Perennial Plant Profiles

Levisticum officinale, lovage

We can think of at least 180 great forest garden & perennial crops for cold climate Sweden.  Want to hear about them? Over the course of the next year we will profile 5 a week on the blog. Perennial plants and crops offer a low energy, oil & resource input based foundation for future-proof agricultures. By default if an agriculture is to be called regenerative the bottom line is that it must be soil building, not soil depleting. Relentless deep tillage & poor soil husbandry (wifery?!) contributes to the majority of the 24 billion tons of topsoil lost every year on planet water.  We are going to be focused on holistic polyculture grazing and perennial production at ridgedale over most of the site as this represents the most effective way to restore our degraded landscape, produce high value produce and ensure the future resource base we are managing holistically for in our decision making. 

---

Genus Levisticum
Species  officinale
Common Name lovage
Form herb
Habit clumping
Origin Europe
Light sun
Moisture mesic 
Edible stalks, shoots
Nectary Yes

The exact native range is disputed; some sources cite it as native to much of Europe and southwestern Asia, others from only the eastern Mediterranean region in southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia, and yet others only to southwestern Asia in Iran and Afghanistan, citing European populations as naturalised. It has been long cultivated in Europe, the leaves being used as a herb, the roots as a vegetable, and the seeds as a spice, especially in southern European cuisine.

The leaves can be used in salads, or to make soup or season broths, and the roots can be eaten as a vegetable or grated for use in salads. Its flavor and smell is somewhat similar to celery. Lovage tea can be applied to wounds as an antiseptic, or drunk to stimulate digestion. The seeds can be used as a spice, similar to fennel seeds. In the UK, an alcoholic lovage cordial is traditionally mixed with brandy in the ratio of 2:1 as a winter drink. In Romania, the leaves are the preferred seasoning for the various local broths, much more so than parsley or dill. Lovage is third in its quercetin content, behind tea and capers.

The roots, which contain a heavy, volatile oil, are used as a mild aquaretic. Lovage root contains furanocoumarins which can lead to photosensitivity

---

Upcoming trainings @ Ridgedale

Want to join us at this exciting farm project this summer.  We hold regular international trainings, including 90hr+ PRI (Aus) & PC Assoc (UK) accredited PDC's and our unique 10 Week Internship, designed to kick start more professional designers & farmers regenerating their landscapes;

10 Week Internship beginning end April
PDC 16- 31st May
PDC 18th Jul- 2nd Aug
10 Week Internship beginning July
PDC 27th Sep- 11 Oct