Shades of Purple

It amazes me the colors in this beautiful world we live.  The various shades of green after a summer rain, the colors in a vegetable garden when everything begins to ripen, the various shades of color of the different hummingbirds at my feeder, but some of my favorite are the beautiful colors of Hidcote and Folgate Lavenders at harvest.  Oh my, the shade of purples are amazing and these cultivars hold their color when dried.  There are so many beautiful lavenders but for some reason these two are just fun to grown and harvest. 

This picture just can't do it justice.  The scent is amazing - definitely need a scratch and sniff button on this blog. The Folgate, the lighter shade laying on top, has the softest, sweetest scent this year.  I just love it.  The Hidcote is so rich and purple in color it just makes me smile.  The Gross isn't quite ready to harvest yet, but that, too, is an amazing color this year.  More pics to come.

The Taste of Garrett County, to be held June 18th, is a major fundraiser for Garrett Trails. Patrons can immerse themselves in special cooking demonstrations from some of the area’s best chefs. The event offers prizes and raffles, live entertainment and delicious new offerings and classic favorites from Garrett County's most popular dining establishments and local farms.  This year Deep Creek Lavender Farm is providing a Lavender Honey Salad Dressing to be served on locally grown salad greens - YUM!  Here is the recipe we are using courtesy of Rita on Food.com:

Lavender Honey Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced sweet onions
• 1 garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon coarse grain mustard
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon dried lavender ( 1 tablespoon fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
• salt & pepper

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients together.
2. Stand for 30 mins to allow flavors to infuse.
3. Stir and adjust salt and pepper again and serve. 

This is a delicious vinaigrette, but I think I will decrease the honey a bit as I like a bit more tang.  I also will steep the lavender buds ahead of time in one of the liquids and add the flavor that way.  Many folks like the flavor of the lavender but don't like to munch on the buds.  I am excited to be part of this great fundraiser.  It is so great to be included as a working farm in Garrett County. 

Neither heat nor surgery can keep us down!

My dear sister, Mary, lends a hand at the farm.  Here planting Fred Boutin.

We are well on our way to having a new front field full of lavender at the farm.  Over Memorial Day in the heat and humidity you find in the summers of MD we planted 500 new lavender plants some angustifolias and some hybrids including Buena Vista, Royal Velvet, Grosso, Fat Spike Gross, Folgate, Hidcote, Sharon Roberts, and the pink culinary lavender called Mellisa. 

Fungus or winter damage?

This year has been so hard on the older plants on the farm.  The mid-Atlantic experienced such a mild winter that the lavender started into growing phase in February when it was warm and then that new growth was challenged when it returned to winter weather in late March and April.  Deep Creek Lavender was not the only farm to feel the impact.  I believe some may be infected with a fungus.  Some lavender grow up from the center and those will probably recover once the dead part is removed but the angustifolias may not fair so well....time will tell.

The weather has played havoc with bloom dates of lavender across the United States.  In the Midwest many farms are done with harvest while those in the West state they are about three weeks behind.  Nature has its own plan.  So far the Hidcotes are blooming but the Grosso won't be in bloom for several weeks.  That is OK with us as it spread things out a little for us.  I just had foot surgery so the later the harvest the better for me. 



Sexy boot that will be my appendage for six weeks.