Lavenders are widely grown in gardens.  Flower spikes are used for dried flower arrangements.  The fragrant, pale purple flowers and flower buds are used in potpourris.  Dried and sealed in pouches, they are placed among stored items of clothing to give a fresh fragrance and as a deterrent to moths.  The plant is also grown commercially for extraction of lavender oil from the flowers.  This oil is used as an antiseptic and for aromatherapy.

Lavender flowers yield abundant nectar which yields a high quality honey for beekeepers.  Lavender monofloral honey is produced primarily in the nations around the Mediterranean, and marketed worldwide as a premium product.  Lavender flowers can be candied and are used as cake decoration.  Lavender is also used as a herb to flavor sugar, the end product being called "lavender sugar" and the flowers are sometimes sold in a blend with black tea, as "lavender tea."

Lavender smells like it should taste wonderful, but the taste of most Lavenders is a little like turpentine.  The flavor is not one that can be easily defined  - it is like a fine wine with many subtleties. 

French chefs in and around Provence, France have been incorporating this herb into their cuisine  for many centuries.  Lavender lends a floral, slightly sweet and elegant flavor to most dishes.  For most cooking applications it is the dried buds (also referred to as flowers) of lavender that are utilized, though some chefs experiment with the leaves as well.  It is the buds however that contain the essential oil of lavender, which is where both the scent and flavor of lavender are best derived.

Recipes using Lavender are generally on the sweet side but Lavender can be used to replace Rosemary and other strong tasting herbs.  Or, it can be blended with other herbs.  This mix, used in many savory dishes, often finds dried lavender leaves and flowers mixed with other members of the mint family, like Rosemary, Sage, Oregano, Thyme and Mint.

Used not only to make life smell richer and more tolerable, but also as a medicinal relief for ailments from headaches to insomnia, Lavender oil has always been a prize.

Munstead Lavender is named for Munstead Woods, the home of famous garden designer Gertrude Jekyll.  Tolerating summer heat the best of many English Lavenders, Munstead Lavender looks great planted with yellow or white roses.

Hidcote Lavender is famous for its dark purple flower.  Smaller than Munstead, it likes a cooler climate and can suffer during hot months. 

Hidcote Pink Lavender has a pastel pink flower spike that looks best planted in mass and viewed at a bit of a distance rather than up close.

Grosso Lavender is cultivated for oil used mainly in the cosmetic industry.  It makes great Lavender bouquets and wands.  Grosso Lavender has beautiful purple calyxes instead of the normal green calyx of most lavenders.

White Grosso Lavender is a must have for the garden and for the vase.  Its swan white blooms complement the purples of other lavenders and they stay white when dried.






This site by:   www.WebSiteGal.info  Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved.