Our Enchanted Edible Flower Garnish is so eye-catching it will have your party guests asking where you got it. It's so beautiful sprinkled on top of cheese cake, cupcakes, and just about any color of frosting. Sprinkle in salads, on top of pasta, cheese spreads, and even cookies. Use your imagination, be creative and have some fun with it.
As for our Oregon grown culinary lavender;
There are about 47 different species of lavender, but they're not all edible. Learning to cook with lavender will require experimenting with different recipes, and may also require trying more than one variety of culinary lavender, because they aren't all created equally. We've compiled a few helpful hints to ponder for those who've not yet mastered the art of cooking with lavender.
1. Culinary lavender is typically cultivated from Lavandula Angustifolia plants usually referred to as English lavender. Lavender also has specific names. Some of our favorite ones to cook with are Royal Velvet and Melissa.
2. Culinary lavender has a lot less oil than the aromatic lavender used in perfumes or soaps, and so that helps it to taste much more palatable to use in cooking. Keep in mind it comes from the mint family, and that it's an herb. It can often be used in place of rosemary. However, the magic of discovering the flavor of lavender is how it can enhance other flavors.... like when it's baked in something sweet like a scone, sugar cookie, prepared in a sauce, used in a brine, or even chocolate.
3. Less is more. Lavender can be peppery, so it generally doesn't take much. The amount you use will depend on what you are putting it in. There are so many helpful lavender recipe books on the market today, so even if you've never tried cooking with it, enjoy the process. Please don't be intimidated, its really a wonderful, versatile herb.
4. Color is key when shopping for high-quality culinary lavender. Look for a blue-purple color. Keep in mind during your search if you happen to come across a pink culinary lavender, this is called Melissa and is also a popular variety of lavender,
5. Sourcing is very important as well. The quality depends very much on the source. Buy locally if possible because you will most likely be able to purchase it closer to it's harvest date, Lavender farmers are passionate about their harvest and love to share there knowledge, and answer questions. If local lavender isn't available, most lavender farms have online stores.
6. And finally the aroma is a truth teller because culinary will be spicy and minty, not perfumy.