Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Lemon Verbena



I harvested the leaves of our lemon verbena plant to make a tisane.  E expressed some reservation with the idea, when rubbing a leaf of the plant between two fingers he pronounced the scent emitted to be that of Lemon Pledge.

I plucked ten hardy leaves, downy with gentle serrations, placed them in a glass teapot, and waited for the water to boil.

Would it taste like an antiseptic cleanser or would I be transported to a grove of lemon saplings where summer never fades?

I watched a lone leaf pirouette in midair before its final descent while I sipped the liquor of honey and limes.

3 comments:

Denise | Chez Danisse said...

a success.

Rebekah said...

Yes.

And a smile for the shiny tile and hint of furniture polish.

Alex Zorach said...

I love infusions made from lemon verbena, and I find that, especially when whole-leaf is used, it produces a sort of depth, a gingerbready quality, that is unparalleled in any of the other lemon-scented herbs.

But personally, I love all the lemon scented herbs. I grew up drinking lemon verbena, and then discovered lemongrass, lemon myrtle, and the others...each has their own twist on the lemon flavor, but is still recognizable as having that common thread.