Whether you consider lavender a fragrance, a colour, a seasoning or a perennial plant, our love affair with this evocative herb has been long and enduring.
In ancient Egypt and Greece, lavender was used as a perfume and ingredient in incense. In the Middle Ages, it was considered an aphrodisiac. (It was also believed that a sprinkling of lavender on the head of a loved one would keep that person chaste-which seems to fly in the face of its purported aphrodisiac properties!) Touted as well as a cure for lice, toothaches and headaches, lavender was considered quite the all-purpose herb. It was even thought to tame lions and tigers.
Reading through lavender lore, one is less likely to find mention of its culinary use, although it's said that Queen Elizabeth I savoured lavender conserve and a lavender tisane (a herbal infusion sweetened with honey) made from plants grown at her palace. The classic herb mixture Herbes de Provence often includes lavender, as well as rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. It's doubtful, though, that many cookbooks before the 1980s mentioned lavender as a culinary herb. But it's now found in recipes for sweet dishes, infusing them with a citrusy bite, and in savoury dishes, offering a soft hint of flavour similar to rosemary or marjoram.
Growing your own
As with many flourishing romances, challenges abound in our love affair with cultivating lavender, especially in areas where winters are harsh and summers are humid.
"So many people tell me they can't grow lavender, when actually [it's because] they bought cultivars that aren't hardy [for their area]," says Carole Coleman, owner of Tansy Lane Herb Farm in Albert Mines, New Brunswick. (See "Lavenders to Grow," next page, for a list of hardy and other varieties.)
Coleman suggests growing borderline-hardy types in protected areas or treating tender varieties as annuals and growing them in pots. "They'll reach a good size in one season," she says.
Here's how to help ensure your relationship with lavender grows smoothly.
- Choose a site with excellent drainage in full sun that offers protection from wind during winter.
- In borderline hardy areas, mulch with several centimetres of organic material, such as shredded leaves or compost, over winter. For added protection, erect a windbreak made of burlap attached to sturdy stakes around (but not touching) the plants.
- If your soil is dense clay, amend with plenty of coarse builder's sand (the kind with various-sized particles); plant in slightly raised beds.
Harvesting, drying & preserving
Both the flowers and foliage of lavender are fragrant, but it's the flowers that are dried and preserved for craft or culinary uses. Some growers claim the scent of English lavender becomes even sweeter after drying, but all dried varieties retain their scent for a year or more.
Harvest stems when approximately one-quarter of the flowers are open (aromatic oils are at their peak); remove leaves. Gather stems into small bunches with rubber bands or twine and hang upside down in a cool, dry, dark room for two to three weeks.
To store dried lavender for recipes, rub bunches of dried stems over a wide-mouthed bowl. Shake the contents of the bowl through a sieve or colander to separate the dust from the big bits. Store bits in a small canister. (Make sure the lavender you use for culinary purposes hasn't been sprayed with pesticide.)
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