Food for Friends

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Browsing Farmer’s Market

Lavender Lemonade

June30

Lavender bunch before dryingThis is the first of several lavender recipes I will add to my blog this Summer.  I LOVE lavender, it’s probably my favorite herb.  It’s purple (my favorite color as you know), it smells great, it has soothing and relaxing properties and old herb lore lists many “magical” attributes for this fragrant herb.  For me it’s definitely magical as it reminds me of the Summer I spent in Provence.  I’m very lucky because the house we bought in Fort Collins has an amazing set of Lavender plants in the front yard.  There are about 10 plants, 9 are English Lavender varieties, probably Sachet, and one is a darker flower, probably Spanish Lavender.    This year I have started harvesting the blooms and making little bunches to hang upside down to dry.  The whole house smells yummy!

Lavender Lemonade

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of water for the syrup
  • 1/4 cup of sugar
  • 1/4 cup of honey
  • 20 fresh lavender sprigs, stems and all and 1 tbsp lavender leaves OR  1-2 tbsp of dry lavender buds (which tend to be stronger than fresh if you buy them at a gourmet store).
  • 1 cup of fresh lemon juice
  • 2-4 cups of water
  • Ice
  • Fresh lavender sprigs for decorating
  • Thin slices of lemon for decorating

Process:

Lavender Lemonade 02Boil 2 cups of water and dissolve the honey and sugar in it.  Put the lavender sprigs and leaves, cover and let it sit for at least half an hour and up to 24 hours (you can put it in the fridge).

When the syrup is ready, strain the syrup into a glass pitcher and remove all the lavender sprigs and leaves.  Add the lemon juice, more water and ice.  Stir well and add a few sprigs of fresh lavender blooms and a few slices of lemon as decoration.

This is the prettiest summer drink EVER!!!

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Here are the recipes finally. This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time and never got around to it. Some of you know that I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. There is a certain alchemy that has to happen in order to have the ingredients turn into delicious creations. There is no real secret behind it, just lots of fresh ingredients, time and patience to try things out and some creativity.

Not everything I make turns out perfect on the first try. Most of the time, even when I follow recipes carefully, there are some adjustments that have to be made in order to make it exactly the way I like it. In some cases recipes have failed miserably and a last-minute plan B has been tackled, and in other cases I had to toss the first batch of something and repeat the steps until it works out.

I hope these recipes bring a lot of magic to your meals, just as they have brought magic to mine. They have all been thoroughly tested and I will never post something I have not made myself. Some adjustments may have to be made for dietary preferences or limitations. Feel free to email me or drop me a note if you have any questions.