HERBS: Tips for Caring for Freshly Harvested Lavender (GARDEN, CRAFTS, BATH, GIFTS)

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LET LAVENDER LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE!!

 

The lavender has been in beautiful bloom for a few weeks now. The

lavender we grow here on the farm is the Munstead (lavandula

augustifolia) type. Jim started our collection from seed and the strain

grown here is known for its compact, bushy growth. It’s very popular and

of a lighter purple in color. We also love it here since it is drought

tolerant, but also holds its own in wet years.

 

As a herb, lavender has been in documented use for over 2,500 years.

According to Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs, in the Middle

Ages it was thought to be an herb of love, but it worked both ways,

being considered an aphrodisiac as well as helping those sprinkled with

lavender water to remain chaste! In any case, its medicinal uses include

relieving chest congestion when warm lavender tea is applied as a

compress. Sprigs of lavender blooms cheer up any sick room, and I love

to have a sprig in my car to help calm my nerves when I’m in a New

Jersey traffic jam!

 

Cosmetically, add it to your bathwater or in a facial steam, as it

stimulates and cleanses the skin. In the kitchen, its flowers and leaves

are used to flavor ice cream, vinegars and jellies and (sparingly!) in

salads. In fact, Gabby Carbone of the bent spoon artisanal ice cream

shop in Princeton, who is also a CSA member along with her husband Matt,

created an amazing chocolate lavender ice cream for our wedding last

October!

 

Tips for Caring for Freshly Harvested Lavender

 

Approximate drying time 2 weeks

-Do not place in water

-Hang upside down to dry, in small bunches, out of direct sunlight

-Hanging upside will keep stems straight

 

Fresh lavender will keep up to a week in the refrigerator. As lavender

dries its flavor and fragrance will increase. To renew scent if you

gently pinch buds an oil will be released.

 

Use fresh sprigs as a garnish for desserts, salads, main dishes of fish,

poultry, red meat or just about anything you wish. Try floating a sprig

in a glass of champagne or white wine. The bouquet is released almost

immediately.

 

 

- Article written by Sherry Dudas with information compiled by volunteer

Jill Ammons.

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embers/newsletter.html+%22Lavender+and+Orange+Salad%22 & hl=en & gl=us & ct=clnk & cd=3

 

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