Background Information
Not only does lavender smell and look beautiful, but it’s also therapeutic. If you’ve ever looked out over a lavender field, you know the hypnotizing elegance that these types of flowers have. Lavender is native to the Mediterranean region, the Arabian Peninsula and Russia. Today, it’s commonly grown in Europe, the United States and Australia. Lavender flowers are known to represent purity, silence, devotion serenity, grace and calmness. They’re also famously known for their bright purple colour that is symbolically attributed to royalty.
Nutritional value
Lavender oil has commonly been used for generations as it is believed to have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help heal minor burns and bug bites. Research suggests that lavender may also be useful for treating anxiety, insomnia, depression, and restlessness. If you suffer from hair loss conditions such as ‘alopecia areata’, it’s possibly effective to treat such instances by using lavender. Additional benefits to this flower are; it can improve sleep, restore skin complexion and reduce acne, slow aging with powerful antioxidants, relieve pain, improve brain functions and alleviate headaches.
How to Use Lavender
Lavender has its many uses in gardens and landscapes, as culinary herbs or for the extraction of essential oils. It’s used in oils, teas, in the kitchen or even skin care lotions and shampoos. Here is a delicious recipe you should try to make, it goes great with your morning cup of coffee:
Lavender Berry Ricotta Cake
Preheat oven @ 350F
Line a 9” cake pan with parchment paper
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup of butter to melt
2 TBSP dried Lavender flowers
1 ½ cups (400gr tub) of ricotta
3 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla
¾ cup frozen raspberries or small wild blueberries for batter
¼ cup frozen berries for topping
How to Make:
- Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl & set aside.
- Melt butter & Lavender in a very small heat proof pot or bowl.
- Set aside to cool & “steep” Lavender flavour.
- Whisk ricotta, eggs & vanilla until smooth.
- Fold in dry ingredients.
- Add Lavender butter next.
- Gently stir in ¾ cup frozen berries.
- Spoon batter into prepared pan & sprinkle with the extra ¼ cup frozen berries (Optional) sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar or lemon zest.
- Bake 45-55 minutes, testing the center.
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