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Simple Uses for Lavender

 

When you have a large crop of lavender from the garden or farmstand, you don't have time to casually include it in complicated recipes or to frantically figure out how to use it up before it goes bad without getting sick of it.  You want to make the most of your harvest and to actually enjoy it.


Here at Plant to Plate, we like to keep things simple!  Here are some of my favorite ways to use or preserve lavender:


  • Add it to oatmeal and other hot cereals.

  • Add it to rice, quinoa, amaranth, or buckwheat and to bowls made with these grains.  Lavender can be mixed in after the fact without issue, but it is even better when added while the grains are simmering.  Pair with lemon balm or lemon verbena if desired.

  • Add it to quickbreads, muffins, scones, and other baked goods, alone or with blackberries.

  • Add it to egg dishes like quiches and omelets.

  • Add it to soups and broths.


  • Add it to other salads.

  • Make lavender honey.  An herbal honey is a delicious way to preserve the herbal properties of your lavender, extend its shelf life, and get benefits of honey too.


  • Make herbal candies with lavender and honey or sugar.

  • Make herbal vinegar.  Lavender-infused vinegar can be used as a salad dressing or dressing base, among other uses.

  • Make herbal oil.  Lavender-infused oil can be further processed into salves, lotions, and more.

  • Make a tea.  Lavender tea is best as an infusion.  If bitterness bothers you, you may prefer to steep it for a shorter time than usual, 3-5 minutes.


  • Make infused water.  Lavender can be infused in water on its own or with lemon slices or berries such as strawberries or blackberries.

  • Make lavender "lemonade" using lavender and lemon balm or add lavender to an existing lemon juice lemonade.

  • Make a tincture.  The suggested herb:solvent ratio for a lavender tincture is 1:5 in 40% alcohol.

  • Make a bath tea with lavender and rose petals.

  • Make an herbal salt.



  • Don't forget the leaves!  When we think of lavender, we commonly think of the buds.  The buds do have the strongest constituents, but these are present in somewhat lower concentrations in the leaves as well.  Lavender buds and leaves can be used in all of the above preparations.



Further Reading

Growing lavender?  Check out these quick facts like its best growing conditions, companion plants, and expected yields.


Lavender is also featured in these articles:


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