A Whole "Latte" Lavender to Talk About...

Phenomenal Lavender is what one would call the particular plant, pictured below. And, true to its name, it has been a "phenomenal" addition to my flower garden. Beautiful plumes of heavenly scented purple flowers adorn frosty grey mounds from early summer to early fall.  That very same aforementioned frosty, grey foliage remains "evergreen" even through our New England winters. Because of it's decidedly exceptional garden performance, it would be safe to say, that this plant is certainly a fan favorite of mine.  

I did have ulterior motives for planting it, however.  Besides loving flowers, and all the visual stimulation they provide, I have been in search of plants that assist in my "homesteading" efforts. By that I simply mean, I now place greater emphasis on acquiring plants that are not merely ornamental. With the area of land that we have, I am hoping to landscape with what is not only pleasing to the eye, but what also provides something to harvest.

So then, cue "Phenomenal Lavender".  Originally, my interest in planting lavender developed from the thought of possibly harvesting it for use in soap making,  Of course, I was also aware of it's uses in baking, but I was not immediately drawn to the possibility of using it for such.  My association with lavender and food consumption stopped at Cupcake Wars.  I mean, how many episodes had I watched where one of the challengers used lavender either in the cupcake batter, the frosting, or both?!  Lavender, it would seem, is a pretty common placed ingredient to be found in the Food Network pantries, but not so much in mine...

...that is until a spur of the moment trip to Pink Box Desserts in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where I experienced the delight of one of their honey lavender macarons.  Not expecting to get too excited about it, I took the first bite with little to no zeal.  Looking back on that moment, I am surprised by the lack of interest I placed in this little morsel.  After all, I love to bake, and I appreciate the efforts of professional bakers so much so, that I usually leave said bakeries with more than I should.  But, it was my two boys of 9 and 12 that actually convinced me to buy a few for "taste-testing", during this particular visit.  In the moments leading up to buying an assorted half dozen, I believe the thought, "How good can they be?", actually went through my mind!

From that pivotal moment at Pink Box Desserts when I acquiesced to the idea of lavender in my food, to me cutting and hanging lavender to dry in my cool, dry basement, I have been on the lookout for ways in which I could consume more lavender .  I have accumulated a few shortbread recipes, and most recently the above pictured Lavender Coffee Latte recipe.  Pictured with a tablespoon or so of my own dried lavender, I was excited to be able to try this recipe.

Granted, I did not get my steamed milk and honey mixture to froth as it is pictured in the book. I overlooked a step, which is definitely why the milk froth fizzled out to what you see in my cup pictured on the left.  My love for this cup of coffee does not, however, match my love for the macaron.   The floral, and almost medicinal flavor of the lavender did not hit it off for me paired with coffee. This is not to say I won't try this combination again, in fact, I didn't even like coffee the first time I tried it.  And now, we are two coffee beans in a pod...

I will be planting more lavender in the spring.   And, drying more of it, also.  If the coffee and lavender thing doesn't work out for me, cookies are next in line...