About edible lavender
Lavender is a herb, just like thyme, rosemary, and sage. It’s edible in both its fresh and dried forms and is a delicious ingredient in drinks, like lavender lemonade (made with a homemade lavender simple syrup), salads, desserts, and baked goods, like lavender scones, and this lemon lavender cake. Aromatic lavender is also a key ingredient in Herbs de Provence spice blend. You can even make your own lavender sugar, to sprinkle on cookies or muffins.
Culinary lavender is really the same as landscaping and garden lavender. As long as it hasn’t been sprayed with pesticides, or any chemicals, it’s safe to use in recipes. I use lavender from my garden, but you can also buy it at farmer’s markets and online.
For culinary purposes, it’s best to use English lavender, as opposed to French lavender. It has a milder, sweeter scent and flavor. It also has lower levels of camphor, which can give the lavender a bitter taste.