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What can I do with bee balm leaves?
Dried bee balm leaves are often used as a spice in many food dishes, tasting similar to oregano or thyme. Fresh leaves can be used to add spice to beverages and salads. Bee balm is part of the mint family. The citrus minty flavor in the flowers will enhance salads, desserts, and teas.
What to do with bee balm after it blooms?
As your flowers start to fade, you should deadhead bee balm just above the next flower bud to encourage further flowering. Once a stem has finished flowering, trim it back down to the ground or pinch it off. This will encourage the plant to send up another blossoming stem.
Can you make tea out of bee balm?
You can make tea from fresh or dried bee balm. I use the fresh flowers to make a blushing pink iced tea, but you can make tea from the fragrant leaves, as well. Fill a clean jar with filtered water and add the bee balm, giving it a good stir.
What can you do with lemon bee balm?
Lemon bee balm has been used medicinally to treat respiratory illnesses such as colds and coughs. It has a few culinary uses. Most people use it in teas or salads or to flavor desserts. It has also been used in wines and liqueurs.
How do you use bee balm medicinally?
10 Ways to Use Bee Balm Use bee balm as a natural antiseptic. Did you get a cut or scratch while gardening? Soothe a sore throat with Bee Balm. Soothe a sore tummy. Get a good night’s sleep. Freshen up a small space with dried bee balm flowers. Give your jelly a boost. Season your meats. Spice up your salads.
How do you preserve bee balm?
Preserving and Storing Bee Balm Drying: Strip bee balm leaves from stems and dry them on screens or drying trays for two or three days in a warm, shady place or dry leaves in a dehydrator. Dry leaves in the refrigerator by spreading the leaves evenly on a baking sheet covered with paper towels.
Is bee balm poisonous?
Bee balm (Monarda) is a member of the mint family. Bee balm is not poisonous for humans. In fact, eating the leaves will not harm a cat, dog or other animals in any way. Despite not being poisonous to animals, eating parts of any plant can cause digestive upset to an animal.
When can you cut down bee balm?
Cutting Back Bee Balm For Winter As a general rule, cut the plant back after the first frost in the fall. Waiting until fall will allow the plant to drop it’s seeds for the next growing season. If you do not want the plant to spread as much, then cut some of the plant back prior to fall.
Do birds eat bee balm seeds?
But birds don’t only enjoy Bee Balm in summer. The nutlet is a large, hard-shelled seed that forms when the flowers turn into seed. The nutlet attracts finches, sparrows, juncos, redpolls, among other species.
Do you Deadhead bee balm plants?
Bee balm (Monarda) begin to bloom in July and will continue to bloom throughout late summer. To encourage bountiful clusters of flowers, you will want to deadhead the plant throughout its entire bloom time. As the flowers begin to wilt and fade, cut just above the next flower bud.
What is bee balm tincture used for?
Prized for its antimicrobial properties, bee balm helps kill germs, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Generally, antimicrobials like bee balm are used for fighting infections of the respiratory and digestive tracts, skin, or other areas of the body.
How do you harvest bee balm flowers?
Once bee balm flowers begin to bloom, pick them often to encourage more growth. Harvest them by cutting 8 to 10 inches worth of stem. If using for teas, tie the stems together and hang upside down until the flowers dry and are brittle to touch. Then, crush the stems, leaves and flowers and store in a sealed container.
What does bee balm attract?
Bee balm is a great addition to a pollinator garden. The flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees; and the seed heads will attract birds in the fall and winter. Learn more about plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
Is lemon bee balm edible?
The blooms and leaves are edible, though the leaves are intensely spicy. Native to the U.S. Also known as lemon bee balm, purple horsemint, and lemon mint. Leaves are used to flavor salads, cooked foods, and tea.
Does bee balm like sun or shade?
Bee balm tolerates partial sun, but you’ll get fewer flowers. Space monarda plants 18 to 24 inches apart in organically rich soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.7 that drains easily. Bee balm needs good air circulation to help prevent powdery mildew, a common fungal disease.
What is the difference between bee balm and lemon balm?
While both bee balm and lemon balm are in the mint family, the plants are rather different. Bee balm is larger, often reaching 4 feet tall with 3-inch crimson flowers. Lemon balm is smaller, most often reaching 2-3 feet in height and produces small white flowers less than 1 inch in size.
Is bee balm the same as bergamot?
One of the loveliest of the flowering herbs, Bee Balm (also known as Bergamot), is a great attractor for hummingbirds and bees. Known also as beebread plant, Oswego tea, horsemint, and simply monarda, its leaves have a strong fragrance reminiscent of the bergamot orange.
Is bee balm in Earl GREY tea?
Related to the bergamot used in Earl Grey Tea (same family but different genus), bee balm’s blooms are strongly flavored and best used sparingly. Separate the petals from the main head to scatter over fruit salad, or steep the flower heads in liquid, then strain for a refreshing sorbet or jam.
