lemon balm – The Herbal Bake Shoppe https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com Bringing herbalism & baking together Thu, 20 Apr 2023 16:09:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Episode 053: The Little Saver Herb: Lemon Balm Monograph Part 2 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/episode-053-the-little-saver-herb-lemon-balm-monograph-part-2/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 15:41:53 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?p=7554 The Little Herb Saver:


Lemon balm is like a blanket of peace, calming a nervous stomach, reducing anxiety, elevating  a gloomy feeling, and providing relief for sleepless nights. That’s a lot, but that’s also not all. 

Lemon balm is easy to grow, lovely to eat or drink as tea, powerful in its own right but not in a way that lends caution to using it. To get more lemon balm into our lives, can only be a good thing. And this is why I deem it a little herbal saver. 

Thank you for joining me for this part 2 lemon balm monograph. (Episode 52 is part 1)

 

Lemon Balm Vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon chopped lemon balm

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and dijon mustard. Whisk together until blended well. Stir in chopped lemon balm and salt and pepper. 

Store in the refrigerator. Serve with fennel and radish salads.

 

Photo of Lemon Balm from Henriette’s Herbal Homepage

 

Source for Lemon Balm Starter Plants:

Companion Plants

Strictly Medicinal Seeds

 

CONNECT WITH DINA

Together we can transform our kitchens into a unique apothecary.

 

—Deepest gratitude to Andrea Klunder, my podcast boss.  Find her at thecreativeimposter.com. 

 

Original music by Dylan Rice

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Please send me your comments, requests, or feedback.  Send me a message, voice or write an email, my email is dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

To get herb inspired recipes, plant profiles and read more about herbal medicine, visit my website at: theherbalbakeshoppe.com

 

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ABOUT DINA

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Dina Ranade is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist. She is also a mom of three – two daughters and one son all now in college. Dina loves cooking for her family despite the challenges this creates. She passionately loves exploring culinary herbalism and has been working on stocking her home kitchen apothecary or medicine cabinet. 

]]> Episode 052 Lemon Balm Monograph Part 1 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/episode-052-lemon-balm-monograph-part-1/ Mon, 27 Feb 2023 20:30:38 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?p=7543

Lemon balm is soothing, calming and uplifting, whether fresh or dried its a pleasure to have and use. Lemon balm is such a gem that it deserves a a two part herbal monograph. Here in part 1, I focus on lemon balm’s origin and the benefits it can offer for us now. I also offer favorite sources for dried lemon balm and some recipes for making teas and tinctures. Thank you for joining me.

Sources for Dried Lemon Balm
Mountain Rose Herbs
Avena Botanicals

Herbalist & Alchemist

]]> Soothing Herb Blend Mini Crumb Muffins https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/soothing-herb-blend-mini-crumb-muffins/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/soothing-herb-blend-mini-crumb-muffins/#respond Thu, 30 Jun 2016 19:44:10 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?post_type=recipe&p=1639

Interesting human behavior story…

Last weekend, for the first time ever, I sold jars of herbal blends at a local craft market. I wanted to talk to people, to gather ideas and see what people are interested in so I can be more useful. I sold very few jars, but I did learn from people’s reactions. I had samples of baked treats made with the three herbal blends to show diversity of use besides making tea or taking them in a pill. These mini muffins were one of the samples and I displayed them in a cake stand with a clear cover. There were only a couple of people who asked me about them and when I explained what they were, very few people even took one.

So here is the interesting behavior… In the middle of the day I left my table for a bit to get a much needed iced coffee. As I walked back through the park where the market tables were set up, I saw my table in the distance. I realized that there was a steady stream of people approaching, lifting the lid of the cake stand and taking muffins. When I got back about 75% were gone! Crazy. When no one was there, people were willing to try even though there was no label as to what they were made with, but when I was there explaining, the no thank-you’s were abundant. I’m not sure if this means that the thought of eating dried herbs baked into a muffin was unappealing or if they were just shy or worried they would not like and then be embarrassed to say so. Which ever, I hope you try for yourself. They have a few steps, none of which is hard and are deliciously different.

