Lovage (Organic)

Levisticum officinale. Perennial in zones 3-9.

With an appearance similar to its celery relative, lovage has a lovely fragrance and a sweet herbal flavor to match. Almost fennel-like undertones that are also reminiscent of celery and parsley, but lovage really has a flavor all its own. All parts of this plant are edible – leaves can be used in salads, leaves and stems add flavor to soups and stews, roots provide a hearty vegetable, and the flowers and seeds are used as an herb. Hollow stalks make an excellent drinking straw, perfect for Bloody Marys. Also used medicinally, as it is very aromatic – a tea of the leaves is said to aid in digestion. Lovage has been cultivated so widely for such a long time that its native range is not known – there are naturalized populations from Western Europe through Southwestern Asia. Beneficial insects love the large umbelliferous flowers. Plants can reach 5′ tall while in flower. Germination can be slow and erratic, but once established they are quite hardy.