I’m joining The Novel Bakers
for Lavender Week!
The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley is full of tempting sweet and savory recipes~
The recipes were developed using dried culinary ‘Provence’ lavender buds, which have a gentle lavender flavor that’s not bitter, medicinal or perfumey.
I found culinary French lavender from Amazon here.
There are also recipes to bring lavender to the table by incorporating it into your everyday cooking~ adding it to butter, creme fraiche, simple syrup, sugar, and salt.
I blended some Lavender Salt to use as a rub to season meat and seafood~ whole chicken, pork, and fish.
Generously rub the salt blend into your meat, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 3 hours prior to cooking. Store unused rub in a tightly sealed jar in a cool, dark place.
Lavender Salt Rub
1 tablespoon culinary lavender
1/2 cup coarse sea salt
Pulse lavender until finely ground in spice grinder (or coffee grinder dedicated to spices). Transfer to a small bowl and toss with salt. Store in a sealed jar in a dark, cool place for 3 months. The lavender flavor will slowly diminish after that.
I decided to try Lavender Salt on melon. Cantaloupe, watermelon, and honeydew melon taste sweeter with just a touch of salt!
Sprinkling salt on melon was something both my grandmothers always did, so it may be Southern thing.
It makes me curious so I’m taking a poll. . .
Do you salt your melon?
I dare you to try it :)
The Lavender Salt adds additional flavor which complements the melon~
I found a wheelbarrow salt cellar from Pottery Barn last year~ one for myself and for one for a gift to give, along with a jar of Basil Salt.
Pushing a wheelbarrow is hot, thirsty work and Lavender Salt just so happens to be perfect for rimming margarita glasses for Lavender Margaritas :)
Lavender Margaritas~
South of France meets south of the border,
with Lavender Sweet and Sour Mix!
Lavender Margaritas
~ Lavender Sweet and Sour Mix
~ tequila
~ orange liqueur
~ lime
~Lavender Salt Rub
Lavender Sweet and Sour Mix will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Mix with tequila, Triple Sec or other orange liqueur, serve over ice or turn into a frozen concoction in the blender.
Lavender Sweet and Sour Mix
3 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender
2 cups fresh lime juice
2 cups fresh lemon juice
Mix sugar, water and lavender. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Cover, remove from heat and steep 5 minutes. Strain into a pitcher or larger jar. Add lime and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Rim glasses with Lavender Salt if desired.
Thank you for your visit!
I’m joining The Novel Bakers for Lavender Week,
July 22nd – July 28th!
a quiet life
Rattlebridge Farm
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I’m embarrassed to say this, but I never knew that lavender could be a cooking spice! I just associated it with bath salts and the like.
Also, that basil salt recipe looks wonderful. I wondered how I had missed that last year, but when I looked at the date, I realized it was when I was “indisposed” and not in blog land. Glad you linked!
Good morning Mary! More wonderful lavender recipes. They sound so good! Yum! Will need to try them when I return from Maine.
Mary, I can smell the fun you are having with this book! I must add more lavender plants to my garden :-)
Have never thought about salting melon but as it is often eaten as an appetiser with ‘parma’/air-dried hams I suppose that adds a saltiness and it does bring out the flavour, rather like having freshly ground pepper with strawberries! As always, Mary, your photography for these lavender recipes is gorgeous!
Definitely going to try that lavender margarita! I do not usually salt my melon, but I have tried it with salt and yes, it is good. I am lovin’ this lavender week. Keep up the good work! :)
I do! I do salt my melon..yes, you’r right it does taste sweeter..love, love your blog:) smiles!(*_*)
~Mary~
My dad always salted his melon, and I have tried it,its really not to bad. I love the cute little wheelbarrow and the lavender plate is so sweet. I have a lemon~lavender cupcake mix I picked up at WorldMarket, I may just have to make those today !!!
Paula
In
Lavender has a very unique taste. I like it in baked goods.have to try it on the margarita. I salt my cantaloupe but not all melon. Tastes delicious. Pretty blog!
We’ve always sprinkled salt on our melon too. I do believe it’s a southern thing. Love your uses of lavender. I have to try the salt!
Sam
Hi Mary! My dear Dad always salted his melon and he was born in Michigan, so it mustn’t be a southern thing.
Love your uses for lavender and all your photos.
Salt and pepper from this Oklahoman transplanted to Texas! Thanks for the encouragement to cook with lavender. I bought culinary lavender but haven’t been inspired until reading your blog!
Hi Mary, I do not salt melons. My husband and all my family do! Interesting poll.
