Lemon Balm Syrup

 

Lemon Balm, also known as Melissa officinalis , is a sweet, lemony smelling  herb from the mint family. Anyone who has ever grown this herb knows it will soon take over the entire bed, so keep it in a pot unless you’re ok with it taking over. J Lemon Balm prefers a little shade with moist soil, but I can vouch for the fact that it can grow anywhere just fine. Lemon Balm has a wide variety of benefits ranging from helping with digestion, acting as a mild sedative, calming and good for insomnia, anxiety, depression, and it has antiviral properties. Lemon balm is thought to energetically cultivate happiness and bring joy to the heart. Who would not want some Lemon Balm in their life! Here is a delicious Lemon Balm syrup recipe as a way to prepare this amazing herb at home in an easy way. Adding ginger to this great syrup not only adds to it's antiviral properties, but is very warming too. 

What you'll need:

·      Wide mouth jar with lid (amount of ingredients below will depend on jar size)

·      Lemon Balm Leaves

·      Organic Sugar

·      Lemons into rounds

·      Optional: Sliced Ginger Root (Add if you love the zesty kick of ginger)

1. Begin to layer the ingredients in the jar, 1/4" to 1/2" of sugar, lemon balm, lemons (optional ginger). 

2. Repeat step 1 until you get to the top of the jar

3. When the layers reached the top, seal the jar. Place the jar in the cupboard for two weeks. 

4. After two weeks, pull out the jar. At this point the mixture should have liquified. Strain all the syrup out. Now you have a delicious Lemon Balm syrup to add to all of your summer beverages. Not only delicious and relaxing, but also antiviral to keep away the summer bugs!