An Appreciation of Lavender

Our little lavender bush on the side of the house is in full bloom with lovely color and fragrance.  I have always appreciated lavender in table arrangements, candles, and air fresheners, but it is only recently that I have tried to work with it in home decor and to use it in food and drink.

Part of my challenge was to cut and use some of the lovely fragrant stems in an arrangement, but I did not have a huge abundance of lavender nor a small pot in which I would create a little arrangement for a vignette or small space.   So my mission was to find something at a store which would allow me to use the delicate lavender.

Here is what I found.  This charming little rake from Stein's Garden Center is made of metal with a distressed finish and includes an attached pot which is perfect for holding a small arrangement of flowers or herbs (or maybe even a candle).  They also had one in the shape of a shovel.  Both are darling, but I could only choose one.  The rake captured my heart and I could envision the bouquet of lavender and daisies in the pot with a sweet burlap bow to finish it off.  Perfect for a front door entrance. 

My next challenge was to use the lavender in either food or drink.  Since we are having a hot spell, I thought it would be interesting to make some lavender lemonade.  What a pleasant twist to a great summer time staple.  To make the delicious lavender lemonade, I made the simple syrup with 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar.  Bring it to boil and drop in 4 stems of lavender and let cool.  During this time, make your lemonade.  Since I had only a few lemons on hand and not enough for an entire pitcher, I used a combination of fresh lemons in water and some powdered lemonade to make a greater serving amount.  I then added the lavender-infused syrup and ice to the lemonade.  The lemonade has a hint of lavender flavor.  It does not over power the lemonade, but if you prefer more of a lavender flavor, you could definitely add more cut stems to the simple syrup.  In larger quantities, the lavender may even change the color of your lemonade to a lovely light purple.    How refreshing on a sunny summer day! 

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