Thursday 28 August 2014

Harvesting And Storing Lemon Myrtle

One of our neighbours has a large Lemon Myrtle tree and recently I harvested some leaves to use in the kitchen.
Lemon Myrtle is a native bush food and has a strong lemon scent that will impart it's lemon flavour when added to foods.  I like to add it to fish, chicken and lamb and it makes a great addition to sweet treats too.  if you don not have a tree nearby you can buy it in the spice section from selected stores.

To prepare the leaves you first need to give them a good wash.  I soak them all in the sink and then pick them out one at a time and use a soft scrubbing brush to give them a gentle scrub on both sides of the leaves. This removes all the dust and spiderwebs that are attached.


I then spread the ones I want to dry out on a towel on top of the chest freezer.  Once they are dry I place them on a tray in the oven and set it to 50 degrees Celsius and dry them out for a few hours then leave in the oven to cool.  This may need to be repeated to get the leaves fully dry.  If you have a dehydrator then you can use that instead.


I do not normally only dry half of the leaves an the rest of them I add to a stock pot and cover with water and simmer covered for an hour.  Once the leaves have flavoured the water I freeze it in takeaway containers.  I use it to add to fruit juice and punch in the summer for a refreshing drink.


Once the leaves are dried I put them in my herb chopping attachment from my stick blender or my food processor, depending on the quantity, and chop the dried leaves until they are as fine as I can get them.  I then use my mortar and pestle to get it really fine.  I just pound it for a bit then sieve out the fine stuff and keep repeating until it is all as fine as you want.


You can then store it in an airtight jar until you are ready to use it.


There are a whole range of recipes online and you can check out some here for ideas.  My favourite is Lemon Myrtle and Macadamia Nut Shortbread and I will post the recipe to that tomorrow.

Have you ever harvested your own lemon myrtle?
Do you ever use it in cooking?

23 comments:

  1. Looking forward to recipe. Yum

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fantastic! Lemon myrtle is one of the things I have planned for our garden (so sad that it's now destroyed!) Love littlekarstar aka Mrs Bok !

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for all the info on Lemon Myrtle, I have one growing and harvested some leaves last week to infuse in olive oil, ready for some soap making at the end of the month.
    I will try the grinding method too and see which one gives the best perfumed soap, it is so fresh and lovely for the warmer weather.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi, here is my Vegan Lemon Myrtle Shortbread Recipe .. Vegan - Lemon Myrtle Shortbread
    Melted butter, to grease
    250g Nutilex Buttery, at room temperature
    100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
    300g (2 cups) plain flour, sifted
    90g (1/2 cup) rice flour, sifted
    A Teaspoon of Lemon Myrtle

    Method =


    Preheat oven to 150°C. Brush 2 baking trays with melted butter to grease.
    Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy.,

    Gradually add the combined flour, beating on low speed until almost combined.
    Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.
    Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth.

    Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Use your hands to shape 1 portion of dough into an 18cm-diameter disc.
    Transfer to 1 of the prepared trays. Use a flat-bladed knife to smooth the surface.
    Pinch the edges to create a fluted edge.
    Use a small sharp knife to score the disc into 8 wedges and use a fork to prick the dough all over.
    Repeat with the remaining dough to make a second disc.

    Bake the shortbread in oven, swapping the trays halfway through cooking, for 40 minutes or until light golden.
    Set aside on the trays for 10 minutes to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
    Cut into wedges to serve.

    Don't be put off by this Vegan Recipe , it is Delicious , those not knowing will never taste the difference , of course except for the Lemon Myrtle , which gives the shortbread an amazing flavour ..
    Enjoy ..

    ReplyDelete
  5. dehydrator then psice grinder, way better and effortless, fecking vegan

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very significant Information for us, I have think the representation of this Information is actually superb one. This is my first visit to your site. Australian Bush Spices

    ReplyDelete
  7. What about the flowers? Would I do it the same as the leaves?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great tip on freezing the LM water for drinks. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear your thoughts...
Thanks for taking the time to comment