Lovage

Aspects: Clumping herb; edible greens and stalks; sun to part shade; moist, well-drained soil

Lovage is essentially gigantic perennial celery.

Young leave and stems have strongly aromatic flavor that is usually too strong to eat raw but is great in soups (In the early spring use young shoots to make lovage-sorrel soup); late growth is too strong to eat; seed are used as seasoning; roots are also edible.

Lovage is best used fresh, but you can freeze the leaves and stems. Blanch a handful of leaves in boiling water VERY quickly then quickly throw into a bowl of ice water for a couple of minutes. Drain, place in plastic freezer bags and freeze. The frozen Lovage can be minced and used in cooked dishes.

Add a teaspoon of fresh minced Lovage to your chicken soup during the last 15 or 20 minutes of cooking. You can also add it to hot or chilled vegetable, meat, potato or tomato soups. Add one to two tablespoons of minced fresh Lovage to your meatloaf recipes. Harvest Lovage seeds to use whole or ground in cakes, meats, biscuits, breads, sauces, cheeses, salad dressings, or pickles. Add fresh leavest to your favorite potato salad or coleslaw too.

Among the first plants to emerge in early spring. Plants can grow to 6ft tall or more. After flowering the stalks often fall down crushing nearby plants. Cutting back when plant is setting seed will prevent this.

Worth growing because it attracts beneficial insects; grows in full sun or part shade; grows in ordinary garden soils

Propagate from division of fully dormant plants.