Lovage

The leaves and stems of this plant can be eaten both raw and cooked, adding a savory flavor to dishes such as salads, soups, and stews with a yeasty or celery-like taste. The leaves are available from late winter to late autumn and can be used fresh or dried. To ensure a good harvest of leaves in the summer, it is advisable to trim the plants back to the ground when they are flowering in the summer. The young stem can be blanched and used in salads, or as a flavoring in cooked dishes. The seeds of the plant can be consumed both raw and cooked and have a strong yeasty flavor, which makes them suitable as a flavoring in baked goods, soups, and salads, or ground into a powder. The root of the plant is suitable for cooking, has a strong savory flavor, and can be grated to be used as a seasoning or as a vegetable. It is best to use the root when it is 2-3 years old. No specific details are given about the flowers. Tea can be made from the dried leaves, with a strong savory flavor reminiscent of broth. Tea can also be made from the grated roots. The essential oil of the root is commercially used as a food flavoring with a yield of 0.5%.