Other names: Lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, citronella grass or fever grass

Availability: All year. Sporadic - May through June.

Source: Asia, South America and the United States.

Handling Tips: 45°F. Keep cool and dry.

General Information: Lemon grass is widely used as a herb in Asian (particularly Hmong, Khmer, Thai, Lao, Philippines, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese) and Caribbean cooking. It has a citrous flavour and can be dried and powdered, or used fresh. The entire stalk is usable. The stalk itself is too hard to be eaten, except for the soft inner part. However, it can be finely sliced and added to recipes. It may also be bruised and added whole as this releases the aromatic oils from the juice sacs in the stalk. The main constituent of lemongrass oil is citral.

The tough outer leaves may be used to flavor soups, stews or to make tea. The greener, more tender inner leaves can be sliced very thin and stir-fried, sauteed or baked with your favorite meats and vegetable.