A Taste for Herbs. Sue Goetz

      COMMON NAME: Lavender

      BOTANICAL NAME: Lavandula spp.

      VARIETIES TO LOOK FOR: There are hundreds of varieties of lavender to choose from. For the best taste, the English varieties and a few hybrids are the ones to grow for flavor. Generally, the darker the flower color of the Lavandula angustifolia varieties the sweeter the flavor. Look for ‘Hidcote’, ‘Munstead’, ‘Royal Velvet’, and ‘Sachet’. ‘Melissa’ is a pale pink flowering cultivar that has a nice sweet flavor. The Lavandins (Lavandula x intermedia) ‘Grosso, ‘Provence’, ‘Seal’ are larger plants and heavy flower producers.

      PART OF THE PLANT USED: Flower buds

      IN THE GARDEN: Lavender is a sun-loving perennial. The English lavenders are hardy to USDA Zones 5 or 6 with the variety ‘Munstead’ being one of the hardiest and will survive USDA Zone 4 winters. The hybrid Lavandins are less hardy and do best in USDA Zone 6 to 10. All lavenders dislike nourished soil; garden ground that is heavily composted or too rich may grow healthy plants but will not have good flower production. Plant lavender in rocky, lean soil. Good drainage is imperative to avoid root rot. In rainy climates, especially those with cool, wet winters, top dress around the base of the plants with white gravel or oyster shells to keep the foliage from lying in wet soil. If the flowers are cut or sheared back after they fade in mid-summer, the plants tend to have a second flush of flowers later in the season.

       HARVEST NOTES:

      • The stems of lavender are best harvested when the light-gray color of the still-closed flower buds begin to deepen in color to purple. This is the maturity stage just before the bud opens into petal. Some of the lower petals on the stem may be open, but the best essential oil is in the plump and colorful bud.

      • Fresh use: Cut from the garden, the buds can be gently stripped from the stems.

      • To dry: Cut long stems with flower buds and bind them together into bundles with a rubber band.

      • Hang to dry, keep a watch on the drying bundles before the buds begin to shatter off. To catch the buds as they are drying, you can enclose the bundle in a paper bag, as the flower buds shatter off they will fall into the bottom (see the paper bag method in the general harvest section.)

      • When the buds are completely dry, shake them from the stems and store them in a glass jar.

      FOOD AND FLAVORING: Lavender has an earthy, sweet, perfume flavor. The English lavenders have the sweetest flavor, perfect for desserts, jellies and cocktails. The Lavandins have higher notes of camphor and menthol, giving them a more pungent aroma that combines with pepper and savory seasonings. Use fresh stems of lavender in bud as swizzle sticks in cocktails and summer drinks. Lavender mixed with lemon in recipes makes the lavender taste better because the essential oils in the plants contain small amounts of limonene, which is the same component that gives lemon its classic fresh fragrance. (For recipes that use lavender, see pages 102