salads.  I'm always looking for interesting things for my salads.  So far I'm really liking LOVAGE. 

Medicinally, lovage root and leaves can be brewed into a tea and used as an antiseptic for wounds or to stimulate digestion, and relieve abdominal pains due to flatulence. 

The seeds can be used as a spice, like fennel seed. The seeds can even be candied :)  (Love that part)

** Lovage root contains furanocoumarins which can lead to photosensitivity. (So be-aware)

So far I love it enough to plant some in the garden this year and give it a good taste test.  

So now for the planting:

Sow fresh seeds in sunny to partially shaded garden location in spring. Plant in partial afternoon shade in regions with very hot summers. (here in Half Moon Bay, I think we can plant it in full sun) Water abundantly in hot weather. Once established, you'll likely get seedlings to share with friends.  My kind of plant 

Okay, I'm off to the garden to sow some LOVAGE seeds .  

Love to you all !!

Marilyn