California Farm Annual Lemongrass Citronella Harvest

Name: California Farm Annual Lemongrass Citronella Harvest
Yield: 2 people year round
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: For fresh lemon grass use in soups and dishes:; 1 fresh green lemon grass leaf per dish, trimmed to match sticks size; For lemon grass spice:; Cup fresh lemon grass leaves and stalk; For lemon grass tea:; Teaspoon shredded lemon grass per cup of tea; For lemon grass allergy resistance:; Cup lemon grass; Cup rosemary leaves; Cup eucalyptus leaves; Cup fresh mint leaves; Gallon water; For lemon grass cooking oil:; Pint grape seed oil; Cup Dried Stalks of lemon grass; For lemon citronella candles:; 2 Cups beeswax pellets; 1 Pound dried Lemon grass stalks and leaves; 1 dried lemon stalk for the candle wick

Hobby Horseman @HobbyHorseman

California, United States

Lemongrass makes a sturdy year round indoor kitchen window herb for fresh cooking. Two plants grow faster than our annual herbal needs. We harvest and dry the yellow tips and use the green parts. The fresh leaves can be shredded in your coffee grinder to use as lemon grass spice in stir fries. We also extract citronella oil the slow and lazy way by sticking dried lemon grass stalks in a bottle of neutral tasting grape seed oil, to fry with.

When grown outdoors in pots, one Egyptian Lemon grass plant contains enough citronella oil to make a citronella candle that repels mosquitos and flies on the porch outside. We extract the oil simply by wet steaming the grass stalks in a cast iron pan with a glass bowl, cool till oil is solid and mix with beeswax pellets, then melt. A pound of lemon grass makes a teaspoon of citronella oil. A teaspoon of oil makes a one pound candle, enough for a year.

We have grown the same two plants for fifteen years now. Once a year, we split the plants, grow indoors over winter, plant one or two outside in spring.

#GoldenApron23

We have grown the same two plants for fifteen years now. Once a year, we split the plants, grow indoors over winter, plant one or two outside in spring.

#GoldenApron23

Hobby Horseman @HobbyHorseman

California, United States

We have grown the same two plants for fifteen years now. Once a year, we split the plants, grow indoors over winter, plant one or two outside in spring.

#GoldenApron23

We have grown the same two plants for fifteen years now. Once a year, we split the plants, grow indoors over winter, plant one or two outside in spring.

Saved

Ingredients

Various, simple

2 people year round

For fresh lemon grass use in soups and dishes:
1fresh green lemon grass leaf per dish, trimmed to match sticks size
For lemon grass spice:
Cupfresh lemon grass leaves and stalk
For lemon grass tea:
Teaspoonshredded lemon grass per cup of tea
For lemon grass allergy resistance:
Cuplemon grass
Cuprosemary leaves
Cupeucalyptus leaves
Cupfresh mint leaves
Gallonwater
For lemon grass cooking oil:
Pintgrape seed oil
CupDried Stalks of lemon grass
For lemon citronella candles:
2 Cupsbeeswax pellets
1 Pounddried Lemon grass stalks and leaves
1dried lemon stalk for the candle wick
Equipment: cast iron dutch oven with lid and floating glass bowl inside, pint glass with reusable stopper, glass spice jar with lid, coffee grinder, windowsill planter box

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Steps

Various, simple

1

Trim the fresh outer lemon grass leaves, cut in pieces, then shred in coffee grinder to make lemon grass spice. Sprinkle on dishes, in soups and stir fry.
2

Use a teaspoon of shredded lemon grass in a sieve, pour boiling water over to make medicinal lemon grass tea. People drink up to four cups of lemon grass tea a day to fight fungal infections.
3

To clear allergies inside your home, and open up nose and throat when having a cold, simmer lemon grass in a copper pot on top of your wood stove, with rosemary, mint, and eucalyptus leaves.
4

Extract lemon grass oil in grape seed oil: four dried lemon grass stalks in a pint bottle with reclosable top. Take top off, pour grapeseed oil over, heat in microwave till lemon grass fragrance is released in oil. Use for stir fry cooking.
5

Use wet steam to distill the citronella oil from lemon grass stalks and leaves. Fill glass bowl with lemon grass and float in water inside dutch oven. Steam with lid on till water has evaporated. Pour citronella oil over beeswax pebbles to make beeswax candles. Melt at 180F degrees in oven. Use one oil dipped stalk as candlewick.
6

Trim and propagate your kitchen lemon grass plants annually. In winter, lemon grass slows down growing and leaves turn yellow. We trim the outer leaves, rinse and split the roots and divide the plants in three or four, then replant. In spring, we plant two outside in pots and keep the most vigorous plant indoors. The outdoor plant produces enough oil to make a citronella candle.

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Cooksnaps

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Hobby Horseman @HobbyHorseman

on November 21, 2023 17:02

California, United States

I teach people at the farmers market to grow small scale fruits and vegetables. My grandparents and parents taught me growing, cooking and preserving home grown fruits and vegetables, eggs, meats and fish. I got certified by the University of California Master Gardener Program in 2005. I try to bring out the original flavor of ingredients, then add layers of spices, herbs and flavorings that enhance, not distort the taste. These are the global, organic and vegan family recipes we use.