Lemongrass is easy to harvest and can be stored in several ways depending on how you plan to use it.
Lemongrass’s citrusy flavor and fragrance make for delicious tea and zesty recipes. It’s a traditional ingredient in Southeast Asian cooking and can also be used in many other dishes.
If you live in the country, as I do, you may not be able to find lemongrass easily in the store. But with a bit of care, a good sunny site, and plenty of space, you can grow your own fresh lemongrass and keep it going year after year. For details about how to do that, see our article on Growing Lemongrass.
Since its native to the tropics, lemongrass tops won’t survive freezes. Gardeners can keep some fresh lemongrass growing year-round by bringing it inside in pots for the winter. But you’ll probably also want to store some of the lush summer growth of your lemongrass to enjoy during the cold season.
How to Harvest Fresh Lemongrass
Before the first fall frosts, cool-climate gardeners will want to harvest most of their lemongrass, since the tops won’t live through the winter. But you can start harvesting lemongrass much earlier in the season, as soon as the stalks are ½” thick. Harvest older stems from the outside of each clump, leaving the smaller stalks in the center to grow.
Lemongrass can grow quite tall and thick, and the edges of the leaves can be sharp enough to cut you. You may want to wear long sleeves and gloves when you go to harvest your lemongrass.
Clip off leafy tops to infuse in tea or soup. Burpee’s Seeds says to do this when the plants are about 10-12” tall. The Sedgwick County, KS extension describes cutting leaves off 18 inches above the ground at the end of the year, when the plant is about 4 feet tall.
To harvest stalks for use in other recipes, bend the stalks at ground level, then twist and steadily pull them out. The best part of the stalks is the yellowish-white part right at the base, approximately the bottom 6-8”. This is the part that is used in most recipes.
Peel off the hard, dry outer layers and trim off the woody base before cooking or preserving lemongrass stalk bases.
The tough, green upper part of the lemongrass stalk can be used, like the leaves, in tea or as a base for soup stock. The Toronto Star also suggests steaming or grilling seafood on a bed of crushed lemongrass stalks.
Cooking with Lemongrass
Lemongrass leaves and upper stalks are simmered to give flavor to teas or soup stocks. The solids are discarded before the liquid is used.
Lemongrass stalks are very firm and must be thoroughly cooked. Most cooking instructions suggests mashing and simmering them, crushing them and wrapping them in foil with meat or vegetables, or cooking and slicing them. They can also be sliced very thin for salads, pureed into curry sauce or lemongrass paste, or minced into various savory dishes. For more details, see our article on Cooking with Lemongrass.
Preserving Lemongrass: How Long Does It Last?
Fresh lemongrass can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or frozen for several months. Before storing, remove the outer tough layers and trim the ends.
Drying Lemongrass
Lemongrass leaves are usually dried either in the sun or in the oven. Properly dried, lemongrass leaves will keep for up to a year. One blog suggests drying both leaves and stem slices in an oven at 200°F.
Freezing Lemongrass
Freezing is one of the easiest ways to store lemongrass and helps soften the stalks, making them easier to use later.
Can You Store Lemongrass Long-Term?
Yes, lemongrass can be frozen for long-term storage and still retain much of its flavor. It will usually keep well in the freezer for several months, often up to about 6 months.
There are three different freezing techniques:
- You can chop the tender white ends raw and then freeze them in water or oil. They used a food processor for the chopping.
- For the water method, put one tablespoon of pureed or chopped lemongrass into each slot in an ice cube tray. Then fill the trays either with water or with olive oil.
- Chopped lemongrass stalks can also be frozen in larger containers and covered in grapeseed oil. Unlike olive oil, grapeseed oil does not completely solidify even when frozen, so you can scoop out the amount of oil and lemongrass that you want. (On the other hand, it can also spill if knocked over in the freezer.)
The tough green upper parts of lemongrass stalks can be boiled along with poultry and vegetables to make a savory soup stock. This stock can be used fresh or boiled down to a concentrated form and then frozen in ice cube trays. The lemongrass cubes can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Summary
Lemongrass adds a rich layer of fragrance and flavor to many dishes. For best results, handle the sharp leaves carefully, and know which parts of the plant to use for different sorts of cooking.