Please tell me everything you've made with lavender.
July 25, 2018 1:43 PM   Subscribe

I have a mind-boggling amount of freshly dried lavender flowers, some dried in bundles and a lot of loose flower buds. Please help me figure out what to do with them!

I went to a lavender festival and came back with half of a giant bush worth of lavender flowers! They need a purpose besides hanging from the kitchen ceiling making the house smell good. So far I have:

- woven some into magic wands that my small kid gets a huge kick out of

- stuck a small bundle in the car for good smells

- made lavender and nectarine ice cream

- made raspberry caramels infused with lavender

- made a jar of lavender sugar for general baking purposes

What else can I do? All ideas are welcome - culinary, decorative, cosmetic, nice-smelling, etc. I'm a very good cook and also have a sewing machine. Hit me with your ideas, please?
posted by centrifugal to Grab Bag (26 answers total) 18 users marked this as a favorite
 
I've made lavender simple syrup for adding to coffee. I've also made shortbread with lavender sugar that went over quite well. You can add some to melt and pour soap, too.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 1:45 PM on July 25, 2018 [3 favorites]


Sachets for linen closets and dresser drawers! I keep a few sachets in my closet, too.
posted by mochapickle at 1:50 PM on July 25, 2018 [6 favorites]


Make a DIY microwave rice bag with a few tablespoons. (I made some for gifts and they were a big hit.)
posted by Crystalinne at 1:52 PM on July 25, 2018 [3 favorites]


Melt-and-pour soap. I've bought soap that had lavender flowers in it...pretty sure you'd need to use lavender oil if you wanted it to be fragrant. You could actually make your own lavender oil.
posted by wryly at 1:52 PM on July 25, 2018


Lavender Swiss meringue buttercream. Goes well with blueberry/ earl gray/ lemon/ vanilla cupcakes. Swiss meringue buttercream is easily frozen and reused.
posted by Everydayville at 1:57 PM on July 25, 2018


Lavender lemonade!
posted by okayokayigive at 2:02 PM on July 25, 2018 [4 favorites]


Along with sugar, you can make lavender infused honey. (I also went to a lavender festival this past weekend - was yours also in Sequim WA? - and that's what I ended up buying there.)
posted by darchildre at 2:04 PM on July 25, 2018


Like Ms Vegetable, I make lavender simple syrup to mix with lemonade or to use in cocktails, but my favorite is just adding it to seltzer water for lavender soda. Just bring 1:1 sugar and water to a boil, add 2-3 Tablespoons of lavender, cover and steep for 30 minutes or so. Store in a mason jar in the fridge.
posted by kittydelsol at 2:08 PM on July 25, 2018 [2 favorites]


How could I forget lavender ice cream? Heat cream, add lavender, cover and steep. Strain out the lavender and then use your lavender cream with your favorite ice cream recipe.
posted by kittydelsol at 2:11 PM on July 25, 2018 [2 favorites]


I was at a baby shower recently with a lemon lavender cake, with dried lavender all through the cake part. Oh god it was soooo good!!
posted by raztaj at 2:16 PM on July 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


If you make a sachet put one in your kid’s pajama drawer! Also nth the lavender syrup for lemonade or other drinks!!
posted by Swisstine at 2:39 PM on July 25, 2018


Lavender lemonade and ice cream are great, and so are lavender iced tea and lavender shortbread!
posted by jgirl at 2:39 PM on July 25, 2018


Blueberry lavender jam.

Also, if you have a vacuum cleaner with a bag, put a couple of tablespoons of lavender in the new bag to make the house smell delicious when you hoover.
posted by featherboa at 2:42 PM on July 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


Bundle it into a smudge stick and burn it. Smoky, with a lovely lingering lavender scent.
posted by slipthought at 2:52 PM on July 25, 2018


Here is a cookbook: https://www.pelindabalavender.com/Pelindaba-Lavender-Cookbook-p/308.htm
posted by jgirl at 2:55 PM on July 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


Salted honey lavender caramels

Lavender martini with candied lavender

Lavender nougat yum yum

This article has some ideas for savoury lavender options too! An excerpt:

"Use about one part flowers (ensure they are absolutely dry) to 10 parts coarse sea salt and grind in a spice mill or with a pestle and mortar. Add a refreshingly unexpected flavour to new potatoes by tossing in butter and lavender salt or use to season duck breasts before grilling. Lavender works surprisingly well with fish, too: stuff a few lavender buds – do go easy, it should be subtle – inside seabass or grill red mullet over lavender stalks, preferably over the BBQ."
posted by latch24 at 3:52 PM on July 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


I had a cushion cover that on one side had a thin double layer stuffed with lavender. Made my bed smell nice and was actually quite cool in summer.
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 4:00 PM on July 25, 2018 [1 favorite]


Lavender shortbread cookies! So yummy.

Herbal tea blends with lavender, rose, mint, butterfly pea flowers, and a little hibiscus. Bonus: it turns a beautiful shade of dark purple :)
posted by ananci at 4:56 PM on July 25, 2018 [1 favorite]




Close to ice cream, but different enough; creme brulee with cream infused with lavender is pretty boss.
posted by furnace.heart at 6:15 PM on July 25, 2018


Not all lavender is suitable for eating - generally, the highly fragrant types tend to taste bitter in food. Make sure you try a bit before you bake with it. Of course, if you've already tasted what you've made, ignore me!
posted by BeeJiddy at 6:30 PM on July 25, 2018


The lavender sachets are great for the clothes dryer.
posted by effluvia at 11:34 PM on July 25, 2018


Blueberry lavender ice cream
Blueberry lavender pie
Lavender + earl grey, as a tea or a syrup
Lavender + rosé wine?

Sew rice-bag microwaveable heat pillows with lavender inside? A tiny size to cover eyes would be nice

Lavender room spray

Try making lavender essential oil from scratch
posted by pseudostrabismus at 3:27 AM on July 26, 2018


I came here to suggest honey lavender ice cream and lavender creme brulee.
posted by TestamentToGrace at 6:37 AM on July 26, 2018


This might require purchasing some special equipment, but if you love to craft, you could make resin jewelry with the lavender flowers in it or press the flowers in a phone case or something like that.
posted by helloimjennsco at 8:15 AM on July 26, 2018


Pick some of your favorite uses and make enough to share as gifts.
posted by aniola at 6:38 PM on July 28, 2018


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