Lavender Flowers (wild crafted)
Dried lavender flowers carry that unmistakable clean, floral scent into your cooking, your tea, and your home. A little goes a long way.
What It Is
Lavender is native to the Mediterranean but has been grown across the world for centuries, prized first for its fragrance and later, enthusiastically, for its flavor. These are the dried flower buds, which hold the most concentrated taste and aroma of any part of the plant.
Culinary lavender reads as floral and slightly sweet, with a hint of something almost herbal and piney underneath. It has a long history in French and Provençal cooking, where cooks use it in savory rubs and sweet desserts alike. The key fact to hold onto: it is easy to overdo. Too much and a dish tips from garden to soap.
What To Do
Start with less than you think you need, about half a teaspoon for most recipes meant to serve four. Crush the buds lightly between your fingers before using to release the oils. Stir into shortbread dough, honey, whipped cream, or a simple syrup for cocktails and lemonade. It belongs in herbes de Provence, and it makes a genuinely lovely rub on roasted chicken with lemon and garlic.
For tea, steep one teaspoon of buds in hot water for five to seven minutes. Keep dried lavender in a sealed container away from light and it will hold its fragrance for a year or more.
