By Paola Legarre

Even though lavender’s summer bloom is over, we can continue to enjoy these collected flowers in new ways during the rest of the year. Winter grants us the time to really explore and use plants creatively, especially for cooking. During the summer months we pick and bundle the lavender when 25% to 50% of the corollas are open so the herb is at its best for culinary use. At our farm a common sight will be flowering bundles of pink, violet, and blue-violet spikes hung upside down to dry. After they’ve dried, the flowers are separated from their stems or debudded and sifted through mesh screens of various sizes to remove dust and unwanted plant debris. Once all buds have been removed from the stems, they are stored for later use throughout the rest of the year.

Lavender is a flowering herb and member of the Lamiaceae family. The calyx is what we cook with and where most of the flavors originate from. The corolla comes out of the calyx with a distinct corolla tube and consists of five fused petals. These petals generally fall out of the calyx when the lavender dries. These petals do not have essence, but in fresh form make a nice edible flower decoration. Dried lavender buds are three times more concentrated than using fresh blooming lavender. It is easier to add as you go than try to adjust the recipe once you have added too much.

Adding lavender to sweet, savory, or beverage recipes will elevate your cooking experience to next level cuisine. While lavender is a more delicate flavor than its minty counterparts, using less lavender always gives you quality results and is best used in moderation. Recipes are made to be adapted – add more lavender or less according to your tastebuds. 

Not only can you use lavender in any number of cookies and cakes, the litany of recipes goes beyond sweets, as it also pairs well with rich and fatty foods. This is because it cuts through and lifts the overall flavor, like when infusing lavender in cream or blending it with other herbs underneath a roasted chicken’s skin. Using lavender can be as simple as infusing it in a simple syrup or honey, then mixing it into lemonade, iced tea, coffee, cocktails, or even meringue. Use a tea ball with lavender buds and steep it in cream or milk before adding it to pudding, custard, crème fraiche, ice cream, or whipped cream.

Balance lavender’s medium notes with something bright like lemon or orange juice and their zests. Go beyond the traditional pairing, think about the molecular level of what makes great combinations. The dominant chemical compounds found in lavender’s aroma are also found in lavender’s flavor: linalyl acetate, linalool, and terpinene-4-ol. These same compounds are found in other herbs, spices, and foods. Often foods with the same compounds can pair well together. Basil, coriander, lemongrass, and mint are other herbs that exhibit these affinities and go well with lavender. Stonefruit such as peaches, nectarines and cherries contain levels of linalool and limonene which are also found in lavender. Try lavender in peach pie or cherry jam, a real treat! 

Which species of lavender do I cook with?

What makes culinary lavender “culinary” is one of the top three questions I receive from my customers and lavender enthusiasts. Other than the question on how to grow lavender, I am asked “what is culinary lavender?” and “what is the difference between that and other lavender?” My answer is: all lavender is edible but not all is palatable.

Each species has different levels of chemical compounds. Some are more pleasing in both aroma and taste. The most delightful species to cook with is Lavandula angustifolia, or true lavender, due to its higher levels of linalyl acetate, linalool, and lower levels of terpinene-4-ol. Within that species there are cultivars with varying levels of linalyl acetate, making them more floral, like ‘Royal Velvet’, ‘Lavang 21’ VIOLET INTRIGUE, ‘Buena Vista’, and ‘Sharon Roberts’. These strongly floral noted lavenders pair well with black and green teas, as well as their counterparts of sage, savory, oregano and basil.

