Questions about herbs?

Question

I'm growing lemon balm, thyme, sage, and multiple mints.

I tried making lemon balm herbal tea, but it kind of grossed me out (had a grassy taste). Does anyone know a reliable procedure or method to making lemon balm tea? Or anything else I can do with lemon balm/melissa?

Does anyone know if thyme has a lot of iron in it? I recall reading that somewhere.

If anyone has general/interesting info about any of these herbs and things I can use them with or for....

Answer 1

I am growing all of those herbs. I've only ever used lemon balm in regular tea by slightly crushing a leaf and popping it into my glass. It is pretty nice in a glass of ice water with an orange slice and a sprig of mint.
Here is the Thyme nutrition label:http://www.nutrientfacts.com/searchfood.exe?var=5&form=Thyme

WILD MINT TEA MIX
1 cup lemon balm leaves
1 cup spearmint leaves
4 tablespoons orange peel -- grated
1/2 tablespoon cloves

Mix the herbs. For each cup of tea, steep 1 tablespoon of herbal tea mix in 1 cup boiling water.

Check out the link below for more tea recipes.

Answer 2

Mint is wonderful to just to pick some and smell it or walk through it or put it in your iced tea or dry it and save it for a great taste in your tom. sauce. Just don't let it get ahead of your other herbs because it is very invasive and soon you'll have nothing growing but mint. Lemon balm is another story. I think it smells remarkably like Lestoil. Do you really want to drink it? It will spread all over too but you find it far from your herb garden because it's seeds blow all over. To prevent this from happening, cut the flowers off before they set seed and you'll be rewarded with nice bushy plants for next season.

Answer 3

lemon balm is best when freshly picked. make certain you are only using the stems and leaves...no roots. rinse it gently by swishing it in a sink of water. i like to leave mine in the water for a few mins to make certain there are no bugs hiding anywhere.
bring water to a boil, while crushing about a tablespoon of the lemon balm and putting it in a cup, then our the water over it. allow it to steep for several mins (5 - 10) before drinking. sweeten with honey if desired.

here is a link to other recipes: http://herbalmusings.com/Lemon%20Balm%20Recipes.htm

as for thyme, here are a few ideas to get you started:
rub minced garlic and thyme over lamb, pork, or beef roasts. season cheese, tomato, and egg dishes with thyme. blend fragrant thyme into poultry stuffing, spaghetti or pizza sauce, and chili along with any combination of marjoram, basil, oregano, sage, rosemary, or garlic.

hope this helps

Answer 4

Rosemary and thyme are yummy in marinades for meats and roasted along with root veggies.