LAVENDER POTATOES

These Heavenly Lavender Potatoes are simple to prepare and add a touch of elegance to any meal.

It’s the middle of March and here in Utah the early signs of spring are beginning to appear. The trees in the orchard are starting to get their little pink and white buds and everywhere little green shoots are starting to poke up through the soil looking for the sun.

My herb garden is starting to wake up from its' winter slumber and come to life again. I worked at clearing away some of the ravages of winter this afternoon and found young chives that are green and starting to grow again.

The Italian flat leaf parsley, cilantro and lemon basil are waking up too and what a wonderful aroma. I picked a lemon basil leaf and tore it in half just to smell the fresh lemon fragrance of spring. I can hardly wait for sprigs of the fresh lavender flowers to season potatoes, cookies and olive oil.

I’ve always been a cookbook junkie. What can I say I love them, I collect them and have tons on my shelves. Some of them have broken spines, tattered, yellowed and worn pages with my scribbled notes and recipe changes.

I love reading cookbooks, especially the ones with lots of pictures and stories. Does that make me weird because I read cookbooks?

Since I’ve had to adapt to a gluten free lifestyle I’ve enjoyed a virtual rebirth in my interest in cooking. I’ve always been a good cook and enjoyed playing in the kitchen but going gluten free has opened up many new doors to cooking adventures for me.

I’ve played with new foods, techniques and seasoning. Lavender is one of my many new discoveries. I actually stumbled upon lavender used in cooking last summer. While perusing one of my cookbooks looking for something new to make I came across a recipe for lavender lemonade. My interest peaked and I started doing some research on using lavender in cooking and its history. I even planted some in my herb garden and enjoyed the fresh aroma and lovely lavender flowers all summer. Lavender is a wonderfully aromatic herb that can be used in cooking and has been a favorite herb for centuries.

The use of lavender is almost as old the history of man and as an herb, lavender has been in documented use for over 2,500 years.

In ancient times lavender was used for mummification and perfume by the Egyptian's, Phoenicians, and people of Arabia. The Greeks and the Romans bathed in lavender scented water and it was from the Latin word "lavo" meaning "to wash" that the herb got its’ name.

Queen Elizabeth valued lavender as a conserve and a perfume. It has been said that she commanded that the royal table should never be without conserve of lavender and she issued orders to her gardeners that fresh lavender flowers should be available all year round! She also drank an abundance of Lavender tea to help ease her migraines and used it as a body perfume.

Queen Victoria of England is most notable for making Lavender popular throughout England and it could be found in every room as she used it to wash floors and furniture, freshen the air, and had it strewn among the linens. During the First World War, nurses bathed soldiers' wounds with lavender washes.

To this day, the French continue to send baby lamb to graze in fields of lavender, so their meat will be tender and fragrant.

Experiment and play lavender. Have fun and add it to a summer salad, sprinkle it on potato salad, make lavender lemonade or Lavender Potatoes.

LAVENDER POTATOES

These are so quick and easy to make and the aroma will draw your family to the kitchen.

-Wash and cut in ½ potatoes and an onion

-As they are cooking season with Tyme, Fennel, Basil and Lavender. (cook slowly and savor the aroma)

-Saute in olive oil with a little butter until tender crisp and golden brown

Note: If you don’t have fresh or dried lavender and spices there is a great spice blend available from Rodelle called Herbes de Provence which is combination of Tyme, Fennel, Basil and Lavender.

Do you have a recipe you use lavender in?