For many of us home gardeners, lemon balm is the gift that keeps on giving with a massive harvest every year. But let’s be real—sometimes you just have more herbs than you can use at once! If you don’t want that fragrant goodness to go to waste, preserving it is the way to go. You’ve basically got two main options here: drying or freezing.
Drying Your Lemon Balm
Drying is a super common way to save lemon balm for later. You can go the old-school route by air-drying it, or speed things up using an oven or a food dehydrator. Now, here’s the catch: drying isn’t exactly great for keeping that signature zesty flavor. Because air-drying usually takes about two weeks, those delicate essential oils that give the herb its aroma tend to evaporate. The same goes for the oven or dehydrator methods.
While dried lemon balm might not be the best choice for eating (since it loses most of its taste), don’t toss it out! Lemon balm isn’t just a kitchen staple; it’s also fantastic for your health. Those medicinal properties stick around even after the herb is dried, making it perfect for homemade salves, tinctures, or soothing herbal infusions.
Freezing for Freshness
If you want to keep that bright, lemony flavor intact, freezing is hands-down your best bet. The cold temperatures basically hit the “pause” button on the herb’s aging process, locking in the taste. Here’s my favorite way to do it:
- Give your lemon balm a good rinse after harvesting and pat the leaves dry.
- Spread the leaves out on a baking sheet or tray.
- Make sure they aren’t touching each other (this prevents a giant frozen herb-clump!).
- Pop the tray into the freezer.
- Once they’re frozen solid, transfer them into a freezer-safe container or bag.
Freezing individual leaves makes them super easy to use whenever you need a quick garnish or flavor boost. Another pro-tip: chop the leaves up, put them in an ice cube tray, and fill it with water. You’ll have perfect little herb portions ready to drop into drinks or soups! Frozen lemon balm usually stays fresh and flavorful for about a year.
