lavender lemonade

Two weekends ago up in Naramata, we visited a lavender farm where I picked up a packet of culinary lavender. I learned that there are hundreds of varieties of lavender - who knew! The farm is quite lovely, a constant hum of bees can be heard and bundles of lavender can be seen drying out. When I got home I was anxious to make something fancy with my lavender, like ice cream, but the idea of lavender lemonade was all too tempting. The combination of honey, lemon and lavender made me think what it must smell like to be a bee, flying from flower to flower, drinking up nectar. That sounds ridiculous but I'm convinced this lemonade tastes exactly that. It was so simple to make and since the bottle has all run out, I'm going to need to make another this week.



Lavender Lemonade
makes 6 cups

5 cups water
1/2 - 1 cup honey to taste
1 tbsp. dried culinary lavender
1 cup (6-7 lemons) freshly squeezed lemon juice, refrigerated
Lemon slices and lavender sprigs to garnish

1. Bring 2 1/2 cups of the water to a boil in a medium pot. Remove from heat and stir in the honey until dissolved.
2. Add the lavender, cover the pot and let steep for 1 hour.
3. Strain the liquid to remove the lavender with a sieve into a pitcher.
4. Add lemon juice and the last 2 1/2 cups of water. Stir. Add more water if needed.
5. If pouring into a bottle, use a funnel to pour the pitcher into the bottle.
5. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to drink.
6. Pour lemonade into a glass and garnish with a lemon slice and lavender sprig.