Lavender Blueberry Muffins

What goes well with lavender? MANY things...but I've found that my new favorite combination is lavender and blueberries in a yummy muffin form! I have enjoyed several of these babies with a hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning while reading farm emails on the computer. Such a nice way to ease into my day...

Photo by Rhoda Peacher of hobbyfarms.com

Muffin Mix
1/3 cup sugar
4 Tbsp softened butter
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp culinary lavender buds
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Streusel Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp butter, cut into chunks

Preheat the oven to 375 F and paper line the cups of a 12 cup muffin pan.

In a mixing bowl. cream together the sugar and the butter with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg, milk and vanilla extract and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and lavender. Add the flour mixture, a little at a time, to the butter and egg mixture. Stir together until well incorporated. Fold in the blueberries and spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup 2/3 full.

Prepare the "Streusel Topping" by combining the sugars, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the butter by hand until crumbly. Sprinkle some of the topping over each muffin. Bake at 375 F for 25-30 minutes or until lightly brown. Makes 1 dozen muffins.

(recipe from page 212-213 of 'The Lavender Gourmet- Culinary Recipes for Entertaining and Every Day' by Jennifer Vasich)

Say "I Do" to a Lavender Wedding

An overall warmth is in the air now...only six more days until the official first day of spring! How are we celebrating? By getting heavily involved in the process of planning several lavender filled weddings!

We have scoured Pinterest for inspiration, met with multiple brides to discuss ideas of how to incorporate MORE lavender into their beautiful day and scheduled several overnight delivery dates of our fresh cut lavender. 

The lavender on our farm is some of the first to bloom in the United States. Every year is a bit different, yet typically lavender is blooming before Memorial Day, sometimes earlier, and blooms nicely through July 4th. Most lavender peaks in mid June in North Carolina.

As the herb that symbolizes devotion, joy and luck, lavender is perfect for weddings and celebrations. It is a flower that many brides visualize from the most simple country wedding, to a more formal affair. Our number one priority is to grow the most beautiful and fragrant lavender. We do not specialize in creating items for the wedding party, although we have for local brides from time to time. Every bride has a different vision for using lavender on her special day and these ideas simply help bring them to life. Lavender is very easy to work with and we suggest using your floral designer or a friend to manage the flowers. 

Lavender has such a lovely and fragrant presentation, that many choose to create simple bouquets wrapped with ribbon.

Lavender included in mixed bouquets works just as well too, especially if there is a meaningful combination for the bride. Lavender and roses is quite popular! Small pieces may be created to include lapel flowers and corsages with lavender too. From bunches of lavender in baskets, buckets or vases to a collection of petite bottles with single stems, lavender used in center pieces is lovely too. Imagine sharing a pretty bottle with lavender as a guest keepsake. Our lavender is grown using organic practices, so may also be used for the champagne toast, with a single stem inverted within the glass, a natural swizzle stick! Wedding cakes topped or adorned with lavender is also an option. One bride requested lavender flavored icing for her cake! Loose lavender is an option for a wedding toss and is sold by the cup. The ideas are limitless for a lavender wedding and it all begins with your taste and vision.

Here’s a testimonial from a customer when asked about their fresh lavender delivery:

"It is awesome!! Just home from rehearsal dinner. And, you have a convert with our florist. She is quite pleased with how pleasant you have been to work with and she loves the lavender.   Thanks again! Barbara" 

Lavender overnights to any destination perfectly for May and June weddings. Overnight shipping fees are determined based on destination. Estimate 1 lb. per bouquet. Fed Ex delivers for the farm. Go to www.fedex.com for estimates from your zip code to get a shipping estimate from 27278 (our farm). Fed Ex shipping is due prior to shipment and payable via PayPal. Etsy automatically calculates standard shipping, which will be deducted from the additional overnight shipping total.

Remember, fresh lavender can be easily preserved by hanging up-side-down in a hot, dry location for 10-14 days, as a keepsake. Lavender bouquets are lovely and fragrant all year long! Just spritz preserved bouquets with water, place in a steamy bath, or rub the florets to release the sweet scent. Fragrance and color can last 2 years!

Are you considering adding fresh lavender to up and coming wedding? Please visit our online Etsy shop for pricing.

2013 Show Schedule

Now that the lavender farm helpers and I have established our show schedule for 2013, we are busy making products and keeping our Etsy store stocked. The show schedule this year is a bit different from years past. Although we have enjoyed many good times and met many wonderful farm friends at the local farmers markets, we have decided to suspend our participation for now. This will give us more "much needed" time to focus on products, relationships and the business direction that we would like to see Sunshine Lavender Farm head.

