Harvesting Lemongrass

I planted Lemongrass this spring.  It turned into a garden monster.  I'm not sure what I was thinking planting it where I did.

Notice how the Lemon Verbena has to lean so far out to get any sun?  It still grew pretty well but it probably would have been less spindly had I planted the Lemongrass in a better spot.  

The upside is I had a nice amount of Lemongrass to harvest!  So harvest I did!  We get pretty decent winters in this part of the country.  Sometimes plants will overwinter well if you give them a good leaf mulch cover but I really needed to move this plant.

Lemongrass can be potted and kept inside but I don't have the space to overwinter a plant this size.  I dug it out.

First, I cut off the tops and kept some leaves and stalks for later.  I washed and bagged them, then stuck them in the freezer for tea.  Once I dug the plant out roots and all, I began separating the roots, careful not to damage the bulbs.  

You can save some bulbs for planting in the spring by placing them in a paper bag to overwinter in the shed, garage, or wherever you store your bulbs and seeds.

Part by sections...

Cut at roots 

Carefully cut around individual bulbs

Soon you will have this!

 Shake off excess dirt and wash well.

I rinsed and sorted them in the sink.

Then I picked bulbs 1/2 in. thick and larger.

I peeled them just like a green onion.

I peeled off the immediate outer layer, cut off the roots, then peeled again to remove any remaining damaged areas.  I was careful to leave as many layers as possible intact to protect the delicate pulp that holds a lot of the flavor.  Then I rinsed, patted them dry, and bagged them up for the freezer.

Rinsed and ready for the freezer!

My intention is to make some Thai dishes over the winter like this and perhaps some of these.

What are your favorite recipes for using Lemongrass?