Lavender Simple Syrup
Lavender Simple Syrup
Lavender and sugar pair wonderfully together especially in the form of lavender simple syrup! You can incorporate lavender simple syrup in your favourite latte, tea, soda, sparkling water, lemonade, cocktail, desert, smoothy and more. If you are new to cooking with lavender, this is definitely a good place to start. For the purpose of this blog I have tried a few recipes and although simple syrup is easy to make, creating a syrup that captures the fullness of the lavender aroma requires a bit of know how. Disclaimer: my relationship with sugar is a difficult one and I had to rely on minimum tasting and a third party opinion to come up with what I believe to be the most flavourful lavender simple syrup I have tasted so far.
Firstly, you will need to find dried culinary grade lavender buds of lavendula angustifolia, commonly known as english lavender and otherwise know as true lavender. Do not use lavender from the craft store even if it is english lavender and ensure that your lavender buds are organic or pesticide free. Secondly, for best tasting results use filtered water.
TIPS: To achieve a rich lavender coloured syrup, choose deep violet lavender buds. The colour of your syrup will vary depending on the variety of culinary lavender that you use. To achieve a richer violet colour you can also add 2 to 5 dried butterfly pea flowers to the lavender infusion and 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice when adding the sugar. The acidity in the lemon juice will change the acidity levels of your mixture and magically turn your syrup deep purple!
-For a sugar free version, substitute sugar with 1 1/3 Cup of allulose. This sugar free alternative will not crystallize and it also has a syrup consistency when melted. For a bolder flavour, use lavender infused granulated sugar instead of plain sugar (see recipe in blog).
PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes prep plus overnight steeping for the lavender buds.
INGREDIENTS:
-1 cup filtered water
-3 TBSP dried culinary grade lavender buds.
-1 cup granulated white sugar
DIRECTIONS: Place the lavender buds in a jar (gently press the lavender buds between your fingers to help release the oil as you add them into the jar). Boil the filtered water and pour over the lavender buds. Let the infusion cool off completely before closing the jar and let it infuse overnight in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight. This will allow the lavender aroma to fully develop. The following day, pour the lavender infusion through a fine mesh strainer and into a small cooking pot. Add the sugar and cook at medium low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved then remove from heat and let it cool before transferring into a sterilized glass bottle or jar for storage. You can adjust the strength of your syrup by adding or reducing the amount of lavender buds and water in this recipe. Note that too much lavender will give a bitter taste to your syrup.
SHELF LIFE AND STORAGE: One month. Refrigerate to extend shelf life.
WHERE CAN I PURCHASE CULINARY LAVENDER? We recommend shopping local! You can find culinary grade lavender and butterfly pea flowers at the Travelling Moon Apothecary located at the Gasoline Alley Farmer’s Market. ***Alberta Lavender farm will be offering culinary lavender buds and other lavender food grade goods toward the end of the summer and onward. Message for all inquiries. We are not selling wholesale lavender at this time.
Enjoy and Thank you for reading!
Veronica