Our new show schedule for 2013 is as follows:

• April 27th from 9AM-5PM: Spring Daze Arts and Crafts Festival (TENTATIVE...On the wait list for set-up)
• June 1st from 9AM-5PM and June 2nd from 10AM-4PM: Lavender Harvest Celebration at the farm
• June 19th from 10AM-3PM: Lovely Lavender Lavender Day at Pharsalia in Tyro, Virginia.
• August 24th from 9AM-5PM: Lazy Daze Arts and Crafts Festival
• December 6th from 9AM-5PM: Holiday Celebration on the farm

Yes, this means fewer opportunities to see our loyal patrons...but we promise to make those face-to-face times even more wonderful and lavender-tastic!

Until then, please remember that you can always order our products from our Etsy shop 24 hours a day, seven days a week! 

Lavender Mojito Recipe

Pinterest strikes AGAIN! I found another lavender drink recipe that I just couldn't resist on Pinterest. It was perfect timing as hubby and I went to the beach this past weekend for a couples ONLY retreat. The original recipe was pinned from www.sugarandcharmblog.com. I only changed the amount of dried lavender used and the simmer time of that lavender used to make the simple syrup. Since this was a special drink for our entire group and that group included 3 men, I elected to decrease the dried lavender used to 3 Tablespoons. I hoped to impress them, not overwhelm them... 


Lavender Simple Syrup (makes about 6-8 mojitos)
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
4 tablespoons dried culinary lavender

Bring everything to a boil for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then let it all simmer for another 10-15 minutes. The longer it simmers and sits, the more taste and smell you'll get from the lavender. Strain the liquid into a bowl to remove the bits of lavender. Pour into a lidded jar and refrigerate.

Lavender Mojito (makes one drink)
10-12 mint leaves
1 oz lavender simple syrup (see recipe above)
1 oz white rum
1/2 of a lime's juice

Muddle the mint leaves and simple syrup together in the bottom of a cup. Add the rum, lime and lots of ice and shake. Pour everything into a lovely glass and top with club soda. Stir again to mix it all together.

This drink was a HUGE hit and quite refreshing! Why not give it a try for a special dinner or party?

Time to Prune Lavender!

If you forgot to prune the lavender around the end of October, did you know that you can do so mid to late February? It's true! It is always nice to have a Plan B, huh?

In a nutshell, your established lavender needs a yearly buzz cut. Annual pruning encourages good foliage growth and results in a full, round, and robust bush with many years of bloom in its future. If you left the lavender stems after they bloomed back in the summer, just clip those away now that they are brown and spent. (Gather them up and toss them in your outdoor fire ring for a fresh scent...it's a great fire starter too.) Then, trim off additional foliage, leaving 1 inch all the way around, being sure not to cut too far into the woody stems. Trim away the green foliage to create a nice rounded shrub. Make sure to sweep up the trimmings for a scented mulch that will keep the deer out of your pansies, to freshen pet beds or place in bowls on the top shelf of your pantry to keep the moths out. The possibilities are endless!

If you do not prune, your lavender will sprawl, get heavy on the outside limbs causing the bush to open up. Eventually, the inner trunk will split, moisture will get in there, and the lavender in time will go to the great compost heap in the sky. So, lets GET TO WORK!

NEW Giveaway for February 2013

It's WAY past time for a blog giveaway!! How about a 80 ml bottle filled with our own blend of "Lavender Linen & Air Mist"? 

Bring the fresh scent of lavender to your linens and home with our freshening spray. Like June blooming lavender, the fragrance helps soothe, calm and comfort. Not only for your everyday linens and bedding, this spray is great for the office, on vacuum cleaner bags, air filters and vents, in the car, on pet bedding and a must have to freshen hotel rooms when traveling.

To enter to win, just hop on over to our NEW Etsy shop (www.etsy.com/shop/sunshinelavenderfarm) and pick your favorite product listing of ours...leave a comment below letting us know which one you picked, along with your name. We will pick a winner Friday afternoon and post it here on our blog. GOOD LUCK!!

2013 Lavender Harvest Celebration Date

Many farm friends enjoy our June Lavender Harvest Celebration each and every year as a tradition ... bringing loved ones along for a weekend of relaxing fun. We hope that you will join us as well!

 

See the farm during the lavender blooming season. Take a personalized tour. Visit the Poultry Palace & Kitchen Garden.

Craft with fresh and preserved lavender. Eat locally prepared food such as our famous Chocolate or Vanilla Lavender ice cream.

See artists paint, photograph and create. Find loads of beautiful lavender plants ~ more varieties than you knew even existed! You will also find our line of hand crafted items for body, gifts, home and weddings, some very special one-of-a-kinds, and so very much more!

Saturday, June 1
9 am - 5 pm 

Sunday, June 2
10 am - 4 pm

Hope to see you then!