Recipe(tried): Growing and Using Lemongrass

I've found lemongrass to be very easy to grow, although I am in frost-free zone. It's tough as old boots and only needs a bit of water occasionally. I admit mine only grows three feet instead of six, but the flavour is fine.
It's very easy to remove just a few stalks - it grows in clumps of stalks, so just find a good-sized stalk cluster at the edge of the clump, twist to break off from the rest of the plant and give it a tug to remove from the ground.

You can propagate from a stalk clump as long as it has some roots left on it; it's usually better to pick a smaller shoot and cut off some of the leaves. Any good potting mix should do.

To use, generally the white part of the stalk is used in curry pastes, marinades, laksas etc - just chop the roots off, remove any papery outer leaves, wash off any dirt and slice finely. The green leaves can be steeped in hot water for a lemongrass tea.

It's rather tough to chew but is edible, so no need to worry about mincing it finely, which will still leave fibrous matter in the dish anyway - bigger bits are probably easier to avoid.

For a good book on authentic Thai cuisine, try the David Thompson opus, Thai Food.