Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly,

Lavender's green;

When I am king, dilly, dilly,

You shall be queen.

Call up your men, dilly, dilly,

Set them to work,

Some to the plough, dilly, dilly,

Some to the cart.

Some to make hay, dilly, dilly,

Some to thresh corn,

While you and I, dilly, dilly,

Keep ourselves warm.

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When I was a child I could not stand the scent of Lavender. I think it was because the only Lavender I ever smelled was the heavy, overly perfumed powders and soaps used by elderly women. I still don't like those scents of Lavender. But, the real scent of fresh Lavender is wonderful. It fills the nostrils with the image of a field abloom with purple blossoms swaying in the wind.

When I discovered that I could not only appreciate the scent and beauty of Lavender, but that I could eat it too! Wow! My love of flowers and my love of food combined! That was a great day.

I have since then delved into learning about the edible beauties that not only adorne our tables in vases, but also can adorn our plates. I will continue to explore flowers used in the kitchen, and over time add some recipes to this site.

An important note on cooking with flowers--

Only organic, meaning no pesticides or poisons of any kinds, flowers can be eaten. You cannot just walk up to the floral counter and take some home and eat them. Flowers that were grown for food will be designated as "culinary." Do not even think that you can just go pick some wildly growing ones and eat them. You do not know what may have been sprayed there, or what may be in the soil. Ask before you buy. When in doubt--don't eat it!

Lavender Scones

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp crushed culinary Lavender buds
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg

In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and baking soda, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix the flour, Lavender, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in the butter. Stir the sour cream mixture and egg into the flour mixture until just moistened. Don't over mix.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Roll or pat dough into a 3/4 inch thick round. Cut into 12 wedges, and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom.