The days are growing longer, pastels are coming back into style and flowers are beginning to bloom. And: Starbucks recently announced its lavender-flavored spring drinks, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Whether lavender has always been a favorite flavor, or if Starbucks’ drink is the first time you’ve ever thought to put the flower to food, we’ve put together a few quick things to know about cooking with it.

Lavender Is More Than a Scent

Lavender is a member of the mint family, along with sage, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Since it’s a classic scent in soaps and perfumes, it’s fair to think that it might taste like your go-to toiletries. However, lavender is a lesser-used herb with a subtle, spicy, hard-to-pin-down taste that enhances the other flavors in a dish, like how vanilla adds depth to sweets. It has endless culinary uses: Brew it into a tea, pair it with cheese, add it to a jam, mix it into a spice rub, stir it into cocktails or bake into cookies and cakes.

Be Sure To Buy Culinary Lavender

First and foremost: do not pick lavender from a random field for use in cooking or baking. You won’t know whether it’s a culinary variety or if it’s been treated with pesticides. Even at a farmers’ market, you should ask what kind of lavender you’re looking at and whether it’s organic.

So, what sets culinary lavender apart? There are a few factors. First, it’s processed more thoroughly than decorative varieties to remove stems and leaves you wouldn’t want to eat. While technically edible, these have a sharp, bitter flavor. Second, culinary lavender comes from certain types (culivars) of the plant that have lower levels of aromatic oil, meaning they taste and smell more herbal than soapy.

English lavender, or “true lavender,” is the most common culinary variety, but you can also shop for French lavender. The English kind tastes sweeter and softer, while the French is heavier and more pungent. You can find lavender at grocery stores such as World Market and Whole Foods as well as spice shops and farmers’ markets.

Store Fresh Sprigs Properly

Lavender is a woody herb like rosemary and thyme, meaning fresh sprigs will last a few weeks if stored correctly. Wrap them in a damp paper towel, then place in a resealable plastic bag and keep in the fridge.

A Little Goes a Long Way

Keep in mind that lavender is very potent, so use it sparingly. Also note that the dried form is stronger than fresh sprigs, so you may have to adjust recipes accordingly. If your dish tastes like perfume, you’ve gone too far.

Use It To Infuse

A common way to make lavender less intense is to infuse it into basic ingredients, then incorporate those in your dishes. For instance, lavender salt can make an incredible addition to rubs for meat, lavender sugar works well in desserts, lavender honey pairs brilliantly with cheese and lavender syrup is perfect for drinks. (True lavender honey is not an infusion; it’s honey made by bees that pollinated lavender flowers. You can approximate it by simmering lavender in plain honey, then straining it out.)

Give These Lavender Recipes a Try

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