Finally!  Spring is here.  For some reason, this past Winter seemed like it would never end.  Nothing terrible was happening.  The weather wasn't even all that bad, other than a couple of weeks. It just seemed to stretch on and on and on.

So thankfully, after a 27 degree low last night, it looks like Spring is officially with us to stay.  This is our favorite time of the year.  Everything is getting going for us.  We get to introduce all the new products we have worked on over the winter to our customers, plant the new baby lavender plants that we started last fall and raised under lights all winter, and best of all get to open our farm shop and go to farmers markets and see people!  Don't get me wrong, Jerry and I do love working together, but sometimes it's a treat to talk to some other people!  

We are super excited to start selling a new line of products, which we've decided to call our Lav-ish line.  Jerry has worked his buns off coming up with a shampoo and conditioner.  It is really difficult to come up with products that are cost effective but aren't made of chemicals.  It's a lot like eating healthy.  The more fresh and natural you go, the more expensive things are.  He did it though, and did it well.  The lather you get from this shampoo is crazy, and it smells amazing!  

In the Lav-ish line we will also be featuring our culinary products.  We have added Lavender and Lavender Lemonade Hard Candies to our lineup, as well as 4 varieties of teas.  These items will be available at our shop and farmers markets until the first of May, then we will have them listed on the website as well.  

In other news, for anyone wondering, my cancer is officially in remission, and I am so thankful for all the prayers and support that I have gotten from everyone.  It has made me appreciate life so much more, and taught me not worry about all the things that just aren't a big deal.  

If you are interested in the things you can do with culinary lavender, here are a couple of our favorite recipes.  Lavender is a pretty strong flavor, so you may want to start out a little light on it if you haven't tasted it before.  If you love it, throw in a little more, it won't hurt a thing!  

Lavender Cocoa Brownies

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar 
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2-3 teaspoons ground lavender
• pinch of salt

• Mix cocoa, sugar and melted butter together until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Mix in the eggs one at a time, add vanilla and stir to combine.
• Stir in flour until everything is just combined.  Do not overmix.
• Mix in the lavender buds to taste.  3 teaspoons will give you a strong lavender flavor.  You may want to start with 2 until you know how much you like :)  
• Bake at 350 in an 8 x 8 greased pan for 20-25 minutes until edges start to pull away from the edge of the pan.

Lavender Sweet Iced Tea

• 8 Cups Water
• 1 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 6 teabags (your choice, regular tea, chamomile and mint all are great with the lavender)
• 2 Tablespoons lavender buds

Dissolve sugar in approximately 2 cups of the water and add the lavender buds. Heat over low until sugar is all dissolved. (The longer you steep the buds before straining the stronger your lavender flavor will be).  Remove from stove and strain the buds out, putting the sugar syrup in a gallon container.  In another pot, bring the 6 teabags and remaining 4 cups of water almost to a boil.  Turn off stove and let tea steep until room temperature.    Remove the bags and add the tea to the container with the sugar syrup.  Fill container with ice and water, stir well to combine.

These are 2 of our favorites, I hope you try them and love them as much as we do.  Keep in mind, lavender is also amazing in savory dishes with meats and breads too!

Until next time, thanks for reading, and be sweet to each other!