From The Santa Cruz Sentinel
June 30, 2005
Maybe you’ve slathered soothing lavender lotion on your skin, tucked an aromatic bouquet into your underwear drawer, or dabbed its calming oil behind your ears.
Now it’s time to give the purple wonder a chance on your taste buds. How about a lavender pot roast? Lavender lemonade?
"Lavender ice cream is the food of the gods," says Gary Meehan founder of Bonny Doon Farm, a fine English lavender estate in Santa Cruz.
Here’s how to grow culinary lavender in your herb garden and add a touch of summer elegance to your cuisine.
Taste of
purple
Lavandula angustifolia is the most commonly used variety for cooking because
of its gentle sweet and citrus flavor. If the thought of eating the aromatic
herb leaves you picturing mussie tussies garnishing your entrée, try
introducing your taste buds to lavender in a new way.
When getting to know a new herb, V.J. Billings, owner of Mountain Valley Growers of Squaw Valley, suggests trying it like a new wine. Sample the part of the plant used for seasoning.
Place a few buds in your mouth.
"Let the herb meet the tongue and chew." Billings said. "Feel the spice. Then spit it out."
Try it first with familiar and bland foods like potatoes or a cheese sandwich.
"Learning about the flavor of the herb this way will help you to decide if it will make the perfect pot roast or sorbet," Billings said.
Use fresh spikes in champagne and salads to add a touch of elegance to the ordinary. Add dried lavender to marinades and bakery goods to add the taste of summer.
"There is really no wrong way to use herbs," Billings said.
Grow
your own
Culinary lavender is beautiful and easy to grow. It makes a wonderful
addition to an established herb garden or a great first plant. Just as there is
no comparison between home grown tomatoes and store bought, you will discover
what fresh herbs from your garden can add to your cooking.
Choose quality: Billings suggests looking for plants that are not wilted and that are nice and green. There should not be a lot of dead wood. Plants in general should look vibrant. Avoid plants with leggy soft growth. This usually means they were forced to grow quickly in low-light greenhouse conditions which can lead to disease prone plants that do not hold up well under garden conditions.
Get established: Most lavender is sold in three inch pots. The key to long lavender life is developing a good root system. Shift small plants into gallon sized containers for the first year to establish the root system before planting in the garden. Enjoy them as a patio plant until next spring.
"Take them home and let them sit around on the back porch for a couple of days. Get used to it the idea that you have this plant and it has you," Billings said.
Location: Think of the culinary portion of your garden as a work area. Unlike landscape plants, culinary herbs are grown for harvest not for ornamental value.
Plant your lavender in a spot that gets plenty of sun and is close to your kitchen. Sun is a key factor in building the essential oils that produce the flavor for cooking.
Soil: Lavender is relatively shallow rooted. Good drainage is the key to good root growth. Plants can live for decades, so spend the time incorporating organic matter if needed to make a good friable soil. If you have clay soil, consider growing your lavender in a container.
"That is what a half wine barrel is for," laughs Meehan.
Planting: Plant in early spring before new growth appears. Space on three foot centers. Plant the root ball to the same depth as in the container in a hole twice the size of the root ball. Uncoil and dislodge roots that appear to be circling the inside of the pot. Back fill the hole, tamping the soil firmly in place. Water in well. Newly planted lavender needs to be watered until it is established.
Harvesting: Harvest just before the buds open to retain the most volatile oil possible. Keep an eye on the plant.
"Look for the occasional open flower," Meehan said. That is the clue that the others are ready to harvest. Meehan favors scissors for harvesting which leave a clean cut. Lavender will not sprout from old woody growth. To insure sprouts next year, make your cut leaving a few leaves on the stem in the area where the foliage just begins to yellow.
Into
the kitchen
Fresh: Harvest buds as close to preparation time as possible. Rinse
thoroughly with water to remove any soil or insects. To keep from wilting
place stems in fresh water until needed.
Drying: Lavender easily mildews if dried laying flat. For best results hang it in bundles away from sunlight until no flexibility remains. Two weeks is usually sufficient.
Storing: Once thoroughly dried, roll the flower spikes gently between your hands to loosen the buds. Most recipes only call for the buds, so store buds in air tight plastic containers. Refrigeration is not recommended.
As you can see lavender is a very versatile herb, its use is really only limited by your own imagination.
Lavender Ice Cream
3/4
cup honey
1 teaspoon dried lavender placed in a tea ball or gauze
1 cup half and half
2 cups heavy cream
7 egg yolks
Pour the half and half and the cream into a heavy sauce pan. Add the lavender to this mixture and warm for about 5 minutes. Remove the lavender flowers. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until they are frothy. Slowly pour about half of the warm cream into the mixture of egg yolks as you whisk continuously. Combine the remainder of the yolk and cream mixture into the saucepan and continue to heat on low (stirring constantly) for about 5 minutes. Strain the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the honey. Chill the mixture and then freeze according to the instructions on your ice cream maker.
Courtesy Purple Haze Lavender Ltd. Dungeness Valley, WA