Hi, You've met Happy Herb and the other Spice Gals, Basil and Rosemary. I'm Spice Gal Lavender. My name comes from the Latin (not Greek) word lavare and I was named by the Romans, who used my leaves, flowers and stems in their "Roman" baths. "Lavare" literally means "to wash." 

Friends tell me I'm beautiful (and who am I to disagree) and that I smell wonderful. (again, who am I to disagree). I'm a staple of the English countryside, although I'm not native to England. I was born and raised in the coastal hills of the Mediterranean and I've travelled (with the Romans) throughout Europe.

Cleopatra was a close friend of my family. It is long believed that one of Cleopatra's secret "love" weapons was Lavender. Our sultry scent, helped Cleopatra seduce Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony. FYI: Cleo had plenty of men friends. It's rumored that the wasp that killed her was hiding in one of her lavender bushes. I promise, we didn't have anything to do with that!

Special thanks to The Herb Gardener - Click HERE)

I help life smell more beautiful. Oil made from my leaves has soothing properties and are often associated with calming the nerves or relieving anxiety, providing relief for ailments from headaches, migraines to insomnia. As a medicinal herb, and once dried, I can be made into teas that calm the nerves and can help you sleep. 

I'm compatible with the flavors of honey and lemon, and I am the perfect summertime herb to brighten seasonal foods. I add a unique, unexpected and delightful flavor to meats, salads, custards, jams, teas and cookies. Think of me as a sous chef. 'm so versatile in the kitchen, that adding me into almost any recipe will give you favorable results.

Recipes using both fresh and dried flowers are generally on the sweet side. I can be used to replace rosemary and other strong tasting herbs. Or, I can be blended with other members of my mint family, like Rosemary, Sage, Fennel, Tarragon, Oregano, Thyme and Mint. Together, we're known as Herbes de Provence. We're especially good mixed with olive oil to coat chicken, fish, tomatoes or chunks of potato for roasting, adding to a pizza sauce or sprinkled over game or kabobs before roasting. I'm also used for seasoning salads, sauces and cheeses, as well as soups and stews. Try rubbing the blend on whole turkey or the breast before roasting.

Special thanks to theepicentre.com Click HERE.

Here are a few of my most favorite recipes. 

Lavender Lemonade with Honey

Ingredients

1 cup raw honey

5 cups water

1/4 cup fresh lavender blossoms, crushed* 

1 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice, strained

Ice cubes

Lavender sprigs for garnish

Instructions

Bring 2 1/2 cups water to boil in a medium pan

Remove from heat and add honey, stirring to dissolve.

Add the lavender to the honey water, cover, and let steep at least 20 minutes or up to several hours, to taste.

Strain mixture and discard lavender

Pour infusion into a glass pitcher

Add lemon juice and another 2 1/2 cups of cold water. 

Stir well.

Refrigerate until ready to use, or pour into tall glasses half filled with ice, then garnish with lavender sprigs.

Share and enjoy!

*Note: DO NOT use lavender essential oil in this recipe. Consuming lavender oil can be toxic, cause allergic reactions, as well as contribute to hormone imbalances in men and boys. Signs of lavender oil toxicity (requiring a call to Poison Control) include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, blurred vision, burning pain in the throat, difficulty breathing and skin rash.

Lavender Roasted Potatoes

This simple roast potato recipe is transporting with the flavor or lavender conjuring flavors of Provence. It's sure to freshen up any meal. (Special thanks to Toni Dash/BoulderLocavore.com Click HERE) 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2-2 ½ pounds (about 4 large) thin skinned Potatoes (New, Red, etc)

2 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 ½ tablespoon dried Lavender

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Scrub potatoes, cut out any bad spots and cut into bite sized pieces. Do not peel.

Toss in a bowl with olive oil. When coated with the olive oil, add lavender, salt and pepper.

Spread into a single layer in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring part way through to ensure even browning. Potatoes are done when soft inside to the fork/bite.

Meyer Lemon Lavender Mojitos

Mojitos aren't just for limes anymore! Meyer lemons and lavender paired with traditional mint create a light, refreshing Mojito that is unexpected and tastes deliciously of spring.

(Special thanks to Toni Dash / BoulderLocavore.com Click HERE)

Ingredients

5 fresh Spearmint Leaves

1 teaspoon Confectioner's Sugar

Juice of half a Meyer Lemon*

1/2 teaspoon dried Lavender

2 ounces Light Rum

Club Soda to fill

Instructions:

In a quart Mason jar or a shaker, combine the spearmint leaves, confectioner's sugar, Meyer lemon juice and lavender. Muddle completely. Strain into a Collins glass.

Fill the glass with ice. 

Pour rum over the ice and fill with Club Soda. 

