Lemon Grass is a leafy and grassy herb with a strong lemon like flavour and odour. It originates from Asia. Lemon Grass is also known as Barbed wire grass, Silky heads and Citronella grass. Lemon Grass has a long, white stem with a light green top and with a white thickening on the bottom. Put the plant in a large pot outdoors, to make it easier to put the plant indoors during the winter.
Lemon Grass contains a.o.: vitamin A, B and C. And the minerals calcium, phosphor, iron, potassium, copper, magnesium, manganese and zinc. Lemon Grass can be uses sliced in pieced or whole. Lemon grass is usually removed from the dish after cooking. Bruise the stalks of Lemon Grass before you use them. Lemon Grass is very versatile in the kitchen. You can cook, steam, stew, stir-fry and add it to soups, sauces, casseroles and stews. You can also add it to salads when you slice the stems in thin slices. It can also be used in desserts and puddings. It is also a very important and indispensable element in Thai curries, in marinades and in broth for cooking rice and fish. It can be kept for a few days in a fridge and it can easily be frozen in its entirety. Tea made of Lemon Grass is deliciously refreshing for the entire body. You can also suck on the root of Lemon Grass to refresh your breath. Non hardy annual. Height: 75-100 cm.
Indoor sowing: April - May
Outdoor sowing: May - July
Germination: 15 - 20 days
Germination temp.: 20 - 24 °C
Sowing depth: ½ - 1 cm
Plant distance: 30 cm
Plant position: sunny with some shade
Days till harvest: 60
Sow indoors in trays filled with moist potting soil from April till May. Sow sparingly and shallow and press the seeds gently in the soil. Cover them with a thin layer of soil. Lemon Grass is a light germinator. Cover the trays with a lid or cling film. Keep the germination temperatur high. Keep the temperature as even as possible and don't let the temperature drop during the night. An even temperature also helps to speed up the germination. Keep moist.
Remove the lid or cling film when the seedlings emerge. Put the seedlings in seperate pots, when they're large enough to handle. Harden the seedlings of by putting them outdoors during the day for about 14 days, from the beginning of May. Put them outdoors on a sunny plot with some shade and freedraining soil from the 15th of May, when there's no longer any danger of frost. Keep moist and weedfree.
Sow outdoors from May till July, when there's no longer any danger of frosts. Sow sparingly and shallow. Press the seeds gently in the soil and sieve a thin layer of soil over the seeds. Sow on a sunny plot with some shade and with freedraining soil. Thin the seedlings, when they're large enough to handle, to 30 cm.
You can harvest Lemon Grass after approx. 2 months. Cut the grassy stems from the plants with a knife. You can keep your Lemon Grass fresh for approx. a week in the fridge. It can also be frozen. You can multiply Lemon Grass by tearing the roots. Protect the plant against frost by putting the plant indoors during the winter.
