While walking to work this morning, I heard one my favorite sounds – bees buzzing away while collecting their tax of pollen.  Even better, they were buzzing away on one of my personal favorite plants – the lovely lavender.

Lavender, like the roses we discussed not so long ago, has also been cultivated for ages.  Part of the mint genus (which explains its square stems and poignant fragrance), lavender is native to the Mediterranean region.  This makes it a perfect match for Oregon’s modified Mediterranean climate.  Growing your own lavender plants is relatively simple, too – you can purchase plants from a nursery, or simply look for a friendly neighbor with a plant.  Often, lavender plants will send up their own tiny shoots, which can be dug up and transplanted.  If there aren’t any shoots, you can usually just divide the plant in half (carefully, of course).  

We may not experiment with lavender in our cuisine too much States-side, but it’s a common kitchen ingredient in Europe, specifically in France.  Lavender flowers can be candied and stuck on cakes, immersed in sugar to give it a hint of fragrance (and make sugar cookies extra yummy), or added to tea blends.  I tried a lavender-flavored Dry soda  (the company also makes rhubarb, lemongrass, and kumquat varieties) recently, and was not disappointed.  Lavender adds an essential aromatic sweetness, without being overly cloying – perhaps that’s why honey made by bees who’ve fed on lavender is especially prized.  

There are many uses for our Lavandula outside the kitchen, as well, most of which involve dried lavender flowers.  Simply snip some stems using sharp, sterilized secateurs in mid-morning, when essential oil content is highest.  Bind the stems loosely with twine or hemp, and hang them upside down to dry in a dark, well-ventilated space.  Hanging the lavender (or any other dried flowers, for that matter) doesn’t have to be done in the dark, but the flowers will retain more of their color this way.  After a week or two, you’ll have plenty of dried flowers to play with.

Precisely because it’s so aromatic, lavender is a common ingredient in perfumes, potpourris, and flower arrangements.  Biblically, it’s also believed to have been one of the plants used to prepare the  holy essence.  Lavender also pulls its weight in a homeopathic context – spraying your pillow with a little bit of lavender scent at night is said to help you sleep.  Additionally, lavender can be mixed in with rose water and tea tree oil to create a skin tonic, or used to ward off insect bites.  During World War I, hospitals used lavender to disinfect floors, walls, and surfaces – a smart move, as lavender’s got both antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.  This humble herb was also used to ward off the plague – lavender is an anathema to fleas, one of the disease’s primary vectors.  There are some pet shampoos that include lavender as an ingredient – I bought some for my cats so that they’d smell nice, but if anyone has tried using lavender as a flea repellent, I’d be interested to hear the results.

The recipe that follows is a little concoction I dreamed up for some friends of mine about to graduate from their respective universities.  This tea is simple to make, and a pleasure to sip.  If you don’t have any dried bergamot flowers, simply use Earl Grey loose tea instead of plain black tea – bergamot is what gives Earl Grey its flavor.  Spend some time this week sipping tea (I like mine iced, in case anyone was wondering), listening to the bees, and smelling the lavender – I guarantee you’ll feel a hint of relaxation creeping in, regardless of how stressed you are.

Lovely Lavender Tea
2 cups loose black tea
¾ cup dried lavender flowers, de-stemmed
¾ cup dried bergamot leaves
¼ cup dried rosemary
2-3 cloves

Place lavender, bergamot, rosemary, and cloves in a coffee mill or food processor.  Pulse until shredded.  Add to tea, and place in a tightly sealed glass jar.