Although the tea blend is a mix of calming herbs, I am not sure eating in a muffin will do that, maybe a tiny bit. And would you try them if they were a sample at a craft market table? Please leave me a comment below.

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

Soothing Herb Blend Mini Crumb Muffins
Please don't worry if you don't have all the herbs for the blend, these muffins can be made with any combination such as lemon balm and holy basil or just one single herb. I would be happy to send you the herbal blend, too! Just send me a note at dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com
Servings Prep Time
48mini muffins 40minutes
Cook Time
15minutes
Servings Prep Time
48mini muffins 40minutes
Cook Time
15minutes
Ingredients
Soothing Herb Blend
  • 1tbsp dried linden flower
  • 1tbsp dried lemon balm
  • 1tbsp dried holy basilalso known as tulsi
  • 1/2tbsp dried rose petalsuse only organic roses if drying yourself
Herb infused honey
  • 6ounces soothing herbal tea blend
  • 8ounces honey
For Crumb topping
  • 1/4cup organic granulated sugar
  • 1/4cup organic light brown sugar
  • 1/2tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8tsp salt
  • 1/4cup unsalted butter melted1/2 stick
  • 2/3cup organic all-purpose flour
For Muffins
  • 2 1/4cup organic all-purpose flour281.25grams
  • 2tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2tsp salt
  • 1tbsp lemon zest, grated
  • 2/3cup organic unsalted butter, melted
  • 2/3cup herb infused honey
  • 3/4cup organic whole milk
Instructions
For herbal blend
  1. Combine all dried herbs, mix to blend. Using a coffee grinder, grind to fine powder.
For herb infused honey
  1. Prepare a double boiler with 1 inch of water in bottom. Bring to gentle boil.
  2. Combine powdered herb blend and honey in top of double boiler. Stir with a wooden chopstick. Cover, Turn heat to lowest setting and gently heat for 6 hours.
  3. Strain honey while still warm using a strainer covered in cheesecloth set over a 1 cup glass measure. You may have slightly less than needed amount of 2/3 cup, add plain honey if needed.
For crumb topping
  1. Preheat over to 375°F. Line small baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Combine sugars, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in melted butter. Add flour and stir with a rubber spatula until just moistened.
  3. Spread mixture on lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until dry. Break up with fork into small crumbs if needed. Cool completely before topping muffins.
For muffins
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Line mini muffin pans with mini muffin liners. If you do not have mini muffin pans, these can be made as regular sized muffins.
  3. In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest.
  4. In medium mixing bowl, combine cooled melted butter and honey. Whisk to blend. Lightly beat eggs, then add to butter and honey mixture and whisk to blend.
  5. Add milk and whisk to blend well.
  6. Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Pour in wet ingredients and stir gently to combine only until there are no remaining dry spots. Avoid overmixing as much as possible.
  7. Spoon by teaspoonfuls into lined muffin pan to fill 3/4 full. Sprinkle on crumb topping to cover top as much as desired.
  8. Bake for 12 minutes. If using regular sized muffin pan, increase baking time to 18-20 minutes. Test with a toothpick.
  9. Allow to stand in pan for 10 minutes then remove to cool completely on wire racks. These freeze well packed in air-tight containers.
  10. Optional: dust with powdered sugar before serving
Recipe Notes

*I would be happy to send you a sample of the herbal blend to try, just send me a note at dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com

**Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make baked goods all the more nourishing. For these muffins use organic flour, organic sugar, organic eggs, organic butter, organic milk if available.

blend of linden, lemon balm, rose, tulsi
muffins and herbs

]]> https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/soothing-herb-blend-mini-crumb-muffins/feed/ 0 Lemon Balm Walnut Crescent Cookies https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/lemon-balm-walnut-crescent-cookies/ https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/recipe/lemon-balm-walnut-crescent-cookies/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2015 18:54:12 +0000 https://theherbalbakeshoppe.com/?post_type=recipe&p=1350

I am a descendant of recipe collectors both sides, my father’s mother and my mom; it is strong in my genes. But I am not sorry for this because their hand written recipe cards accumulate as my treasures and settling down with a pile of recipe sources to sift through has always been a comforting pleasure.

