Lavender-Honey Ice Cream...mmmm...mmm...Good!

Finally, a good rain hath cometh here to Blooming Hill, this past weekend!  We received over an inch between Friday and Saturday.  Then, Saturday was cool, cloudy and drizzly giving July a nice little break here in the middle of this hot, and humid month when you can practically cut the air with an ice cream scoop.  In fact, the break in the weather, though brief, urged me on to make some lavender-honey ice cream, as sweet and laid back as this July is turning out to be.  And, who doesn't love a little homemade ice cream while relaxing in the gardens or on the covered porch, after church, on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon?  Sounds positively Mayberry RFDish, don't you think?!

So, Saturday morning, out came the lavender, of course! I use the Lavandula angustifolia varieties of pink 'Melissa', 'Royal Purple' and 'Royal Velvet' as well as 'Maillette' all mixed together and all grown here at Blooming Hill.  These varieties are some of the ones touted as culinary (eventhough all lavenders are edible) and I grow these varieties in quantity, mainly for their beauty but I bottle them up for recipes as well.  Along with the lavender, I reached for eggs, honey, heavy cream, whole milk and a little bit of sugar, my mixer, pots and bowls and then, of course, my new ice cream maker.

Lavender mixed with honey and milk.

The finished product...delicious, indeed!

The lavender, steeped in milk and honey and mixed with the cream, went from this (left) in the pot on the stove to this (right) in the ice cream maker just before being squirreled away in my kitchen freezer to be thouroughly enjoyed on Sunday afternoon.  All we needed was Aunt Bea's stamp of approval on the ice cream and Andy and Opie to show up and share in the sweet treat.  Oh heck--let's just call this "Philomont RFD--The Lost Episodes of Cyndie, Peter and Kevin!"

Blooming Hill's Lavender-honey ice cream all set up and ready for a tasting!

Kevin (a.k.a. Opie) and Peter (a.k.a. Andy).

I've made this recipe for lavender-honey ice cream about 5 times now for garden groups and visitors who have come to Blooming Hill in the last several weeks and I've only been able to have a small taste myself, so this weekend, this batch of lavender-honey ice cream was all for me. Okayyy--maybe a little was also for the two interlopers who found a nicely set table, to their surprise, in the cafe garden.  Well, my philosophy is that if you are going to eat lavender-honey ice cream, you might as well eat it in style!

Lavender-honey ice cream with a sprig of lavender on top!

The strong and sharp tasting lavender, on it's own, is swirled in and softened by the smooth flavor of honey, whole milk and heavy cream.  Then all of their essences are entwined together to make this dessert extra smooth and thick, yet soft with sweet and citrusy, minty and licorice-like undertones.  Finally, a lovely respite for a quiet afternoon just before the dog days of high summer reclaim their stake on July. Mmmm...mmmm...mmmm!...Good!