Our newest Farm Fresh frozen treat just hit the stores: Blackberry Lemon Verbena sorbet! Fresh, juicy, handpicked-by-us blackberries meet an infusion of lemon zest and lemon verbena for a frozen treat that is the perfect blend of sweet, citrus and herbal. When dreaming up delicious flavors to feature our blackberries, the lemon verbena was a natural choice. So what exactly makes lemon verbena such a special herb?

Lemon verbena, also known as lemon beebrush, is a flowering herb with long, pointed green leaves and small purple and white flowers. The shrub can grow up to 6 feet tall and eight feet wide! The leaves have a strong lemon scent. Brushing against the leaves or crushing them releases a bright lemony fragrance that inspires all kinds of creative culinary possibilities. The beauty of the leaves’ flavor profile is that it is full of lemony essence without the acidity found in lemons with the added bonus of leafy herbal notes. Lemon verbena has long been popular in herbal teas and used for its antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Increasingly, it’s becoming more widely recognized for its delicious culinary uses as well and can be used either whole or chopped and either fresh or dried. Dried lemon verbena holds its citrusy flavor remarkably well.

The blackberries provide the foundation and depth of flavor of our latest sorbet. But Including the verbena adds soft lemony herbal notes to the bright tang of the blackberries and creates a fullness of flavor that lemon alone couldn’t provide. Lemon verbena is known for the refreshing quality it lends to cold dishes, which makes it the perfect addition to our sorbet. If you’re curious about using verbena in your own culinary adventures, it’s most often found at local farmers’ markets. Come in and savor our newest delicious sorbet. We have scoops at our Capitol Hill, Ballard, 108 Pine and Queen Anne cafes; and pints at all of our locations, including our West Seattle and Madrona cafes! Like all of our Farm Fresh flavors, this one’s only available for a limited time. We look forward to seeing you soon!