Lavender question: At the farmers market this morning one of the herb vendors had little packets of

[barbara-in-va]

lavender for sale. I asked if it was for sachets or for culinary use. He said it was French Lavender ment for sachets because it is too strong to eat. He had some English lavender packaged for culinary purposes. Has anyone ever heard of this, is it true?

 

[daricem]

yes, the knowing the variety of lavender can be important(more)

good article @natural living cuisine on the differences...I googled "culinary lavender varieties"
some varieties have a stronger, more ntense lavender scent and are described as "soapy"...
Also, always make sure the lavender is being sold for eating; craft stores stock lavender for soap, perfumes etc that are not organically produced....

 

[traca]

2 kinds of lavender - English and French. Very different.

From a travel piece I wrote on a lavender farm:

Two distinct styles of lavender add to some misconceptions. French lavender has a component called lavendine, which is camphor-based. This aromatic, some say pungent, lavender is widely used in the fragrance industry. Distinctly different is English lavender, which is used for culinary purposes.