Thanks for the source for culinary lavender. I love your cute little wheelbarrow so perfect for this post. I am learning so much about cooking with lavender it is enticing me to try your recipes and see if I like the taste.
A dream of mine is to see and savor the smell of lavender in Provence. Our trip was in early spring so we missed that. Greedy me would also like to see the fields of sunflowers and poppies blooming there!
i am just WILD over your pics! i can’t pin right now, its broken for me, but i can’t wait to capture all of these beauties! its just pure artistry, and of course i love playing with food, books and flowers :-)
where did you find that dish… i have looked for lavender dishes for decades, there aren’t that many to be found, and yours is perfect, such a nice rendering … AND THE TABLECLOTH! be still my jealous heart!
i had melon for breakfast, never even thought it could be better, OR PRETTIER!
such a fun cocktail, girl you and pam had fun liquoring it up!
another fabulous dip into the world of lavender, loving this week!
I definitely salt my melon, I am a Southerner though. I love your lavender dishes! Beautiful post.
Yes, yes me and my people salt melons. It does rev up the flavor. LOvely recipes Mary.
No, I don’t salt my melon but on your recomendation, I will try it! Your plates and linens are beautiful! XO, Pinky
We used to sprinkle salt on melons (and tomatoes) but since my son was told to cut down on salt we haven’t…I just might make a small exception!
I was at one of our weekend farmers markets on the other side of the island this past Sunday and was thrilled to meet a vendor growing and using lavender…They hope that the coming harvest will be a good one and ‘launch them’ into the lavender business…
Lovin’ that pretty lavender bowl Mary! Growing up my family always salted cantaloupe and honeydew, not watermelon. These days my sons and I don’t salt them if they’re tasty and sweet. Good watermelon has always been a gift from the Gods and considered perfect as is:@)
Lavender salt? Lavender Margaritas? Be still my heart, I am a convert after only 1 day in the week of Lavender! Your recipes and photos make it impossible to resist the lure of lavender Mary, thank you for sharing this understated beauty…and no I have never salted melon! So much I have missed!
Jenna
When I was a child we would put salt on melon. We also loved fresh lime juice on cantaloupe…thank you Mary for your beautiful blog…you bring such joy!
Beautiful, beautiful! Your lavender textiles and dishes are delightful. How do you always find the perfect pieces? Thanks for sharing this drink. It looks refreshing.
Mary, I’ll be RIGHT over. Lordy, this looks refreshing, the perfect libation after a day of remodeling edits. As for the melons, I like salt, and so does my husband. But the best salt would be on your margarita glasses. Keep your porch light on! xx
Oh, you’ve struck a chord with me (again), Mary!
Yes! My French dad would alway add salt to his melons, except I think Crenshaws ~ I love this twist of adding lavender~ that is BRILLIANT! So clever, the way you’ve presented it here (so much more stylish than a a plain old salt shaker!)
And yes, please, I would love a Lavender Margarita ~ soo refreshing!
Awesome post! Yes, we salt our watermelon but I’m a Georgia girl so maybe it is a southern thing.
I am in love with the silver ware you used in this post. Can you tell me the pattern? It’s beautiful!
They’re single pieces I picked up from a dealer at an antique mall :) You can see more here: http://homeiswheretheboatis.net/2012/08/29/picking-flowers/
I so wanted to join in the fun this week as I have experimented with much from the Lavender cookbook, but with kids here there’s not much time for making anything special much less write about it. I’m with you in spirit.
I grew up in NC. My mother would always sprinkle salt on melon. Moving away from NC in adulthood, I stopped doing this as people in othet parts of this country did not salt melons. Am now back in NC. No one I know still does this Mary other than you and I.
Molly
such a fun collection of lavender recipes, who knew the humble flower could do all that, thanks for sharing
I have never salted mellons, but your salts look so good and your photos are beautiful!!!
Blessings,
Cindy
I am an Alabama girl, and have always salted my watermelon. Most of the women I know eat it that way, but not the men. So I believe it is more of a woman thing! Love your beautiful pictures.
I grew up in the south too. We salt our watermelon , but we put pepper on our cantelope. Delicious!
Please could you tell me where you bought the table cloth that you used in the background of your photos? I love it!
It came from Amazon, it’s really jumped in price since I bought it: http://www.amazon.com/Couleur-Nature-59-inches-86-inches-Tablecloth/dp/B009JBYPPC/ref=sr_1_19?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1414327135&sr=1-19&keywords=lavender+tablecloth