Last minute preparations for Super Bowl Sunday and of course I had to include lavender in something. So here’s my a quick creation:
2 ripe firm avocados mashed
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp Serenity culinary lavender crushed with a mortar and pestle
1 small Leamington greenhouse tomato chopped
1/8 cup black bean and corn salsa
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 small onion
pinch of ground pepper
dash of hot sauce ( I used our homemade habenaro paste made from our garden grown peppers but use whatever you like)
Mix together and serve with nachos.
Photo by Steven Depolo
Chewy, chocolately with just the right amount of lavender. My family just loves these. When I make a batch they’re gone before the next day. Truly yummyliscious!
Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup of flour
1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup walnuts (optional)
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder. Add salt and lavender. Blend dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Mix in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into a greased 8×8 inch pan. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick comes out clean. Top with your favourite chocolate frosting for an even more decadent experience!
Just in time for the Holidays we have signed copies of the award winning Harrow Fair Cookbook available. Quantities are limited so order early to avoid disappointment!
http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=e13505312
Save the dates, November 25th, 26th and 27th! Just in time for all that holiday shopping come discover a fantastic assortment of one-of-a -kind holiday gifts from our local fine arts and fine crafts exhibitors. Serenity Lavender will be there featuring not only our culinary artistry with our culinary lavender, special spice blends including herbes de provence, barbeque, thai and curry rubs but also our every popular lavender jelly and our new line up of jams! We’ll also be offering a new line of lavender Holiday ornaments. All handcrafted and made from our locally grown lavender! Come visit us!
If you love crème brulee you must try this recipe. The delicate floral flavor of lavender is heavenly!
Yiel
ds: 6 to 8 servings
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients:
4 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon Serenity Lavender’s Culinary lavender
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, add cream and the lavender flowers; heat just to a simmer. Remove from heat and allow lavender flowers to infuse with the cream for 15 minutes. Strain cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove lavender flowers.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until light and creamy. Slowly add the strained cream to the egg mixture, blending well. Divide custard mixture among the custard cups.
Arrange the custard cups in a oven proof roasting or baking pan. Prepare water for the water bath by bringing enough water to a simmer. Carefully pour the hot water into the baking pan to come half-way up the sides of the custard cups.
Bake 60 minutes or until set around the edges but still loose in the center. The cooking time will depend largely on the size of the custard cups you are using, but begin checking at a half hour and check back regularly. When the center of the custard is just set, it will jiggle a little when shaken, that’s when you can remove it from the oven.
Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
When ready to serve, sprinkle approximately 2 teaspoons of remaining sugar over each crème brulee and using a small hand-held torch melt the sugar until a golden brown crust is formed.
Well at Serenity Lavender we are busily preparing for this awesome event. This coming Sunday you can visit six different farms including ours. At Serenity you will be able to touch see and smell the lavender. There will be farm tours, pruning demonstrations and of course shopping! We hope to see you at Serenity this Sunday between 10 am and 5 pm.
To see all the participating farms visit:
http://www.ecfa.ca/main/index.php?page=farmhiker.php
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2011/08/30/farm-hiker-tour-back-sept-18/
Peaches, Lavender and Harrow go hand in hand. Did you know that varieties such as Harrow Beauty, Harrow Fair, Harbright and Harrow Diamond, just to name a few, were developed right in our own backyard at the Agriculture Agri-food Canada Harrow Research Station? While we no longer celebrate these achievements at the Peach Festival, but we still love our peaches which are bursting with sweet rich ripeness right now and available at your local Harrow fruit stands picked just hours before your purchase.
So this season for something try the flavours of lavender and peach
Ingredients:
6 -8 peaches
2 cups of water
1 cup of sugar
1 Tablespoon of Serenity’s culinary lavender
1 bay leaf or clove
Preparation
In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and water and over medium heat stir until the sugar is disolved and the mixture is clear. Remove from heat and add the lavender and bay leaf and steep for 10-15 minutes. Strain the herbs from the liquid and return the liquid to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Add peaches and cook for 2-3 minutes until the peaches are tender. I like mine a bit firmer. Remove peaches from the liquid with a slotted spoon. Let them cool down a bit. Peel the skin, pit and slice in half. Continue to cook until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Place 2 peach halves on a plate and drizzle with syrup. Serve with ice cream or for something more decadent try it with marscapone cheese or devon cream. Garnish with a fresh lavender sprigs, mint or bay leaf.
Location: John R. Park Homestead
Time: August 7th 2011
Event that promotes buying local by showcasing local food and wine. The homestead also has a craft fair displaying artists performing lost arts such as quilting and weaving. Meet local farmers, try local foods, and enjoy the artistic talent in your community!
Great on the grill or under the broiler!
Ingredients
8 lamb chops
1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
4 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons Serenity’s dried culinary lavender
1 large garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper
Directions:
In a saucepan mix the vinegar, sugar, garlic and lavender and bring to a boil stirring constantly then reduce heat and continue to cook over low until the volume is reduce by half and the mixture thickens. Set asice.
Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper then grill or broil for 4-5 minutes per side or until cooked to your liking. Remove from heat and serve while hot atop of a bed of garlic mashed potatoes and spinach with the balsamic reduction drizzled over top of the chops.
Grilled asparagus is a perfect side to this easy but elegant dish.
Bon Appetit!
Keeping lavender plants in shape is one of the best ways of maintaining a healthy and vigorous bush. Pruning at Serenity Lavender begins when the plant is still in the greenhouse and continues once or twice a year for the whole life of the plant. The best time to prune is in the fall after bloom. Both the top and sides of the plant need to be pruned to generate new growth and prevent legginess or splitting of the branches. Some varieties have a sprawling habitat and a nice thick bush for a lavender plant is the optimal goal. As a general rule, the lavender plant may be pruned back by one third. Be sure to trim only the soft green branches and not get into the wood of the plant.
In the springtime pruning may be required to regenerate growth after a harsh winter. Cut back any dead wood until you see green in the stems. If there has been a lot of winter damage it may be wise to prune in stages over a number of years to slowly bring the plant back to its vibrant self. Although the plants sold at Serenity Lavender are suitable Zones 4-5 (we are zone 6a), winter survival is influenced by location, plant size, mulch type, plant cover and of course temperature.
Otherwise, pruning your Serenity Lavender plant in the spring should be minimal (only on the sides), if any at all, to allow for a full flowering show in July.
