Smelly

In reading about lemon balm, I was drawn to the non-culinary uses, because I wanted to make use of its scent. In a book called Grow Herbs by Jekka McVicar I found a method for extracting the oil from the leaves for use in the bath.

To do this, you take a couple of handfuls of lemon balm leaves, cover them with about a pint of water, and bring to a boil on the stove.

Once you've achieved a boil, cover the pot and let it simmer for five minutes.

After straining out the leaves, this is what you'll have. I was amazed at how dark it was and figued it was going to make for a very potent bath.

Well, not quite. In fact, not at all. As I dumped the herbal extract into the water, the scent completely dissipated. What a disappointment! I was ready for a relaxing, aromatic soak and ended up with nothing more than dingy water. Fail!

On the bright side, my mint-infused iced tea is DELICIOUS! I'll have that again!