Melisa

Lemon balm powder is simply the dried leaf of Melissa officinalis milled to a fine, even texture, giving you the plant's lemony mint flavor in a form that measures and mixes far more easily than fresh sprigs. A member of the mint family and native to southern Europe, lemon balm is known for a gentle aroma that sits between lemon zest and mint, with a natural sweetness that keeps it from tasting sour. In the kitchen it is genuinely flexible. Add it to hot or iced teas, lemonade, and smoothies, or bake it into cakes, muffins, scones, cookies, and custards where it works well with berries, honey, and vanilla. For savory cooking, whisk it into dressings and marinades, or use it to season fish, poultry, and grain salads. The flavor comes through most in cold or lightly cooked dishes, so add it near the end of cooking to keep the citrus notes fresh. Because it is dried and ground, it keeps much longer than fresh cuttings and takes up little space in the pantry. Store it sealed, away from light and heat, and use small amounts at first since the milled leaf is more concentrated than fresh.

• Ground from dried Melissa officinalis leaves, this finely milled lemon balm has a bright citrus aroma with a soft minty undertone, milder and sweeter than fresh lemon. Part of the mint family and long grown in home gardens, it brings a clean lemony note to food and drinks without the sourness of juice or the sharpness of zest.
• Stir a small spoonful into hot or iced tea, lemonade, or sparkling water for a fragrant citrus-herb lift. The milled leaf also blends smoothly into smoothies, yogurt, and kefir, dissolving with no leaves to chop or strain. Start with a pinch and adjust to taste, since it is more concentrated than a fresh sprig.
• Fold it into cake batter, muffin mix, scone dough, shortbread, and sugar cookies, where the lemony character pairs naturally with berries, honey, and vanilla. Whisk it into frostings, custards, or whipped cream for a light herbal citrus flavor, or stir it into granulated sugar to make a fragrant baking sugar.
• Whisk it into vinaigrettes, marinades, and yogurt dressings, or use it to season fish, chicken, and grain salads in place of chopped fresh herbs. Because heat softens the flavor, add it late in cooking or to cold and no-cook dishes to keep the citrus notes bright and green.
• In dried form it measures easily, mixes evenly, and keeps far longer than fresh cuttings, so there is no wilting or waste between harvests. Store the jar sealed away from light and heat, and reach for it as a versatile culinary seasoning across both sweet and savory cooking.