Culinary Lavender is preparing to flower here in the Pacific Northwest and I want to equip you on how to harvest, dry, debud, use lavender in cooking and how to store your culinary buds for an amazing lavender season! June Begins Lavender Season in the Pacific Northwest!
I’m getting giddy in anticipation of lavender season. I begin the countdown as our lavender is beginning to turn its shades of purples and blue. Today I want to to give you the information you would need to gather from your garden or a local u-pick lavender farm your very own culinary lavender. I’ll share with you a quick and simple, “how to guide” on how to harvest, how to dry bouquets, how to prepare it for food and even how to keep it fresh. But first a little fun history- Lavandula Angustifolia, also known as English lavender, is the varietals you will use for your culinary adventures in the kitchen. This sweet floral herb has been used historically for medicinal purposes as well as beloved flavor in cooking. Lavender was made popular by Queen Elizabeth who valued lavender conserve on her morning toast, used as lavender tea medicinally for her migraines and minor ailments and was known to use lavender oil daily as her perfume of choice. So now that you know a little bit of fun history you too can harvest your own culinary lavender to use as medicinal tea, or in various recipes and so much more….just as Queen Elizabeth did and so many others before her. So let’s get down to the basics so you will be prepared. When to harvest You will want to harvest for your culinary lavender when your lavender stalks have about 2 flowers open. The flowers opening signals to us that the plant is mature and can hold its stems straight. It also lets us know that the lavender oil has reached the flower buds for a quality lavender culinary bud. As we all know when you cook with lavender you are using the bud, not the bloomed flower. How to dry it After cutting your lavender place a rubber band around your stems. Hang upside down for 1-2 weeks or until has dried. We use the “snap test” to ensure the lavender is dry. To do this you will bend one of the stems of lavender, if it snaps you know it is red, if it is pliable it will need more time to dry. How to prepare-fresh or dried Lavender can be used fresh or dried. When using fresh the general rule of thumb is one tablespoon of fresh herbs to one teaspoon of dried herbs. How to remove the lavender buds from the stems To remove the buds from the stem you can roll the bouquet between your hands over a bowl. The buds will fall off into the bowl. We like to sift the buds to remove any dust particles, pick out and remove any dried leaves and then place into a spice jar or small clean glass jar. How to adapt your own recipe Lavender is a fabulous companion to desserts, but you can also substitute culinary lavender in place of rosemary in your favorite recipes. How to keep it fresh Lavender once dried is like the other herbs in your cupboard. You will keep them away from direct light and stored in an airtight container to retain color and flavor. It is recommended you use it within a years time. It will last much longer, but will lose some flavor as time goes by. If you’ve read this far and think….love all of that but…ummm, don’t want to do all that! No worries we are stocked up on culinary lavender in our shop and you get that here! If you need more recipe ideas check out our blog/recipe section and if you use this information to harvest your own culinary lavender we love when people share with us at #norwoodlavenderfarm!
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Have a little fun with these delicious Lavender Brownie Waffles! So easy to mix up and serve with a little bit of whip cream and strawberries for a simple dessert or extravagant breakfast! Lavender Brownie Waffles
1 package Lavender Brownie Mix 2 eggs 1/2 cup oil 1 Tbsp water Cool whip Strawberries, washed and sliced Garnish with Culinary Lavender In a medium sized mixing bowl combine your lavender brownie mix, eggs, oil and water. Stir until combined. Use batter in your waffle machine according to your waffle machine instructions for batter. Once cooked top with strawberries, whip cream and garnish with a sprinkle of culinary lavender. Spring, strawberries and lavender shortbread make such a wonderful treat for the freshness of spring weather. Strawberry Lavender Shortbread
1 package Lavender Shortbread Mix 1/2 cup butter 1 package Lavender Frosting Mix 3 Tbsp water Strawberries, washed and halved Culinary Lavender garnish Preheat oven to 350℉. In a medium sized mixing bowl add your lavender shortbread mix. Shred in your butter or using a pastry cutter combine your mix and butter until it pulls together. In a 8x8 inch nonstick pan press your dough into the bottom of the baking pan. Place in oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until very lightly golden. While lavender shortbread is cooking make up your frosting by adding your mix to a small mixing bowl, drizzle in 3 Tbsp of water and with a hand held mixer blend until smooth. When lavender shortbread bars have cooled frost and place your halved strawberries on top. Sprinkle a little culinary lavender on top and enjoy! What is lavender hydrosol? What is it good for and how do you use it? These are the topics covered in this post today. The Benefits of Lavender Hydrosol What is is hyrdrosol? Hydrosol is the floral water created from making essential oil. This process is called, steam distillation. Steam heats and passes through the plant material and the result is floral water and essential oil. The essential oil gets extracted from the waters surface and the water left over is the infusion of the plant material. The floral water smells similar to the essential oil but much softer in fragrance and in addition has the water soluble constituents of the plant material which can give it a very slight greener note. Benefits of lavender hydrosol The benefits of hydrosol is they carry same properties of the essential oil being a natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. Making them a safe and gentle way to treat those with sensitive skin or sensitivity to fragrances. How does it help your skin It can naturally hydrate your skin, soothe inflammation, help repair and regenerate a balance to your skin. Helps replenish lost moisture. Its a natural and safe skin toner and better as many times toners have alcohol which can irritate sensitive skin. This makes it especially important to aging skin that naturally loses moisture due to age and environment. But let me share other ways this amazing hydrosol can be used; After shower mist for your body to help it retain the moisture. Diffuse offensive odors by spraying down after a workout Use for insect bites helps ease discomforting itching and inflamed skin. Room or car freshener Linen spray- spray your sheets and towels as they come out of the dryer. Stress relief spray helps to relax in difficult situations. Natural bug repellent Skin toner Sunburn spray Natural perfume Diaper rash spray Replenish skin with moisture Even scares monsters away for kids Here are three products made from lavender hydrosol. Face and Body Spray to use as toner, on rashes, burns and sensitive areas can also be used as bug repellent. Lavender sleep spray for pillows, bedding along with clothing. Lavender Room spray to help with offensive odors and fabrics such as furniture, floors and overall room spray. Lavender essential oil is the oil that is extracted from the top of the floral water. Lavender essential oil roller ball is an infusion of coconut oil and lavender essential oil.
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AuthorI am Nicole Callen, lavender lover, farmer, and owner of Norwood Lavender Farm. My intention for this page is to bring you great lavender related content that you can use. Most of it contains culinary adventures that transpire in my kitchen, as I have a love for the complex floral flavor and depth that lavender brings to cooking. I like to say, "where nature meets gourmet". Categories
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