Growing Lavender

Lavender Hill

I think the hardest part of growing Lavender is waiting out the winter to see if any of the 85 Lavandula angustifolia “Hidcote” variety cuttings I planted last fall, survived.

I am happy to report a 94% success/survival rate!

The Hidcote variety (as seen in the photo) is in a mixed flower bed that runs the length of Lavender Hill’s driveway and is south-facing.

“Lavandula angustifolia” means the species is a “true” or “common” (English) Lavender

“Hidcote” is a specific “variety” of true Lavender

HIDCOTE

Origin: Hidcote Manor, France early 1920’s

Characteristics: dark Blue Flower, Green Foliage

Stem Length: 6-8 inches

Hardiness: Zones 5-9

The lavender is greening up

Lavender Hill

Just over a month ago a friend asked me how my lavender was doing….at that time it was just too early to tell because, quite frankly, it all looked dead. This is why I tell people, when they ask for my advice about pruning lavender, don’t prune lavender too early in the spring because often it’s too early to tell what’s alive and what’s dead.

In the images below are two photos of year-old lavender “Hidcote” that I planted from cuttings last summer. One of the plants looks small and stunted but very healthy and the other with taller shoots does show signs of winter stress…when I rub the plant between my hands the dead leaves fall off quite easily and the green leaves are pliable and the scent of lavender fills the air…it had a bit of winter stress but I’m confident that it’s just fine! Congratulations on surviving your first zone 5a winter little Lavandula Angustifolia Hidcote and welcome to your first spring.

The last photograph is a very old lavender (about 20 years old) “Provence” and while most of it is continuing to green up quite nicely, in the top right hand corner of this photo is a large patch of grey…that area of the plant is most likely dead. I will wait a bit longer for the plant to recover its strength from the winter before I prune any dead sections.

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Making lavender cookies

Lavender Hill

On Saturday the Flesherton & District Farmers’ Market, of which I am a member, held their Annual General Meeting at the Flesherton Library. Following the meeting, members sat down together for a potluck luncheon. I admit that this part of the day caused me the greatest anxiety days prior…what on earth was I going to make to take to a potluck? Could I remember ever attending a potluck somewhere in the past? What will I make? Hot? Cold? Appetizer? Salad? Main? Dessert? If I make something hot, how will I keep it hot or how will I heat it up after the meeting? Is there somewhere to plug things in like a crock pot? I have one of those however honestly I’ve used it perhaps twice and taking it to a meeting with the hope that whatever I place in it will be warm and edible when I need it to be ~ well I’ve no confidence in that.

And suddenly it is Friday. The day before the meeting and I’ve run out of thinking time. I’ve run out of cooking and planning time. How many Members will actually be at the meeting? How many people should I plan on “potlucking”? Okay I’ve got this. Deep breath.

I decide to make something that will showcase what I produce and sell at the market. So few of my fellow Market colleagues have had opportunity to sample my culinary lavender; I decide to make a double batch of lavender cookies.

However either the doubling up of the recipe or the ratio of butter to flour or the temperature in the kitchen or the weather or that darn “Murphy’s law” that finds me every time! is preventing the dough from rolling out. Now what am I going to do; anxiety sinks in. It’s late in the day. If these fail then I’ve nothing to take in the morning to the meeting.

As I rework the dough and cool it off for the second time in the fridge I come up with a Plan B: I’ll get up early and bake a batch of lavender scones. I run about to ensure I’ve the ingredients. And (baha!) I feel confident that I can actually get up early enough and bake before running to the meeting! What on earth am I thinking? I’m NOT a domestic goddess!

I give the cookies a second run and manage to get the dough to roll out…not as nice as I would have liked…but at least now they look like cookies. Into the oven and convection bake 13 minutes and check…I don’t want them too brown nor too white…just a nice light golden colour is what I’m after…then out of the oven and off the baking pan so they don’t continue to bake and into a quick sugar bath and onto a paper towel to rest. whew! Okay I’ve got lavender cookies to take but I still plan to rise early and whip up a batch of pop-in-your-mouth sized lavender scones…mmm still warm out of the oven and fresh! Just they way I like them (wink). Okay I’ve got this pot luck thing under control.

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Are you looking for Lavandula angustifolia? Culinary Lavender?

Lavender Hill

Are you looking for Lavandula angustifolia (culinary lavender; lavender for cooking) because you saw one of the Lavender recipes in the LCBO Food & Drink Magazine?

At last weeks Flesherton & District Farmers’ Market, several people made a beeline to Lavender Hill Hippie looking to buy “lavender for cooking”. I asked each of them what they were making and all had seen lavender recipes in the summer 2016 Edition of Food & Drink magazine that they were eager to try.

I had to find a myself a copy of the magazine and it’s FABULOUS! On the cover Blueberry-Lavender White Chocolate Cheesecake. By far this was the recipe my customers were planning to make using my Culinary Lavender purchased at the Market.

Here is a peek inside the Magazine:

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I want to try the lavender chocolate sorbet recipe found inside the Food & Drink Magazine. My sister wants to try the Lavender Lemon Curd Tarts. There is also a recipe for Lavender-Raspberry Mojito.

Purchase Culinary Lavender from the Rustic Lavender Boutique

Here’s another tip from the Magazine article “Sweet on Lavender” by Julia Aitken, Photography by Rob Fiocca

“…if buying lavender from a farm, ask if it’s suitable for cooking. To find a farm near you that sells culinary lavender, visit ontariolavenderassociation.org.”

I’m off to my kitchen now to prep for the Lavender Chocolate Sorbet.

Fast Harvest

Lavender Hill

Woooo the lavender is coming on FAST this year and that means I’ve started harvesting and quickly…well as quickly as I can.

I’ve just come in. It’s already mid-day and I’ve cut several dozen bundles of Lavandula Angustifolia “Munstead” and its time for a break from the heat and the hot blazing sun. Yesterday I harvested some lavendula Angustifolia “Hidcote”. Both of my Hidcote and Munstead are true English Lavender varieties and both are perfect for use in the kitchen.

This is my happy place:

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my house smells of lavender today

Lavender Hill

Yesterday I began to strip lavender buds from the stems of the 2015 Harvest of Lavandula x-intermedia. This is a general purpose grade 1 lavender. This is NOT FOOD GRADE lavender.

Today I am finishing up with the Lavandula x-intermedia and packaging it for market.

Lavender is hand stripped from each bundle over a Riddle and captured in a holding bucket. Some of the larger stems are removed by this screening process and others are removed by hand.

This is what it typically looks like when it’s packaged:

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Purchase All Natural Dried Lavender from the Rustic Lavender Boutique or online from my ETSY shop and my Local Markets ~ but only while supplies last.