There are cultivars, especially pink ones, that are balanced in their dominant compounds, which make them have a bit of a spice note – like ‘Melissa’, ‘Miss Katherine’, ‘Nana Alba’, and ‘Croxton’s Wild’. The spicy undertones of flavor make these lavenders suited for chili spice blends, combined with peppers such as guajillo, Aleppo and paprika. Other cultivars, such as Lavandula angustifolia ‘Folgate’, have a minty note, making them a perfect pairing to chocolate and cacao. Lavandula × intermedia (lavandin), Lavandula lanata, Lavandula dentata, and Lavandula stoechas have high levels of cineole and camphor, making them have a strong, astringent aroma and bitter taste. However, some Lavandula × intermedia cultivars, such as ‘Provence’ and ‘Gros Bleu’, have lower levels of camphor and cineole, making them more pleasant to cook with, especially when pairing with rosemary, sage, and thyme, and adding them to meats such as beef or chicken.

Perhaps you do not have the specific cultivars mentioned, no worries, experiment with what you have in your garden and blend the buds with other herbs and spices or use them on their own to see what kind of results you may experience.  By pressing the small buds between your fingers, the oils are released from the calyx, which allows you to experience the dominant smells and tastes that are characteristic of the specific blooming lavender.  

Recipes Featuring Culinary Lavender

For those eager to explore lavender’s culinary potential, here are three easy recipes:

Sunshine Tea

• ½ cup German or Roman Chamomile
• ½ cup mild, low-caffeine, floral green tea, such as Jasmine
• 2 tablespoons lemon verbena (or substitute lemon balm)
• 2 tablespoons floral-forward lavender, such as Lavandula angustifolia ‘Royal Velvet’

Blend the ingredients. Use 1 teaspoon of loose tea per 8-ounce cup. Steep for 4 minutes. This recipe yields 18 cups.

Lavender Chili Spice Mix

• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted
• 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender buds, spice-forward such as Lavandula angustifolia ‘Melissa’
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons ground chili of your choice (medium to hot paprika, guajillo, or Aleppo)

Grind the cumin and coriander seeds with the lavender buds and salt in a food processor or herb grinder. Add the dried chili and blend one more time until well mixed. Store in a sealed glass container. This mix can be used in chili recipes, Middle Eastern dishes, or sprinkled over sweet potato fries.

Lavender Chili Blend
Featured lavender: ‘Miss Katherine’, featured chili pepper: Leutschauer paprika, toasted cumin and coriander, salt

Lavender Cocoa

• 1 tablespoon mint-forward dried culinary lavender buds, ground (such as Lavandula angustifolia ‘Folgate’)
• 2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

Combine ground lavender buds, cocoa powder, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and sift through a fine mesh sieve. Store in an airtight container. Add ⅓ cup cocoa mix to ⅔ cup hot milk or milk substitute, coffee, or use as a dusting for cakes and cupcakes.

Insider Trick: For even distribution of lavender, grind it first with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar before mixing with cocoa and confectioner’s sugar. This helps pulverize the lavender for a smooth blend.

Note: Some excerpts of this writing were taken from Lavender For All Seasons by Paola Legarre. 

Paola Legarre is the author of Lavender for All Seasons – A Gardener’s Guide to Growing and Creating with Lavender Year-Round and founder of Sage Creations Farm. Join her for her webinar: Growing Lavender for Crafting and Self Care this Thursday, December 11 at 1pm Eastern. She will cover how to choose specific lavender species and cultivars that are ideal for creating self-care products. 

Our webinars are free to The Herb Society of America members and are available for viewing after signing into the Member Login page. Webinars are $20.00 for guests. Register by clicking here. Become a member today, and enjoy all of our webinars for free along with access to the webinar library with over fifty program titles.

Photo Credits: 1) Harvested and bundled L. angustifolia ‘Folgate’: Mint forward notes, pairs well with chocolate and lemons (courtesy of the author); 2) Lavender calyx and corolla (Everything-lavender.com); 3) L. angustifolia ‘Miss Katherine’: Flavor profile: spice forward, blends well with spice and chilis (courtesy of the author); 4) A lavender farm growing many different colored cultivars (Bonnie Moreland); 5) Small bottles of lavender oil (Public Domain); 6) Lavender chili mix (courtesy of the author)