Saturday is market day here in Virginia Beach. With the sun out and the warmth of summer creeping in, the Old Beach Farmer's Market is a great place to stock up on fresh, seasonal produce. It's an amazing spot to support what is local.
Baguette tucked under my arm and salt water still in my hair, today at the market I happened upon a stall of beautiful herbs and lettuces. I asked the woman at the tent a few questions about a few which were some unfamiliar to me. After her gentle explanations, I ended up walking away a couple new additions for my herb garden. Lemon verbena being one of them.
Like most herbs, lemon verbena is praised for both it's culinary and healing properties. In the kitchen it's a nice compliment to chicken and fish dishes. As a tea, it is used as a sedative to calms muscle spasms and is beneficial for digestion.
I look forward to leaning more about this special plant, about how to help it thrive in my garden and use it in my kitchen. If you have any of your own favorite recipes, I would love to try them. Go ahead and be brave and post them in the comments below!
And if you find yourself in Virginia Beach this summer, check out the Old Beach Farmer's Market (http://www.oldbeachfarmersmarket.com)
And visit (https://www.facebook.com/graceandgratitudefarm) for some amazing herbs and plants from Grace and Gratitude.