Contents
The history of verbena
Known for its digestive benefits, lemon verbena is found in many gardens, not least for its highly prized fragrance. Highly reputed in Peru, its country of origin, it plays a central role in Amerindian gastronomy. More unusually, it is the main ingredient in a Peruvian soft drink, Inca Kola.
Its arrival in Europe was the work of Spanish conquistadors and French botanists. On its arrival, it was nicknamed "Princess's herb" by Professor Casimiro Gomez de Ortega, in honor of the Asturian princess Marie-Louise de Parme.
Vervain found its place in Madrid's marvellous botanical gardens, and was completely introduced to the old continent by the French naturalist Joseph Dombey. Dombey's introduction was nothing short of miraculous: on his return from an expedition to the port of Cadiz in 1785, his entire collection was seized and left to rot in a city warehouse. Despite this, he managed to get a vervain plant back on its feet!
Since then, verbena has become a highly prized fragrant plant in Mediterranean countries.
Growing vervain
To plant verbena, it's best to wait until the heat of May to avoid any risk of frost.
Verbena has many needs: light, cool, humus-rich soil and good exposure to sunlight are highly recommended. If the soil is well drained, the plant will be able to withstand frosts of up to 7°C. It's also a good idea to plant fragrant annuals at the foot of the plant. And don't hesitate to mulch in October to limit the impact of low temperatures.
If you're growing in a pot, you'll need one 30-35 cm in diameter. Prepare your pot by adding a quarter of sand and three quarters of potting soil. Of course, if you have a little compost, don't hesitate to add some to the surface. At the end of October, it's important to bring the pot inside, away from low temperatures.
For watering, come and water the plant regularly for a month after planting. After that, it's just a matter of adding water when it gets very hot.
It's easy to grow: just harvest the leaves when you need them.
If you've decided to keep your verbena over the winter, it's a good idea toadd compost and prune the plant to help it get going again. To do this, first remove the dead branches, then cut the stem about thirty centimetres from the base. The last step is to cut off the ends of the stems to help the plant grow.
Everything composes in vervain.
Cooking verbena
Stimulant, digestive aid and sedative are just some of the words that describe verbena. This lemony-scented plant has many benefits, which explains its use in essential oils. Lemon verbena is mainly used in cooking sweet dishes. We've all heard of verbena tea, but much less of its use in strawberry jam, for example.
Recipe: Verbena ice cream (without ice cream maker)
Ingredients (about 8 balls)
- 3 handfuls verbena leaves
- 75 g caster sugar
- 30 cl fresh whole milk
- 20 cl liquid crème fraîche
- 3 egg yolks
🌿 Step 1: In a saucepan, heat the milk and cream and turn off the heat as soon as it begins to boil. Stir in the verbena and leave to infuse for around 30 minutes.
🥚 Step 2: Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl. Add the verbena cream, straining to remove the leaves. Homogenize.
👩🍳 Step 3: Return everything to the saucepan over low heat. Heat slowly to thicken, stirring gently with a wooden spoon (be patient!). The mixture should coat the spoon.
🧊 Step 4: Once the mixture has thickened, pour into the bowl, leave to cool, then set aside overnight in the fridge.
Ceercle little extra Ceercle Opt for lemon verbena, its delicate fragrance will add a touch of freshness to the ice cream.
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Read also: Peppers, Tarragon, Rosemary, Radishes, Tomatoes, Basil, Thyme, Nasturtium
