Lavender Lattes

Lavender is pretty amazing. In oil form, research has shown its effectiveness at relaxing the nervous system and treating conditions such as insomnia and anxiety. Additionally, it has anti-inflammatory and anti-septic properties that make it a good digestive aid.

You can choose to either grow lavender yourself or purchase it.  It can be purchased pre-dried but it is very important that if you take this route you buy if from a vendor you trust who is certified organic (for plants this means that no synthetic means have been used to achieve growth) and no pesticides.

The great part is that if you aren't a coffee person you can still use the lavender syrup in teas. My favorite is putting a tsp of it in my camomile tea before bed. The syrup will naturally thicken as it cools so if you need to you can just heat it up slightly before each use. I recommend storing it in a little jar in the pantry. Enjoy! 

---

Lavender syrup 

1. Strip fresh dried lavender and add 1/4 cup lavender leaves and 1/2 cup water to a sauce pan. Let it simmer on a very low heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. 

2. Remove from heat and strain the leaves (make sure you press on the leaves to eat all the liquid out. Return the liquid back to the sauce pan and throw away the leaves. 

3. Add 3 TB honey and 2 TB water to the sauce pan with the lavender water in it and simmer on low heat stirring intermittently for another 8 minutes the liquid should bubble and thicken. 

4. Transfer to jar (makes just under 1/4 cup which is enough for 4 lavender lattes) 

Milk

1. Put 1/2 cup of milk of choice (I like unsweetened almond) in a lidless mason jar in the microwave for one minute. Remove, screw the lid on and shake vigorously to make it foam. Repeat until desired heat and amount of foam is reached. 

Coffee-use 1/2 cup of strong coffee 

Place 1 tsp of lavender syrup (adjust for sweetness and taste desired) in the bottom of your mug, add in 1/2 cup of coffee and stir, top with milk and spoon the foam on. Garnish with dried lavender if desired.