Lemon Balm Tea - Simple & Soothing

Even though we have months of work ahead before our new house is finished enough to really unpack, I am loving living here! I just stepped outside with my honey to enjoy the view of our field at twilight for a minute before the skeeters chased us back inside -- the warm breeze, blinking fairy lights of the fireflies and chorus of frogs filling the sweet-smelling air made me feel both happy and lucky.

One of my recent discoveries is that we have some lemon balm growing.

Quite a lot of it, actually. In fact, it's taken over all the flower beds along one whole side of the house. But I don't mind because it's just so nice with a lovely minty, lemony smell and the flavor to match.

It turns out that Melissa officinalis is a panacea-type deal. Apparently, lemon balm can be used as a: mosquito repellent, an antiviral (Wikipedia notes in particular that it's effective in treating Herpes), an antibiotic, an anxiolytic or sedative and an antioxidant. It's also said to improve mood and mental performance and to help regulate weight and prevent obesity.

DAG! All this from a garden weed that requires absolutely no effort on my part to grow. If anything, it's probably going to require some effort to contain...

Just writing this list makes me want to drink a pitcher of the stuff but I'm holding off on making a mad dash for the fridge both because I want to finish this post before I have to go to bed in a few minutes and because, if I did drink a bunch of it right now, I'd need to pee all night long - not worth it!

Drawing by Franz Eugen Köhler, 1897

I have very little time these days so I've just been making a simple tea from it. No exact ratios or amounts required!

All you do is:
1. Pick the leaves - gather a really big bunch - like 4-6 loosely packed cups' worth
2. Wash them in cold water and set aside
3. Boil 6 or so cups of water
4. Submerge the leaves in the boiling water and steep for 5-10 minutes
5. Remove the leaves and pour!

You can then drink it hot (though not in this weather...) or iced.

It tastes good just as it is - there's no need to sweeten it. And that means a lot coming from me since I like sweet beverages a lot - think Mexican Coke and Southern-style sweet tea. But, for some reason, I find the lemon balm tea I've been making quite perfect without any sweetener.

I'm also looking forward to drying a whole lot of this herb in our food dehydrator, Excalibur, to have some serious stores on hand for the winter months. And, perhaps I'll try making a simple syrup with it (you see, the sugar always finds some way to sneak back in there with me) to use in summer spritzers or sorbet. I'll keep you posted.

Those of you who live near me are welcome to come take some if you don't have access to any. We've got plenty to share.

You might also like:

• Meyer Lemon & Bergamot Orange Citrus Cooler
• Strawberry Mint Lemonade
• Wild Blackberry Sorbet with Garden Mint & Lavender

Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

Parmesan Garlic Grilled Asparagus

Hallo again! Sorry for the radio silence of late. Long story short, we've moved. Into our new house. That we bought (can we hear it for first-time home owners?) and renovated half of.

But we ended up having to move a couple weeks earlier than we'd thought we would (I'm still working out my anger about that...) And it was really down to the wire in terms of having a livable space to move into. And the baby was cutting not one, but FOUR new teeth (he's gone from just two chompers to eight pearly whites in the last month and a half). So, needless to say, there was not much time for cooking or photographing or writing about it all. And not nearly enough time for sleeping, either.

But we're in now (photos coming soon - I want to wait until we get things just a tad more unpacked before I document it in any kind of public way) and I have been meaning to post this delightful asparagus for about a month now. So I figure I need to get this out to you before asparagus season is well and truly over.

Grilled asparagus has been one of my go-to veggies for years now. It's easy, it's tasty, it's good for you.

Just toss with some garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and throw it on the grill. Unless you really char the crap out of them, you can't go wrong.

My friend, Lynn, suggested the addition of Parmesan (thank you, Facebook!) so I gave it a shot and, as you might have guessed, it's even better this way. You've got the partly sweet, partly savory, nearly impossible to define but very tasty (unless you're Japanese and then you apparently call it "umami") asparagus flavor and the garlic plus a little bit of salty, rich, melty cheese. As John Hodgman says, "You're Welcome."

And don't forget that it's super easy. At this point in our lives, it has to be super easy or I can't make it. Can you tell that I'm longing to have hours to spend cooking in a spotless kitchen in blissful silence, without my beloved but incredibly demanding, messy, noisy boys at my feet (or on my back as is often the case during these times of teething)???

Anyway, hope you like it :) A side note, can you believe that I've become one of those people who uses those cheesy little smiley and frowny face "emoticons" in my writing? I cringe a little every time I do it but I just can't seem to stop:(

Grilled Asparagus With Garlic & Parmesan Cheese
Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

*1 bunch asparagus
* 2 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed or minced
* 3 Tbsps grated Parmesan cheese (you can also use Romano, locatelli, etc., any salty, hard cheese would work)
* 2-3 Tbsps olive oil
* Sea salt to taste
* Black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Wash the asparagus and snap the woody ends off (you'll feel where you should snap when you bend them a bit) and place them in a large bowl. Preheat the grill and give it a good scrape to clean it.

2. While the grill is heating up, toss the asparagus with all the other ingredients until well-coated.

3. Lower the flame to medium and lay the asparagus spears crosswise to avoid dropping any through the grill. Cover and grill for about 5 minutes, turning often to prevent them from burning. Grilling times will depend somewhat on how powerful your grill is and also on the size of the asparagus.

You might also like:

• Asian-inspired Grilled Asparagus
• Asparagus with Goat Cheese, Candied Pecans & Bacon
• Lemon Aioli, Roasted Beets, Asparagus & Oven Fries

Want even more recipes, photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration? "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.