Garnish with lavender sprig, mint sprig and/or a Meyer lemon slice and serve

Notes

*TIP: microwaving citrus fruit on high for 10 seconds before juicing will release more juice!

Rosemary By Any Other Name is Rosemary! 

Hi, my name is Spice Gal Rosemary. You can call me Rose, Rosie Rosemarie or Rosemary. My name is derived from the Latin words ros (dew) and marinus (sea). Happy Herb loves my aromatic fragrance, which is slightly resinous with a sweet scent. I’m often described as having a very bold flavor. 

I am one of the most commonly used herbs in Italy - especially for roast lamb. Italians have a passion for rosemary (and I have a passion for Italians) and you will see me in many of the true Italian recipes. If you go to an Italian butcher shop and order lamb they will include several sprigs of rosemary with the meat. What’s a sprig – good question. A sprig is a small stem bearing leaves or flowers, taken from a bush or plant. Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt. I am discreetly used in French, Greek or Spanish cooking. I especially enjoy the company of lamb, red meat, fillet Mignon, fish, shellfish, veal and chicken dishes cooked with wine and garlic.

I am also an excellent flavoring for potato dishes and other root vegetables like carrots and onions. When you add me to spaghetti sauce, I bring out the flavor of other ingredients. I am a very nice addition to tomato-based soups, stews and sauce and I am very much at home around the barbecue. YES, the BBQ. Place a sprig inside your poultry, or insert some needles into your leg of lamb. Use me in meat marinades. Burn several sprigs on your barbecue grill to impart the flavor on the cooking meats or poultry. 

Here is a tip: bundle several sprigs together and use them as a basting brush. Try me in pea soup, bread recipes, vegetables such as beans, peas, spinach and zucchini and stews. I am an essential ingredient in poultry or fish stuffing. Some recipes call for chopping me up, but I am best added as a whole sprig to soups and stews. Remove the sprig prior to serving. And you should know that I make an especially tasty and fine tea.

You can plant me in your outdoor vertical hanging planter and I’ll grow really well. I’m actually a bush perennial that grows in abundance in the Mediterranean area (Spain, Italy, Portugal, Southern France, Greece and North Africa as well as in isolated areas of Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt). I am one of the most common aromatic wild plants of the Mediterranean landscape, especially in rocky limestone hillsides adjoining the seaside.

You can plant me in your outdoor vertical hanging planter and I’ll grow really well. I’m actually a bush perennial that grows in abundance in the Mediterranean area (Spain, Italy, Portugal, Southern France, Greece and North Africa as well as in isolated areas of Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt). I am one of the most common aromatic wild plants of the Mediterranean landscape, especially in rocky limestone hillsides adjoining the seaside.

In the eighth century, the Romans relocated me to England, primarily in the southern part of the country. Charlemagne ordered me to be grown on his farms in the tenth-century Spain. What a view! Who is Charlemagne – another good question. Charlemagne (c.742-814), also known as Karl and Charles the Great, was a medieval emperor who ruled much of Western Europe from 768 to 814. In 771, Charlemagne became king of the Franks, a Germanic tribe in present-day Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and western Germany. Early immigrants later introduced me to the New World.  

I have an historical association with the Virgin Mary. My flowers received their light blue color when she placed her shawl over me, after she washed me. I am a wedding crasher, bringing good luck for the new couple. My branches were placed on the floors of medieval homes to combat diseases during the “black plague”,  And because of my fragrance, I’m often used as incense. I am a very busy herb! 

My virtues are extolled by Ancient Greek, Roman, Arab and European herbalists. I have been used to prevent balding and as a hair conditioner. I am also the herb of memory, my eaves were supposed to quicken the mind and prevent forgetfulness. Roman herbalists recommended me to be used to cure jaundice, I have antioxidant properties and I’m used as a preservative by modern food processors. I have been mentioned in medical texts as being a digestive aid in the form of a tea infusion. Externally, you can apply me as an ointment, to treat rheumatism, sores, eczema and bruises.  

Enjoy this recipe for Pan Seared Veal Chops With Rosemary.

(By Miss Annie \ food.com) 

Total Time: 35 minutes

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS

2 
veal chops (about 3/4-inch thick)

2 
cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 
tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 
tablespoons olive oil 

salt & freshly ground black pepper

1⁄2
cup white wine

1⁄4
cup chicken stock

DIRECTIONS

Rub the chops with 1 Tbsp. oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and let sit on a plate for 15 minutes.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add remaining oil.

Add chops to pan and cook until golden brown on one side, and flip.

Remove chops from pan to a baking dish, brown side down and roast at 375ºF for 10 minutes.

Add wine and stock to cast iron pan and stir up brown bits from the bottom.

Serve chops with juice from pan.