Loving Lavender

When I was a little girl, my maternal grandmother sent me a lavender dress. Beautifully hand smocked with a big bow to tie in the back, it was my favorite gift of all time. I wore it to church and to parties. In one of the few pictures we have of me as a child (I was the third child - we have tons of pictures of the eldest, not so many of the subsequent progeny), I'm wearing that dress with white socks and black patent leather MaryJanes.

I loved it so much that one Sunday after church, I didn't take it off. Instead, I went blackberry picking in the woods behind our quarters and, having nothing to carry the berries home in, used the skirt of my lavender dress. You can imagine my mother's dismay - the stains never did come out. I still remember fondly that lavender dress and I still love the color of lavender.

Last year, I bought a small bottle of lavender buds to make a cold, refreshing tea; the bottle is still here but I hadn't found any good use for the lavender when it's not iced tea season. On impulse, I sniffed it to remind myself of the flavor and for some reason carrots came to mind.

I had some fresh, young carrots in the fridge so it was the work of a moment to add them, scraped and sliced, into the menu.

Melted a little butter in a wide pan with perhaps a tablespoon of water. When it was bubbling, added a sprinkle of the lavender buds, then the carrots and gently butter-steamed them, tossing frequently, for about three minutes.

I'm always amazed at how much a tiny difference like this can make to an otherwise mundane meal. The lavender added an herbal note and a tiny bite to the sweet carrots and a fillip to our taste buds. Don't be surprised if you find me madly sprinkling it onto all kinds of meats and veggies this summer. I'm loving lavender these days.

Oh, and, by the way, ¡H*A*P*P*Y C*I*N*C*O D*E M*A*Y*O!