The first masterclass on SOEL Farm was on July 7. We were happy to see people registered right after we announced it because lavender is such a joyful and nourishing plant. We really looked forward to sharing our stories and knowledge and plants that grow on the farm.
It was a great evening, with about 12 attendees. The masterclass focused on medicinal, culinary and decorative applications of lavender.
To briefly summarize it:
As a medicine, keep lavender oil in your kitchen as a handy and effective remedy for accidental burns and bites, itching and fungus infections. Tea made with lavender buds will help to calm yourself, reduce stress and anxiety - especially effective before bedtime. It calms an upset stomach, and is an effective headache remedy.
As a culinary agent, it should be used in moderation, as it is very powerful. Start with lavender syrup, then move on to “Lady Lavender’s Mocktail” (which was greatly appreciated by the group and was done exactly as in the F&W recipe). As a great finale, try a Lavender Tom Collins…The ice cream tasting was a great success and we are happy to share the recipe below, translated from Russian.
Afterwards the participants cut lavender for themselves, took a bunch of great pictures, and then tried their hands at making lavender bouquets (for drying) and lavender wreaths. You can find full instructions here
All in all - a really great evening!
Lavender ice cream (translated from Yulia Small’s recipe)
3 egg yolks
200 ml milk
500 ml cream
50 g sugar (after making this ice cream 3 times I recommend to cut the sugar in half to 25 g)
100 g good quality honey
1.5 tbsp dry lavender
Put lavender into milk and bring it almost to a boil (do not allow it to boil). Let it steep in hot milk for half an hour. After that, warm the milk again. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks with sugar and slowly add hot milk, whisking well. Return to the stove and bring it almost to a boil (almost! Do not boil!) until the cream has thickened a little. Remove lavender buds - pour the ice cream base through a sieve, add and fully dissolve honey - that’s it , the base is done. Cool it to room temperature. Whisk heavy cream and add the base. Cool well (overnight in the fridge worked for me), then use an ice cream maker. Very soft aromatic and unusual ice cream is ready in 15-20 minutes.