Recipe: Marge Clark's words on lemongrass

Kathy - In a MOST wonderful cookbook entitled The Best of Thymes, author and herbalist Marge Clark has this to say about lemongrass, "The best way to describe lemongrass is hot and lemony. It has become a very popular herb to use in Oriental cooking. Unfortunately (for me), lemongrass is a perennial tropical plant, so the plant(s) I set out each spring never reaches its full growth of 6 feet. I have seen it in a southerngarden where it was a spectacular clump. This aromatic grass is native to southeast Asia. Plant lemongrass in full sun in sandy, well-drained soil. It needs water and fertilizer to thrive. I fertilize the plant every 1 1/2 to 2 months in my garden. The plant is almost always propagated by root division. Lemongrass is cultivated commercially for its strong lemon-scented oil, which is used in candy making. Brew a few pieces of the leaf for a delicious lemony tea and of course, chopped fresh lemongrass is marvelous in Oriental and wok cookery. Anywhere you want a spicy, lemony flavor, add a little chopped lemongrass. I have preserved lemongrass by freezing pieces on a cookie sheet, scraping the pieces into a zip-lock bag, and storing the bag in the freezer for winter use." Hope this is helpful. Personally I was at an herb workshop where blades of crushed lemon grass were steeped in boiling water for 5 minutes, then served over ice and it made a most refreshing and memorable drink. By the way, I got Clark's cookbook through Amazon.com and it is SO GREAT!