Lovage, Levisticum officinale, is a tall perennial plant from the family of Apiaceae that is mostly made of aromatic flowering plants. It grows naturally in the Alpes, the Pyrénées, mountains of Central Europe and Caucasia. Widely used in cuisine up until the 20th century before being slowly forgotten, it is now coming back in fashion. It is widely used in Romanian and Bulgarian cuisine, especially with lamp. The stem, leaves, flowers and seeds have a pungent smell that some associate to celery and even to meat substitute ‘Maggi’ — hence its nickname of Herbe à Maggi (Maggi’s Herb) in French-speaking Switzerland and France. The origins of the plants are disputed, some say it is native to southwestern Asia and Europe, others to Iran and Afghanistan.

These organic seeds have been germinated in Angers, France. You should sow them indoor in a bed seeds in April or May, or wait for August if you’re planning to do this outdoor in a fresh and moist soil. You should drop four or five seeds every 50cm. Plant out when they reach about 15cm and thin out every 20cm. And when then simply help yourself with leaves when you need some.