Have you ever grown lemongrass? The hearts of this tropical plant are used mostly in Thai food. Last year I bought some on a whim because I had read about all the health benefits of this lovely grass. I stuck it in the ground and paid absolutely no attention to it and by the end of the season I had quite a large cluster and no idea what to do with it.
Lemongrass will not tolerate frost, so it must be dug up before the first frost hits. About a month ago, before the first frost warning, I pulled up my plants. I took a small cluster of 3 stems and trimmed them back to about 8" tall to overwinter indoors so I don't have to purchase new plants again next year. They don't grow much indoors but they seem to be hanging in there. Somehow they have managed to survive the cats.
I had planned on cutting and freezing all my lemongrass like I did last year for use in broth and tea, but I got busy. I laid the plants on the table outside and forgot about it for about 6 weeks during which time it completely dehydrated. A completely non-laborious method of preserving lemon grass! Today I brought it in, chopped it into 2" pieces, then ran it through my Ninja blender to make lemongrass tea. I will use this in my little loose tea holder and add it to my daily hot tea for a vitamin and mineral boost. I'd say the whole process took about 15 minutes for a winter's worth of lemongrass tea.
Even though my preservation method was purely a result of negligence, I will likely do the same thing next year. It was easier than freezing and requires no electricity to store.
There are a few things I need to remember to do differently next year:
Have you ever grown or eaten lemongrass?Lemongrass will not tolerate frost, so it must be dug up before the first frost hits. About a month ago, before the first frost warning, I pulled up my plants. I took a small cluster of 3 stems and trimmed them back to about 8" tall to overwinter indoors so I don't have to purchase new plants again next year. They don't grow much indoors but they seem to be hanging in there. Somehow they have managed to survive the cats.
I had planned on cutting and freezing all my lemongrass like I did last year for use in broth and tea, but I got busy. I laid the plants on the table outside and forgot about it for about 6 weeks during which time it completely dehydrated. A completely non-laborious method of preserving lemon grass! Today I brought it in, chopped it into 2" pieces, then ran it through my Ninja blender to make lemongrass tea. I will use this in my little loose tea holder and add it to my daily hot tea for a vitamin and mineral boost. I'd say the whole process took about 15 minutes for a winter's worth of lemongrass tea.
Even though my preservation method was purely a result of negligence, I will likely do the same thing next year. It was easier than freezing and requires no electricity to store.
There are a few things I need to remember to do differently next year:
- Cut out the hearts right after harvesting the grass and freeze them for use in dishes.
- Remember to keep some 2" cut, dried pieces for use in broth. I chopped everything THEN remembered that I like to toss a bit in our winter chicken broth.
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What a timely post! Your garden class inspired me to purchase lemon grass. The plant will spend winter in the green house. Thanks for the tips on how to process. I needed that! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad it helped!
ReplyDeleteRosemary did really well this year. I'm going to cut some today to dry in bundles to add to fires in the fireplace.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I'll have to try that!
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