Grow Your Own Magazine

Hello

I've cooked with lavender water in the past in puddings and I was wondering if I could use the lavender out of the garden instead of lavender water. Are some varieties poisonous?

Thanking you


marketestalls


www.marketestalls.com - the Farmers Market Online
www.farmersmarketforum.co.uk

Don't think it would do any harm as you can use lavender from the garden to make biscuits/ ice-cream etc. & none that I know of are poisonous.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Hi,
I agree Sue, Lavender is not poisonous and actually a very good antedote for many poisons, The only this to be careful of with lavender is the essential oil which is very potent and only recommended 2 drops taken internally

I did not know you could eat Lavender i thought it was just essential oil or insence
any recpice
we have 2 big lavender plants

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Some things in their natural state have the most VIVID colors
Dobby

Hi Dobby

This is the one that had caught my eye.

Fresh Lavender Ice Cream
2 1/2 cups of milk
1 cup sugar
4 cups light cream
1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 handful fresh Lavender angustifolia flowers*
*The deeper the colour of your Lavender flowers, the more colour your ice cream will have. I use our deepest coloured "Hidcote " Sweet Lavender. Pick when just freshly opening, not older over bloom for the freshest taste.

Gently heat the milk and fresh Lavender together. Do not boil.
Strain out the Lavender & stir in the salt & sugar while still hot.
Stir in vanilla extract & cream.
Chill immediately, minimum 2 hours.
Churn or process as your ice cream maker directs, then skip to step #8.
OR by hand follow steps #6 & #7~
Pour mixture into a stainless steel bowl and place in your freezer.
Every 15 minutes, whisk or beat until icy or thickened.
In the last few minutes or just before you remove from the ice cream maker: sprinkle in a few fresh florets of Lavender! Fresh raspberries an option or Lemon peel zest.

marketestalls


www.marketestalls.com - the Farmers Market - Online
www.farmersmarketforum.co.uk

Wow, that sound nice - now all I need is for my lavender to live long enough! It keeps on dying and I don't know why

You only need two drops of Lavender essential oil for a relaxing bath!

When I was experimenting with herbs I gathered a bunch of mixed basic herbs ie Lavender,Rosemary, Thyme and Sage. Tied the bunch together and hung it under the scalding hot tap as I filled my bath!

The water went green but I had a very relaxing bath in it!

Eat your heart out Radox!!!!!!

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

I had some beautiful french lavender, 3 plants all of which died. I think the spot I planted them in was not light and sunny enough. The Hidcote lavender outside the front of the house does really well on very arid thin soil, but plenty of sunshine. Has to be hacked back from time to time, otherwise very little attention. Love it.

Hi muckdiva, I had considered Hidcote lavender for edging some vegetable beds! Whats the minimum width it could be kept at realistically?

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

The plants are in my south facing rear garden, we are clay over chalk (complicated but true) So soggy in the winter and concrete at any other time! Could it be the winter sog that is doing for them? I know they are mediterainean - but it must rain there too! What is Spanish soil like?

Snadger
Our plants have been in about 5 years and alongside some box and santolina/cotton lavendar make quite a good little ornamental hedge. They are pruned back quite hard on a regular basis so have never been allowed to get too big. They are no more than 9ins to 1ft wide. I'm no expert on this, but I would think you could trim them to what size you need. Seem to remember Bob Flowerdew suggesting raising new plants from cuttings from time to time to replace any plants that are getting too big or leggy, but ours haven't got to that point yet.
I hope you give it a go, Lavender seems to have so much going for it. The ice cream mentioned earlier sounds heavenly!

Snadger

The only thing to remember when cutting back is not to cut right back to very old wood. However if you regularly prune they will be fine and can withstand quite a bit of aggression. I believe the lavenders at the Jersey Lavender Farm have been in a number of years and they seemes quite closely spaced.

http://www.jerseylavender.co.uk/

Gives you info about the farm etc.

For those with a real passion for cooking with Lavender I'd recommend this

http://www.jerseylavender.co.uk/byte...4&cartUserID=0

It is organised by season and the lavender is used with sweet and savoury dishes. It includes a section on store cupboard ingredients such as lavender sugar and syrup.

If you want to avoid the probs of neat essential oil infuse a load of flowers in some good quality (ie cosmetic/aromatherapy grade) sunflower oil or for real luxury jojoba.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

HI marketestalls
Ice cream mmmmm sounds nice

__________________
Some things in their natural state have the most VIVID colors
Dobby

Hi Dobby

The original pudding I made years ago was for the Masterchef competition believe it or not. (I didnt get on the telly!). I think it was lavender mousse with a dark chocolate sauce. Sounds a bit dodgy on reflection;-)

marketestalls


www.marketestalls.com - the Farmers Market - Online
www.farmersmarketforum.co.uk

Hmmm maybe that should have been chocolate mousse with a lavender sauce.

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Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.

There is a herb called Santolina which is also known as 'Lavender Cotton' or 'Cotton Lavender' which shouldn't be confused with the real lavendar varieties. Santolina is often grown in herb gardens and is very attractive, but I don't think it has a culinary use, though I'm not sure if it is actually poisonous. According to Culpeper it can be used as a moth repellent though! Just thought it might be worth mentioning...

Depends on how you define poisonous muckdiva. The only toxicity info I have is on the essential oil which describes it as probably toxic and neurotoxic. It contains artemisia ketone which is a powerful irritant found also in things like wormwood and mugwort. So while it may make a nice potpourri or incense I would err on the side of caution and not use if for cooking.

Lavandin on the other hand although higher in camphor (irritant but good for respiratory problems) than normal lavender would probably be ok as would Lavandula stoechas (usually french - butterfly heads etc.)

However I don't think they would taste as nice.

__________________
Bright Blessings
Earthbabe
If at first you don't succeed, open a bottle of wine.