Fresh Lavender Lemonade Recipe #lavenderfreakweek

Ahhhhh, the smell of wafting lavender in the summertime! Lavender is without a doubt my very favorite scent and plant of all times. It has incredible relaxing, soothing, and healing properties. I use lavender for a plethora of DIY beauty recipes, floral arrangements, dried lavender, satchels, etc... But this year, I have decided to experiment with lavender in a whole new way. I want to use lavender for culinary purposes. Perhaps a drink is a bit of a cop-out, but I decided that lavender and lemonade would make for an awesome coupling. Herbal, floral, and zesty together at your next summer party! Sound good? Go make some right now for your family and friends! Keep going, I promise the recipe is below.

Word of floral caution. I made a huge tankard of lavender lemonade. If you are making a small container start with 10 to 20 lavender buds and go from there. Too many lavender buds will probably make your lemonade taste like perfume, which is not very appealing. I used 20 buds, but I really wish I had used more. The best part about this recipe? It is easy and you can do it the night before a big party. The contrast of the bright purple lavender and the lemons are visually stunning!

Ready to make some lavender lemonade? Simply follow the recipe above. It is your prerogative whether to soak the lavender separately with the lemon juice or to simply mix everything together. Next time,  I might opt to throw caution to the wind as well and just dump the lavender right into the serving container. If you are making a large tank of lemonade, go with a minimum of 40 lavender buds. If you are happy with the taste in the AM, you can fish out most of the lavender buds. If you leave them soak, the lavender flavor will intensify. Be sure to leave a few lavender buds floating with the lemons simply for the "pretty factor".

Pinkies up! Serve your lemonade with a sprig of fresh lavender and slice of lemon. This will help enhance the aroma and overall experience of your guests. For you visual folks, be sure to check out the full YouTube video(look up) on how to make fresh lavender lemonade!

Feeling adventurous? Try using lavender in your other culinary creations. Drinks and baked goods seem like a great starting point. Lavender shortbread cookies and lemon lavender pound cake are high on my "To-Do" list. However, I also heard that you can use lavender in place of rosemary. I happen to abhor Miss Rosemary....so I like the idea of lavender as an alternative. Stay tuned my friends for the continuation of lavender freak week! I warn you, it could turn into an entire month. I will be exploring lavender DIY projects, recipes, and awesome lavender product reviews. Let lavender freak week begin!