Edible Lavender Plants

Culinary Lavender

• Depending on the species, lavender may have a sweet or pungent flavor with floral and citrus overtones. Cookbook author Mollie Katzen describes the flavor or lavender as "flowery, clean, sharp" and "pleasantly bitter." Lavender flowers are used fresh and buds and stems are used fresh or dried. Fresh flowers have a milder flavor than dried. Lavender leaves are stronger-flavored than the milder, subtle-flavored blossoms.

Mild and Sweet

• Lavendula angustifolia is considered the sweetest species of lavender. Master gardener Madeline Wadja prefers this species for its mild, sweet flavor. Three varieties of Lavendula angustifolia, Hidcote, Munstead and Rosea, are favored for hot and cold drinks and desserts. Fresh flowers of these varieties are better suited for desserts such as cookies and cakes.

Pungent and Savory

• Two varieties of the species Lavendula x intermedia, Provence and Twickel, are more pungent with the stringent, medicinal taste of camphor. These lavender plants are better suited for savory recipes such as rubs and marinades for meats. Herbes de Provence is a blend of dried herbs including thyme, oregano or marjoram, savory, fennel seed and lavender used to flavor pork, lamb, game, hearty fish and vegetables.

Uses

• In her cookbook "Sunlight Café," Katzen presents a wide range of applications for lavender in both sweet and savory recipes. She bakes lavender into lemon-glazed sweet buns, roasts tomotoes with herbes de Provence, sprinkles fresh flowers onto honey-drizzled marscapone and gorgonzola cheeses, and flavors powdered sugar with fresh leaves. Wadja likes to flavor sugar with dried lavender buds and add this to lemonade, tea, fresh fruit, scones and shortbread. She uses lavender-flavored vinegars in dressings and marinades. Cooks new to using lavender can start by substituting a small amount for rosemary, citrus or mint in a recipe.