With its enchanting smell, lemon verbena could have you believing you've just sniffed a pack of lemon drops! The plant, although unrelated to citrus, carries a powerful perfumed bouquet. Lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) is a flowering shrub native to South America known for lending its bright, lemony flavor to Inca Cola, a beverage adored in Peru. Some might recognize the unique whiff of this herb from its frequent use in soaps and lotions, but it's the delicious, floral twist it gives to food and drink that's truly impressive.

Don't get confused between lemon verbena and lemon balm. Lemon balm falls under the mint family, sporting a more toned-down fragrance and flavor profile. The real stars here are the culinary applications of lemon verbena. Its uses extend far beyond sweets and pastries – it brings a special zing to salads, beverages, and more.

It came to fame during my stint on The Great American Baking Show when my sugar cookies with dried lemon verbena crowned me Star Baker. The following pastry week saw me using fresh lemon verbena in my pie filling, which delighted judges Prue and Paul. Now that we have your attention, let's explore how to use this perfumed plant in your own cooking.

Late spring to early fall, you can hunt for fresh verbena at your local farmers market. However, the herb does not stay fresh for long post-harvest. Many gardening enthusiasts have started growing their own lemon verbena at home, where readily-available plants flutter off the shelves of garden stores, suggesting their rising popularity. These plants thrive in outdoor gardening beds or your typical indoor container.

I cultivate a pair of plants every summer season. When summer bids adieu, I harvest the leaves, let them hang indoors to dry, then prepare them for storage in air-tight containers all year round. A hassle-free way to procure dried lemon verbena leaves is through various online platforms like Kalustyan's and NY Spice Shop – the perfect addition to both sweet and savory dishes.

Whether fresh or dried, lemon verbena is stunningly delicate in flavor, notably complemented by energizing, fresh tastes. Intriguing culinary applications include grinding fresh leaves with sugar and incorporating them into cream, steeping them into dairy to create ice cream or custard, or transforming them into renowned chef, Jean-George Vongerichten's lemon verbena oil to drizzle over veggies.

One exciting DIY option is creating your own lemon verbena extract. Pack fresh leaves into a jar, submerge them in high-proof grain alcohol, and voila! After several weeks, you have a strong aromatic extract to spice up your cocktails or sparkling water. This herb is particularly harmonious with fruit notes like apricot, peach, and strawberry. You might try tossing in a fresh sprig while preparing a pot of apricot or peach jam, taking care to remove it before transferring the jam to its jar.

For your baking adventures, ground, dried lemon verbena leaves lend themselves beautifully to cookies and cakes. Consider an aromatic shortbread or a standout sugar cookie.

To further spark your culinary inspiration, consider infusing rosé wine and apple cider vinegar with fresh lemon verbena leaves and peaches to create a versatile vinegar. Or perhaps, you'd like to follow Chef Mary Dumont's tangy tart filled with lemon verbena-infused lemon curd. Legendary chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten invites a surprising twist by tossing a vibrant salad in oil made with fresh lemon verbena leaves. The possibilities are endless with this unique herb.