Jultember: when Summer's gone...

our household has become utterly addicted to the taste of lemon balm. we have been including it all of our usual summery beverages. from iced tea, to lemonade, to ginger beer (a wholly non-alcoholic Caribbean concoction we make by the gallons at this time of year), a dash of fresh lemon balm seems to elevate the mundane to magnificent.

the plant is so easy to grow. i tucked a bit of it in with the peppers, and that was all the help it needed from me. lemon balm is a member of the mint family—which means that its natural tendency is weed-like overgrowth—so it is highly advisable to corral it in some sort of container (unless you want your garden overrun with the stuff). this makes it a perfect candidate for the balcony garden project.

and it tastes great as a hot or cold beverage, so i will definitely have to dry some of it in the coming weeks to save for when Summer's gone.