It’s asparagus season in Essex County and how could I resist sharing this delicious recipe.  It’s elegant and simple with of course a touch of lavender.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of pencil thin asparagus

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 Teaspoon crushed hot pepper flakes

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon, ground Serenity culinary lavender

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest

1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

Method:

Clean the asparagus and tim off the tough ends.  Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes.  Drain and cover with cold water to stop the cooking.  Drain and pat dry.

Warm the olive oil in a  large skillet over medium heat.  Add the pepper flakes and garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute.  Add pine nuts and saute until the nuts turn a light golden brown.  Add the asparagus and lavender cook for an additional 3 minutes, until just heated through.  Season with salt and pepper.

Remove from pan and place onto a serving platter.  Top with parmesan allowing the heat to melt the cheese. Sprinkle with lemon zest and drizzle with lemon juice.

A perfect side dish or lunch. Serve with Sauvignon blanc wine.

Photo courtesy of Culinate.com

We had the pleasure last summer of a visit from The Great Canadian Adventure Tour.  We were not only thrilled to host them but we really had a blast showing them around the farm and being a part of the filming. Thanks guys for making us a stop!

Lavender is perhaps nature’s most alluring herb. It has been said to be the herb of love.  The Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, certainly knew this! It’s said that she used it to capture the heart of not only Julius Ceasar but Mark Antony as well.  Egyptians used lavender not only as a perfume  added to their waters and baths but also for embalming their dead. They knew that essential oils beautify the inside of you body as well  as the outside.

We introduced the Tour to the many uses of lavender - from culinary to aromatherapy. 

It looks like we got 2 thumbs up as a place to visit.  As they put it “its a uniquely tranquil destination experience”, but take a look for yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWV6lSRFJxg

Strawberries with ginger lavender

With Strawberry season in full swing, I’m getting ready to make some strawberry lavender jam.  Lavender is a great compliment to any type of berry but those beautiful luscious local red strawberries are accented perfectly with tiny little purple buds of lavender.  There are so many lovely ways to serve lavender and strawberries together from soup to sorbet to tarts but today I’ve decided to experiment with a simple lavender syrup recipe with a twist.

Ingredients

1 lb. of Strawberries (quartered)

1/3 cup of sugar

2/3 cup of water

2 Tablespoons of Serenity Culinary Lavender

2 Tablespoons of Limoncello (Lemon Flavoured liqueur)

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp culinary lavender

Instructions

Rinse and drain Strawberries.  Hull and cut into quarters in a large bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat combine water,  sugar and lavender and simmer stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat. Place lid over top for about 15 minutes to allow the syrup mixture to steep and the lavender infuse the mixture.

Strain the syrup and discard the blossoms.

Add ginger and lemoncello into the syrup mixture.

Pour the syrup mixture over the straberries. Add 1/2 teaspoon of dried culinary lavender and toss gently.  Serve the berries in glass bowls or stemmed glasses.  Garnish with Whipped cream and fresh lavender stems.

Makes 4 servings

Attention Artists and Artisans!

We’re excited to host the 1st Lavender Festival ever in Essex County and it will be an EPIC event!  We’d love to have you get involved and showcase your wonderful talents.

The festival will be held on Sunday, July 8, 2012 from 10 am to 5 pm at Serenity Lavender Farm 130 County Road 50 East, Colchester.     This event is open to any Artist, Musicians, Writers and Artisans selling handcrafted materials.  Please note no Electricity will be available.

All items to be sold must be original pieces created by the person.

10×10 spots are only $40.00.

To  register for a 10×10 spot please complete the application available on our website and email to Suzanne@serenitylavender.com or mail to Serenity Lavender, 130 County Road 50 East Colchester, Ontario N0R 1G0.  Fees must accompany the registration form. cheques will not be cashed until after the applicant is accepted. NSF cheques will be charged a fee based on bank charges.

Booth locations will be selected by lottery.

Please bring your own tables, chairs, self standing canopies. Vendors must have their spaces staffed at all times.   Set up begins at 8 am and tear down starts at 5:15 pm on the day of the show.

Thanks for your application and interest!

EPIC Lavender Festival vendor application

Come  to Serenity Lavender wearing your finest hats and gloves on Saturday, June 23rd  from 1-3pm to Serenity Lavender’s Victorian High Tea. Enjoy a delectable array of finger sandwiches, scones, deserts and or course our teas amidst the sereneness of teh lavender blooms.  Tickets are $25.00 per person. Seating is limited so call today to reserve your tickets.  519 980-4504 Visa and Mastercard accepted

MENU 

Fresh Sandwiches

Cucumber Mint

Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Pinwheel

Ham and Pickle

Lavender Onion Tartlet

Home Baked English Scones

  Served with clotted crème, lavender jelly and raspberry lavender jam

Selection of Petit Fours

Choice of Serenity Lavender Teas

Lavender, Lavender Earl Grey, Lavender Green Tea,  Provence Rooibos

Victorian High Tea at Serenity Lavender

Chewy, chocolately with just the right amount of lavender. My family just loves these. When I make a batch they’re gone before the next day. Truly yummyliscious!

Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup of flour
1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup walnuts (optional)

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder. Add salt and lavender. Blend dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Mix in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into a greased 8×8 inch pan. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick comes out clean. Top with your favourite chocolate frosting for an even more decadent experience!

Save the dates,  November 25th, 26th and 27th!  Just in time for all that holiday shopping come discover a fantastic  assortment of one-of-a -kind holiday gifts from our local fine arts and fine crafts exhibitors. Serenity Lavender will be there featuring not only our culinary artistry with our culinary lavender, special spice blends including herbes de provence, barbeque, thai and curry rubs but also our every popular lavender jelly and our new line up of jams!  We’ll also be offering a new line of lavender Holiday ornaments.  All handcrafted and made from our locally grown lavender!  Come visit us!

Serenity Lavender is happy to announce its fall hours.  We will be open throughout the Fall on Saturdays & Sundays from 11AM-5PM.

Spend a beautiful, Fall weekend with us at Serenity Lavender!

Coming soon: Lavender Christmas ornaments

This is a self-guided driving tour that allows you to pick and choose which farms on the map you would like to visit. The tour provides lots of new things to see and learn for families and friends of all ages. All you need is a car, your hiker map, sturdy footwear and an open mind to truly enjoy the day.

Sunday September 18th 2011

Maps will be available September 1st 2011