Lemon balm is a hardy, easy-going perennial of the mint family with soft, lemon-scented leaves. It is used fresh in teas, salads, fruit dishes and light sauces.
What it is¶
Lemon balm is a bushy perennial of the mint family with soft, crinkled, heart-shaped leaves that look much like mint and smell unmistakably of lemon when rubbed. It is one of the easiest herbs to grow, and one of the most generous: a single plant will usually supply more leaves than a household can use.
Its scent comes from a mix of citronellal and citral, the same families of compounds found in lemongrass and lemon verbena, but in much lower concentrations. The result is a gentle herb, pleasant rather than punchy, which is best used fresh and in generous quantities.
The genus name Melissa comes from the Greek for honeybee, and bees love its small, pale flowers.
Origins and history¶
Lemon balm has been cultivated in the Mediterranean for over two thousand years, originally as a bee plant: beekeepers rubbed hives with it in the belief that it encouraged swarms to settle, a practice recorded by classical writers. It spread across Europe through physic and monastery gardens and features in the great herbals of the 16th and 17th centuries, where it was recommended for lifting the spirits.
In the early 17th century Carmelite monks in Paris produced Eau de Mélisse des Carmes, a distilled cordial of lemon balm and other herbs and spices, which remains on sale. Lemon balm is also one of the many herbs traditionally associated with European herbal liqueurs, though the exact recipes of most are closely guarded.
Flavour and aroma¶
Fresh lemon balm tastes of mild lemon with a soft minty background and a green, slightly grassy note. It is sweeter and less astringent than mint and far subtler than lemon verbena.
The aroma is volatile. It fades quickly with cooking and much of it is lost on drying, so dried lemon balm tea tastes more of hay than of lemon. Young leaves picked before flowering have the brightest scent.
In the kitchen¶
Use lemon balm raw or added at the very end, and use plenty of it.
- Tea. A generous handful of fresh sprigs (about 10 g) in a pot of just-boiled water, steeped for five minutes, makes a pleasant tisane, hot or iced. It combines well with mint.
- Fruit. Shred it over strawberries, melon, peaches or a fruit salad, or bruise a few leaves into a fruit cup or jug of lemonade.
- Salads. Tear young leaves into green salads, or mix with parsley, chives and dill for a herb salad to serve with fish.
- Sauces and butters. Chop into a herb butter or a green mayonnaise for fish and chicken. It can stand in for some of the basil in a lemony pesto.
- Infusions. Steep in cream for ice cream and panna cotta, or in sugar syrup, as with lemon verbena but using two or three times as many leaves.
💡 Add at the last moment
Lemon balm's aroma is lost in minutes of cooking. Stir it into soups, sauces and stir-fries off the heat, just before serving.
Buying and storing¶
Lemon balm is seldom sold fresh, but it grows so readily that a plant is the best source. Picked sprigs keep for a few days in a glass of water on the counter, or wrapped in damp paper in the fridge.
If drying, do so quickly in a warm, dark, airy place and store the leaves in an airtight jar; expect them to lose much of their lemon scent within a few months. Chopped leaves frozen in ice cubes of water keep their flavour better. See storing fresh herbs and freezing herbs.
Substitutes¶
Lemon verbena has a similar but much stronger flavour; use roughly half as much. Mint plus a little finely grated lemon zest is a good all-purpose substitute. In teas, a stalk of bruised lemongrass gives a comparable citrus note.
Pairs well with¶
Mint, lemon verbena, basil, chives, parsley and dill; strawberries, melon, peaches and apples; honey; white fish and chicken; soft cheeses; green tea.
Growing your own¶
Lemon balm is fully hardy and will grow almost anywhere: sun or partial shade, in most reasonable soils, in the ground or in a pot. In deep summer sun the leaves can scorch and yellow, so a spot with some afternoon shade is ideal.
- Starting. Sow seed on the surface of compost in spring (it needs light to germinate), buy a plant, or divide an existing clump in spring or autumn.
- Spread. Unlike mint, lemon balm does not run far by roots, but it self-seeds prolifically. Cut the plant back hard after flowering to prevent seedlings popping up all over the garden. This also triggers a flush of fresh, well-flavoured leaves.
- Harvesting. Pick shoot tips regularly from spring onwards; the flavour is best before flowering. Plants die back in winter and reappear in spring.
- Varieties. 'Aurea' has gold-splashed leaves; 'All Gold' is yellow-leaved and best in part shade. The plain green species has the best flavour.
See planning a herb garden and annual and perennial herbs.