Bald Butte Lavender Farm

Our Premium Lavender Culinary Buds are from English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) cultivars (Royal Velvet, Avis Hill, Folgate, Melissa, Miss Katherine, Purple Bouquet, Rosea, and Buena Vista) which have a sweet floral aroma.  Many published recipes don’t specify which lavender cultivar was used. However, you should taste buds from different cultivars to determine which cultivar you like the best. Taste varies between individuals, and as such can best be described in the eye of the beholder. The key to using culinary lavender is to experiment, starting out with a small amount of buds, and add more to taste. For cooking and baking, use 1/3 the quantity of dried buds to fresh buds, and use directly or ground into a powder for easier blending. Also use in beverages such as teas, syrups, lattes, lemonades, and cocktail infusions. To ensure your safety and satisfaction, you should only purchase your culinary lavender buds from reputable lavender growers and resellers, and then store buds in a dark cool place to maintain their flavor for up to several years.

What makes our lavender culinary buds premium? The process starts in the field. Rather than bundling stems in the field we transport the freshly cut stems to our barn for further processing where all leaves are first hand-stripped from each stem. The stems are then sorted by length and quality, and grouped into approximately 2-inch diameter bundles (measured at the base of the flower heads), secured using a rubber band, and hung upside down to dry in our barn for 2+ weeks. Creating smaller diameter bundles lessens the risk of mold formation, while hanging the bundles upside down draws the essential oils down into the buds making them more fragrant. Our barn is a cool, dry place with good circulation, and no direct sunlight which can fade the lavender buds and dissipate the fragrance.

The dried bundles are then de-budded by hand and double-cleaned using our A.T. Ferrell Clipper 2B. The buds are then placed in storage containers labeled by cultivar, and frozen for 7+ days to kill all potential pests. The end result are clean buds, which many customers say are the cleanest buds they have purchased.

Premium Lavender Culinary Buds are available by shipping, pick up at our Farm Store, or limited Local Delivery.