Lovage - One Plant per Family

Lovage - One Plant Per Family

Lovage (lat. Levisticum officinale) is a tall and spreading perennial plant from the Apiaceae family (lat. Apiaceae) - slow-growing plants that reach heights of up to 2m. It is cultivated for its aromatic leaves. It is used in gastronomy, where it serves to flavor soups and sauces. If you're a soup lover, then lovage must not be missing from your garden bed.

Lovage is a plant originating from the Mediterranean. It was already known in the 16th century. The ancient Greeks knew its taste and used it as an aphrodisiac.

It's such a solitary plant in the garden that you know about but doesn't have to be seen. It will do well at the back of the garden by the fence, or behind the greenhouse. It also grows in partial shade. It has no special requirements for soil quality. The taste of lovage is very distinctive, so if you haven't cooked with it yet, be careful with the amount and use only part of a leaf in your soup. With lovage, you'll save money on soup stock and seasoning.

Growing Lovage

Lovage is not demanding regarding its location in the bed or soil. We can grow it as an herb in a pot by the window. Here it won't grow to dizzying heights. Don't expect the same large leaves and fruits from lovage grown this way as from lovage grown outdoors. However, taste-wise it will serve excellently even in this "artificially created" mini version.

Lovage seeds are sown in spring or autumn. We recommend pre-cultivating seedlings indoors. Then we plant them in the bed at 40x40 cm spacing. From experience, however, we know that one plant is more than enough for a family.

Lovage is not demanding regarding location; it suits both sunny parts of the garden and partial shade. It's also not demanding regarding soil. However, we can recommend loosening and fertilizing the soil before planting lovage.

Watering lovage - regular watering is important. The plant has a relatively spreading root system. Given its size and green leaves, we recommend generous watering. Rather in the evening. On the other hand, the plant doesn't need fertilizing.

Regular trimming of leaves and adjusting the plant's height will ensure quality, constantly fresh leaves. Young and fresh leaves are used in the kitchen. Larger and older leaves may have a bitter taste. By trimming you'll slow down its growth and flowering. Which is important for a herb grown for its leaves.

After harvest, we can dry or freeze lovage. This is how the foliage and leaves are processed.

Old Wives' Tales

Lovage is a highly aromatic herb. Due to its distinctive scent, it can be used as a shoe deodorizer. One sprig placed in a shoe will eliminate unpleasant odors. Do you suffer from joint pain and rheumatism? Then try a bath made from lovage seed decoction. Tea made from lovage root is strongly diuretic and helps with gout. It is said to help dissolve kidney and bladder stones. It supports the activity of digestive juices. Not suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding women. It eliminates toxins from the body that could pass into milk and to the fetus. In large quantities, it should not be consumed by sick people, especially those being treated for kidney conditions.

TIP - Recipe

Lovage is best used in soup seasoning. You can add it fresh or dried. Lovage is very aromatic. The leaves are used for soup seasoning.

You can add a whole sprig with leaves when stewing vegetables. It's also tasty when roasting meat. It is especially added to marinades. Try lamb with herbs with the addition of lovage. You can also use it when pickling vegetables. Try a new flavor in your kitchen.

Try marinade with lovage. Pour cream into a bowl, add 2-3 tablespoons of chopped lovage, a clove of garlic, and red paprika (spice). Mix everything together. Place chicken breasts in the resulting marinade. You can grill the marinated breasts like this, or put them in a baking dish. If you're baking the meat, arrange onion on top and place a slice of cheese at the end of baking. Serve with new potatoes or mashed potatoes garnished with a sprig of parsley.

Guaranteed the tastiest soup seasoning. Try growing it today!

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Author: Hana Michalíková