Have you added our West Virginian lavender to your spice rack yet? If not, there’s no need to be intimidated! You might not have as much experience using lavender in the kitchen as you do in your self-care routine, but you definitely have the recipes for it. Lavender has a beautiful flavor. Just like rosemary or sage, it has a bright floral flavor that adds complexity and brightness to any dish. Just like rosemary, lavender can do sweet and savory recipes easily.
We incorporate our West Virginian lavender into 3 creative kitchen products. Firstly, we infused pink Himalayan salt with our organically grown culinary-grade lavender buds for any recipe that needs a little extra “oomph”. We’ve made the best of our West Virginian wildlife and wildflowers by creating deliciously sweet lavender-infused honeys. First, we created (or rather, our resident honey bees created) our top-selling monofloral Lavender Honey. When that quickly sold out, we infused locally sourced wildflower honey with lavender buds to taste all the beautiful buds of Appalachia. Finally, for our last harvest of the season, we created a Lavender-Infused Goldenrod Honey that’s rich with the last bits of sunshine of the season.
Adding these products to your everyday lineup is much easier than you might think. In fact, you can probably add them to your mealtimes without swapping out any of the items on your menu. Here are some iconic dishes that are just a teensy bit better with a little bit of lavender love!
If you're looking for a way to switch up your lunchtime menu, try adding some lavender salt to chicken salad! The lavender brings some lovely brightness and an unexpected bite to this stable recipe and p[lays beautifully with some dried cherries or cranberries for the ultimate salty-sweet combination.
Iconic Dish + Lavender = Match Made in Heaven
- Chicken Salad: Chicken salad is one of those timeless, satisfying, nostalgic dishes that I never grow tired of! Well, almost. If you’re looking for a way to switch up your lunchtime menu, try adding some lavender salt! The lavender brings some lovely brightness and an unexpected bite to this staple recipe and plays beautifully with some dried cherries or cranberries for the ultimate salty-sweet combination.
- Shrimp or White Fish Po Boy: Okay New Orleanians, don’t get upset – we’re just looking for a way to add a delicious West Virginian ingredient to your recipe! Lavender salt finds a sweet spot on white fish or shrimp po boys. Between the heavy fried flavors and fatty mayo, lavender adds an unexpected but surprisingly tasty twist to this NOLA classic.
- Pesto Pasta: Pine nuts, kale, spinach, or basil, no matter what the shining ingredient is in your pesto, lavender works with it. To me, the perfect bowl of pesto pasta is topped with a heavy drizzle of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Now, I do it with lavender pink himalayan salt and I can’t get enough of it.
- Roasted Potatoes: Roasted potatoes are easy, satisfying, and always picky-eater approved. Rather than adding butter and rosemary before popping them in the oven, try adding some lavender salt! Everything goes with potatoes!
- Lemon Herb Chicken: Hello, springtime! Lemon herbed chicken is almost moist, delicious, and reminds me of France. In addition to your classic herbs de provence, add an extra pinch of french lavender salt for a little kick!
- Almond Milk Latte: Wait… you don’t run on almond milk lattes? Well, I sure do. For a perfect amount of organic sweetness, try creating a lavender latte by adding a generous spoonful of lavender infused honey. Wow. If only Starbucks would add it to their menu!
- Lemonade: I’m all about making effortless recipes feel luxurious without breaking a sweat. Here’s one of my favorites. Whip up some lemonade (fresh juice is encouraged, but powdered is okay, too, we won’t tell) and stir in some lavender infused honey instead of sugar. If you really want to impress someone with this summertime drink, add in some lavender buds or even some vodka, age permitting.
- Blueberry Pie: Speaking of summertime recipes, I love gathering up late summer berries and baking them into a pie. This is truly one of my favorite applications of lavender. Whether you bake lavender buds right into the filling or decide to top off your slice with ice cream and lavender infused honey, it’s worth the try. I never bake it without lavender now!
- Baked Fish in Herbed White Sauce: Add your favorite white fish to a dish, cover it in creamy, lemony, lavender herbed white sauce, and bake. That’s it. This recipe is so easy to whip up on a weeknight while adding one of your favorite West Virginian floral flavors.
- Panini with Pecorino and Salami: Lavender on a sandwich? It works! The saltiness of the salami paired with the creaminess of the cheese works beautifully with lavender. If you don’t believe me, add a pinch to one bite of your next sandwich, and after you do, you’ll be hooked.
Getting creative in the kitchen doesn’t require expensive ingredients, gadgets, or a menu overhaul. Sometimes, all it takes to add some flair to your typical weekly menu is one new ingredient, and we’re partial to lavender. Give it a try and let us know what you think! We’re always looking to add to our ever-expanding recipe book and would love to know about your wins and try them for ourselves! You can share them with us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for a chance to be featured and to learn more about how our community is adding this West Virginian flower to their favorite meals!
MEET THE AUTHOR / ELIZA TALVOLA is a writer from Pittsburgh, PA who considers herself to be a conscious consumer and traveler, slow fashion advocate, and devoted foodie. She is a firm believer in creative reuse and putting people over profits, and is a long time lavender enthusiast. Her favorite product: Lavender Hand Sanitizer Spray