Herbs and Spices Untitled Document

Lovage

Libbsticka

Plant Description

Herb: Lovage (Levisticum officinale) is a plant, the leaves and seeds or fruit of which are used to flavor food, especially in South European cuisine. It is a tall (3 to 9 ft) perennial that vaguely resembles its cousin celery in appearance and in flavor.

Season:
From August on in the garden.

Uses in Cooking:

Lovage can be used in place of celery, its cousin, as an herb or the leaves as a salad leaf. The seeds can be pickled as done with capers. The leaves can be used as a vegetable (blanched), as a celery substitute in boiled meats. The stems can be candied like Angelica.

Possible Substitutes:

Celery
Celery Seeds

How it comes:

Spice Mixes

Use fresh leaves or dried or pickled seeds

Other Uses:

Lovage is considered a "magic bullet" companion plant; much as borage helps protect almost all plants from pests, so lovage is thought to improve the health of almost all plants. Lovage tea can be applied to wounds as an antiseptic, or drunk to stimulate digestion. Lovage is second only to capers in its quercetin content.