When I moved to Florida for college, my grandmother lived there. On weekends we watched cooking show after cooking show resting on twin beds in her bedroom after a morning of my helping her with shopping errands. At that time cooking shows were only aired on PBS, no cable food channels existed. After she always prepared a yummy and easy dinner for us, never what we had just watched, she was fast and recipe-less. She was usually critical of the programs and called them fussy, except Julia Child, who she loved. She was addicted to collecting recipes, though, mostly those she clipped from the newspaper. She had boxes of little pieces of paper and also notecards on which she had scratched a recipe from a friend or a box or anywhere she could find something that looked good to her. She left Florida to move back to Pittsburgh when it got hard for her to live on her own. I inherited her prized recipe collection and spent hours transferring them to typed notecards, then throwing away the newspaper because I thought this would preserve them better and also organize them, it was before computers and recipe apps. Now I actually wish I had kept the newspaper as well because she had made notes on some of them and I miss her. I still have the notecards, all of them.

Around the same time, I had a few years of big holiday baking projects. One of the recipes from my grandma’s collection was a favorite, walnut crescents. This year it became my muse. I think my grandma would love it.

Because some ingredients may be hard to find, links are provided to make buying easier. I may earn a small commission for some of the product links in this recipe. Your purchase will lend support to this website at no further cost to you. Big love and thanks for that.

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset

Processed with VSCOcam with c1 preset

Lemon Balm Walnut Crescent Cookies
Lemon balm syrup, adds a twist to a melt-in-your-mouth festivity. The left-over lemon balm tea, a special treat for the baker, soothes the soul, calms a frazzled nerve and makes baking more fun.
Servings Prep Time
72cookies 20minutes, plus refrigeration and syrup preparation
Cook Time
25minutes
Servings Prep Time
72cookies 20minutes, plus refrigeration and syrup preparation
Cook Time
25minutes
Ingredients
For lemon balm syrup
  • 1/2oz dried lemon balm
  • 3 cup hot water
  • 1 cup organic granulated sugar
For cookies
  • ¼cup brazil nuts
  • 2 1/4cup walnuts
  • 3 1/4cup organic all-purpose flour
  • 3/4tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cup organic unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4cup lemon balm syrup
  • 1tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2cup powdered sugar
Instructions
For lemon balm syrup
  1. Brew a strong lemon balm tea by placing dried lemon balm leaves into a brewing vessel such as a French coffee press. Pour in hot water. Cover and steep for 30 minutes. Strain, measuring 1 cup (8oz) of tea.
  2. Prepare syrup by combining equal parts of sugar (1 cup) and strong brewed lemon balm tea (1 cup) in a small saucepan. Stir. Bring to simmer over medium low heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer 20-30 minutes until slightly thickened. Cool completely.
  3. Can prepare up to 48 hours in advance and store refrigerated in glass container.
  4. Note: If you have leftover tea from brewing, drink this while you are preparing the cookies or anytime to add a special gift of calm and enhance your lemon balm relationship. Dilute slightly with additional water and sweeten with a bit of honey if desired. Drink either hot or cold.
For cookies
  1. Grind Brazil nuts in food processor until coarsely chopped. Add walnuts and continue to process until all nuts are ground fine. Set aside.
  2. In large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and cinnamon. Set aside.
  3. In another large mixing bowl or bowl of electric mixer, beat together butter, lemon balm syrup and vanilla extract until blended. This can be done by hand or with an electric mixer, either way it will not get completely smooth which is fine.
  4. Stir flour mixture into butter and syrup mixture. Add gradually mixing with a wooden spoon until combined after each addition. Add ground nuts and mix until completely incorporated.
  5. Cover dough and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until well chilled and easy to handle. May also refrigerate overnight.
  6. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  7. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into 2-inch long logs. Place on ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart and form into crescent shapes.
  8. Bake until light brown on bottoms, 15-18 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.
  9. Spread portion of powdered sugar on a plate. Roll cookies in powdered sugar to coat. Replenish powdered sugar for coating on plate as needed.
Recipe Notes

*Using organic ingredients in baking whenever possible will make for more nourishing treats. For these cookies, use organic flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and nuts if available.

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