[Sca-cooks] more lovage

[Rikke D. Giles]

On 2006.04.26 16:23, Aurelia Coritana wrote:
>   I've used celery seed in place of lovage fairly successfully,
> although I'm just now looking to grow actual lovage of my very own.
> 
>   It takes over the place, they say?

Yes, it can take over.  But it does depend upon your growing  
conditions.  Lovage and Celery like plenty of water.  Celery is  
actually a marginal swamp plant, natively.

Catalogs will say lovage,  Levisticum officinalis, grows 5 to 6 feet  
tall.  Not in the PacNW, where it grows up to 10 or more feet.  But  
then we've the conditions it likes; moist ground, sunny, but not  
super warm days.  Most every plant barring super heat lovers like  
okra and eggplant grows well here.  Many of them end up 1-1/2 to 2  
times the size they attain in other growing areas.

The whole lovage plant is edible, although with varying degrees of  
toughness.  The root is used; I believe it has to be pounded.  The  
stalks, when young, are much like hollow celery stalks.   When old  
they become very fibrous.  The leaves are like celery leaves and  
stalks.  They are quite flavorful.  The seeds are like celery seed,  
and if the plant likes your area, will be abundantly self-sown.  
Lovage is a perennial.

Once again, in Roman recipes you will find them calling for 'Black  
Lovage', Smyrnium olusatrum, also called Alexanders.  This is an  
entirely different plant than lovage.  It tastes different, albeit  
with celery as the dominant flavor.  It only attains 2 to 4 feet. Its  
flower stalks will be longer.  It's seeds are black and shiny.  Some  
places say this plant is a perennial but I've found it to be short  
lived as such, and would say it was biennial.


HL Aelianora de Wintringham
Barony of Dragon's Laire
Kingdom of An Tir