lavender in the kitchen

Yet another one of my favourite places on Earth is Happy Valley Herb farm in Metchosin: http://www.happyvalleylavender.com/ The farm is open for the annual Lavender Daze Friday June 26th for 3 weekends of Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays plus the holiday Wednesday.The farm's annual lavender harvest will run from Friday June 26th to the actual harvesting date of Sunday July 12th. When visiting the farm, you get to chat with Lynda Dowling, the "lavender lady" extraordinaire. Making lavender lemonade is amazing and fun: adding the lemon juice causes the purplish-tinted lavender water to turn a bright shade of pink! Just be sure to use the Hidcote Blue variety for best results. try it for yourself: kitchen alchemy at its best: http://www.happyvalleylavender.com/lavender_recipes.html#ade. If you have had a chance to look at my other blog, you will notice that I have contracted "lavenderitis" and have named my little herb 'business' Lavender Moon. I am making Lavender Balm this year with my own Hidcote English Lavender - along with St. John's Wort, Comfrey Leaf and tea tree oil. It will be a great all around skin-healing salve. Nothing brings a more peaceful sleep than the scent of lavender - lavender oil an a small cotton cloth tucked in your pillow will bring deep, sweet dreams. Lavender's amethyst purple colour is another way it brings us calm restfulness and eases anxiety and stress. In the kitchen, lavender is an ingredient in Herbes de Provence, and is used in many sweet recipes such as lavender shortbread. Here are a few recipes using lavender: http://www.happyvalleylavender.com/lavender_recipes.html http://www.lavenderlovers.com/recipes/recipes.html and this lavender blog: http://lavendergardening.blogspot.com/2008/04/lavender-blogs.html