There are many uses for dried lavender flowers, be it to be used in cosmetics, home remedies and solutions, to perfume the house and various other purposes. But when it comes to flavor, the fragrant plant is everywhere, as it adds a floral touch to any dish or beverage. Keep reading this article and find out how to dry lavender flowers to the kitchen.
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Using lavender in the kitchen
You can buy sachets of dried lavender or buy a fresh plant to dry yourself. When selecting fresh lavender for cooking, look for different shades of blue-purple, as the flowers should have a clean, spicy scent rather than an overpowering scent.
Also, it's important that you know how to choose a specific version of the herb for cooking, known as culinary lavender. Otherwise you will be consuming a plant with pesticides and other chemicals.
The best time to harvest lavender
The ideal time to harvest lavender is when the flower has fully opened and has a very pleasant and pleasant smell. Younger flowers and fragrances indicate a high concentration of essential oils and freshness that we want to preserve.
If you leave the flowers open for a long time, the branches will start to dry out and lose a lot of their power. Also, the best time to harvest lavender flowers is late in the day on a dry day to avoid worrying about having wet stalks from rain.
Let the lavender air dry naturally.
After harvesting your seedlings, you will need to dry them. When compared to a freshly picked version, dried lavender retains its flavor and color for months and can be used more sparingly.
To prevent them from molding or rotting before drying properly, it's crucial that the flowers and leaves are in a dry, cool, dark area. There are two ways to prepare lavender leaves for the drying process:
- If you want to go faster, you can gather about half a dozen lavender stalks and tie them tightly together;
- Or else you can tie the stalks individually, with about 5cm of distance between each one of them.
It is important to say that it takes about a month for complete drying to take place, but if you have any concerns, you can leave it for longer, which will not cause any damage. Thus, your flowers will be ready to be used in the preparation you want.