A Look at Lovage, a Delicious Undersung Herb for Your Garden

Oftentimes finding a new herb doesn’t have a huge impact on the typical hum of the garden. It’s a nice novel flavor to toss into the mix, and there are a host of health benefits that come from it. Rarely, though, does that herb— something many have never heard of— make it into daily usage.

Lovage, however, can easily become one of those herbs. It’s extremely versatile, working well in cooked dishes as well as raw. It has a very strong flavor akin to celery, and it grows trouble-free to become a substantial, low-maintenance plant.

So, whether it’s for the veggie patch, food forest, or herb rockery, lovage is a plant and food worth becoming acquainted with. It’s a winning addition to your garden. Here’s all you need to know to get started.

Lovage the Plant

Lovage (Levisticum officinale) is a perennial herb related to carrots, parsley, and celery. It likes full sun but, unlike many culinary herbs, will tolerate partial shade. And, it grows comfortably in USDA Zones 4-8, which is the bulk of the contiguous United States, save the extremities of hot and cold.

At maturity, lovage can reach heights of six feet. Its stems grow from the ground in a basal rosette (a sort of circle emanating from the same source), and they shoot up like tall, skinny stalks of celery with leaves to match. At the end of the season, it has multi-branched umbels (like upturned umbrellas) of little yellow flowers.

Just a couple of lovage plants go a long way. They should be spaced about two feet apart, and they can be harvested regularly throughout the season. Once established, they can be divided in the spring to create more lovage plants for free!

Lovage the Crop

Lovage has a strong flavor of celery with a hint of curry. The leaves are stronger in flavor than the stalks, and the stalks have a similar texture as celery. Since celery is very difficult and demanding to grow, lovage makes a great, easy-going substitute. Hence, it might be something used daily and seasoning vegetables (onions, carrots, lovage).

It’s possible, even good, to harvest leaves and stalks throughout the season. To do so, simply cut the stalks close to the base and leave the rest of the plant to continue growing. This is one of those plants that produces more voraciously when harvesting regularly.

As the season comes to a close, lovage will flower. It’s awesome to let these flowers do their thing and go to seed. Then, those seeds can be collected and dried to act as a seasoning, a la celery seeds (or dill or cumin seeds). They work just like celery seeds, adding that flavor without the vegetable.

Lovage the Recipes

One of the great attributes of lovage is that it is so versatile in the kitchen. It can work its way into so many recipes, and for those who use a mirepoix, lovage slips into celery’s spot with no problem. That’s the basic idea behind using it: where would celery work well?

• Potato salad, some think, is a showcase for potatoes, but celery does a lot of flavoring work in a good potato salad. Lovage can do that work, too. It’s great in a simple, traditional potato salad with vegan mayo and green onions.
• Lovage Salt, in the fashion of celery salt, is a wonderful seasoning to make for sprinkling into all sorts of dishes. Just dehydrate the lovage and whizz it into a powder. Mix it with your favorite type of salt and go for it.
• Lovage leaves in salads are a great addition. However, it’s important to remember how strong the flavor of them is. A little bit goes a long way (and a lot can ruin a salad), so start slow and expand from there.
• Soups, stews, and beans all benefit from starting with seasoning vegetables, so lovage has a foundational role to play in these dishes. The stems will do the job very well, but the leaves can sometimes be overpowering.

Like that, lovage can earn a prominent place in the garden, and being perennial, it’ll come back for years to provide good harvests each season. It’s an herb/vegetable that deserves a try.

Related Content:

•  10 Ways to Expand, Enjoy, and Embrace Your Herb Garden
• Growing Your Own Perennial Culinary Herb Garden at Home
• 10 Lesser-Used Culinary Herbs to Try in Your Garden (and What They Are All About)
• 8 Ways to Bring Medicinal Herbs to Your Garden
• 4 Lemony-Scented Herbs for your Indoor or Outdoor Garden

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