Herbs and seasonings are a staple in almost every dish, and now you can add lavender to that flavor toolkit in your home. Lavender is an herb widely known for its calming benefits as an essential oil, but more recently, it has been incorporated in a wide variety of foods.
Aron McReynolds is the owner of New Life Lavender & Cherry Farm in Baraboo along with his wife, Laura. McReynolds shares more about the culinary uses of lavender, but first outlines its production in Wisconsin.
McReynolds says that lavender is a Mediterranean plant, so the cold, wet weather in Wisconsin can pose problems. To combat this, lavender growers in the state plant the lavender on hills and utilize the sandier soils in the state.
Lavender is a fairly labor-intensive crop. McReynolds says that all parts of the production process are done by hand, from planting to weeding to harvesting. There are some machines that can help with the extraction process for essential oil, but everything else must be carried out by hand.
As for culinary uses, lavender can be used to spruce up a wide variety of dishes. McReynolds says that it can be incorporated into foods such as pies, teas, jams, and even lemonade. Although there aren’t any confirmed health benefits from consuming lavender, it can give your dishes some extra flavor that won’t be found elsewhere.
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