Three years ago we were feeling a bit defeated. Our lavender field had been destroyed by two back-to-back brutal winters. We replanted, we moved locations, we replanted again and and again during the rainiest seasons in Kentucky history. We were not successful in bringing that field back to its former beauty.
So what do you do when your lavender, your main crop, is failing? You plant herbs!
We planted an herbal tea garden and offered a workshop to show it off!
Our herbs include chamomile, sage, mint, apple mint, basil, lemon balm, lemon verbena, anise hyssop, rosemary, stevia, and of course lavender. We even have an actual tea plant!
The workshop begins with a lesson on the different types of herbs and their healing and calming properties. Herbs are amazing! They smell great, they taste great, and they can heal your body. Each guest receives a nosegay of the herb varieties that are producing at the time.
Once we have learned about the different herbs, the guests are invited to make their own tea bags to take home. They may make any blend they choose. Did you know you can add dried fruit to your tea blends? Blueberry with lemon balm, blackberry with sage, or strawberry with basil. Yum!
We will actually be offering a new blend of our own after our guests raved about the mixture of chamomile and apple mint!
Of course, we also offer food at our party! Our lavender tea party menu includes the sampling of an iced mint tea and a hot chamomile tea along side cucumber sandwiches, pimento cheese flower sandwiches, lavender rum cake, and basil scones with blackberry lavender jam and whipped cream! I break my diet just for the scones every summer!
Tea is not the only beverage where your herbs can shine! Herb-infused cocktails are all the rage. We must have been ahead of our time when we were offering our lavender rim salt and sugars, but we're discussing bringing them back for a limited time offer just for the summer cocktail season. Would you be interested?
A cocktail garden can include a mixture of herbs, fruits, and vegetables:
A variety of mints -- apple, pineapple, orange, and chocolate
Basil and cilantro
Lemon herbs -- verbena, thyme, lemon balm, and lemongrass
Lavender, of course
Add a few fruits and veggies:
Mini cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, hot peppers, strawberries, and watermelon
Lavender is still our main herb of choice, so we have an entire recipe booklet of lavender beverages! Download it from our website at https://www.lavenderhillsofkentucky.com/product-page/blooming-beverages-cookbook.
