When we headed out early Saturday morning I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Blanco, Lavender Festival. This was the festival’s sixth year, so compared to my hometown’s annual festival the Shrimporee which has grown incredibly each year, this one was fairly new. When we arrived we drove past the town square and decided to make for the Lavender farms first since the news predicted a hot day and we knew the girls’ would be in ‘better moods”, while it was still cool. As we drove into the first farm we weren’t really sure what to do, but were quickly greeted by a nice lady who gave us the “how-to.”
“Walk down the way, folow the path, snip the amount of lavender you want and we charge $5.00 a bundle.” Then she turned to my youngest and said, “the further you walk in the deeper the purple.”
So yes, we walked the complete field to find the exact shade Pip’s heart desired. A small piece of purlpe heaven in the middle of Hill Country is hwat we found. The color, the smell and the scenery was breathtaking. Rows and rows of purple blooms, all while bees bounced from flower to flower. I felt we were incredibly lucky, most of the crowd were at the town square so we were happily left to explore the field in all its beauty alone. No rushing, no one pushing, we were alone -and patiently looked for our perfect bunch of lavender.
The plan was to visit all three farms- hubby and I always plan big, forgetting we have kids–so all three farms were not visited due to tired, tiny feet and extreme heat.
Hubby holding our perfect bunch, pips approved of the shade so we left happily…
After visiting the farm, we drove to the Town Square to do a little shopping and have a bite for lunch. I quickly found the visitors stand where they were selling their festival cookbook and ready to use dried lavender. I purchased two of each, one for me of course and the other set for one of my lucky readers….shall we use the lavender in something sweet? Lavender infused cream cheese stuffed into strawberries make for the perfect after dinner treat. Enjoy and read below for your chance to win a Blanco Lavender Festival gift pack.
Lavender-Cream Cheese Stuffed Strawberries
makes 20 strawberries
from The Local Flavor of Lavender
20 whole large strawberries, hulled
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup Lavender Powdered Sugar (recipe follows)
1/3 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans (toasted if preferred)
Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each strawberry to stand it upright.
Place berries, cut side down, on a serving platter. Carefully slice berries with a criss cross cut, cutting almost to, but not through, the bottoms.
Open the berries (at criss cross cut) just slightly, taking care not to break them. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese and lavender sugar until combined, but still stiff.
Using a teaspoon or pastry bag with decorative tip, fill the strawberries with the cream cheese mixture.
Sprinkle nuts on top of the stuffed strawberries.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Lavender Powdered Sugar
from The Local Flavor of Lavender
makes 1 cup
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tbsp dried culinary lavender buds
In a spice grinder, pulse 2 tbsp of confectioners’ sugar with lavender buds until finely ground.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining sugar. Put mixture in a jar, cover tightly, and let it stand for at least 5 days before using to allow the lavender to infuse into the sugar.
A Blanco Lavender Festival giveaway–~~GIVEAWAY ENDED~~~
–celebrating local festivals, cooking with lavender, and my 100th post…yeah!!
What you will receive…..The Local Flavor of Lavender Coobook, which features 70 lavender inspired recipes from local chefs and caterers from Blanco, Texas.
Recipes include…..Lavender Cream, Lavender Sangria Poached Pears, Lavender Scones, Duck two ways with Lavender-Ginger-Orange glaze…just to name a few.
You will also recieve a 1-oz tin of Culinary Lavender from Blanco. Pictured below, I have been cooking with this lavender all week and all recipes only require 1 tsp to 1tbsp of lavender, so will you have plenty to enjoy the whole year.
Comment below and your entered, tweet for a extra chance (please let me know in your comment) Open to everyone..Enjoy!! Giveaway ends Friday.
When I was a little girl, I grew up in the city. Our stoop had lavender growing next to it. My younger sister and I used to spend the summer afternoons crushing the lavender on the hot concrete. Then we would float the lavender in water in those little dixie bathroom cups full of water and tell ourselves we had made “perfume”. Now the smell of lavender brings back memories of happy times with my sister. This recipe looks yummy.
Hi Sherri,
Thank you for sharing such a sweet bit of your childhood. I love how food evokes memories from the past, delish!
Vianney
Man, I guess I missed out on the give away. This nicer weather and busyness we’re having is definitely a good thing, but making miss out on the goods!
I’m glad you were able to enjoy the fields with minimal people. Those are the best times, non? To be near throngs of people… together/alone. It’s like having the movie theatre to yourself.
And for some reason, the strawberry with the almonds reminds me of an overweight bumble bee. I’m not sure why. Just the strange random things that come up in my mind.
xoxo
Congrats on your 100th post!
The lavender fields are just beautiful.
LL
Those lavander fields look stunning. I tried growing a pot last year, they just didn’t happen. I’m not sure if it’s me having a black thumb or it’s just too hot to grow them here.
Great photos and those strawberries make me drool!
I’m loving finding creative uses for lavender – these strawberries are RIDICULOUS! They are little art sculptures!
I love lavender. What a fun time at the festival. I grow it in my yard and never quite know what to do with it besides lavender wands. I would love this cookbook.
I don’t know if I made it in time or not but please enter me if its not too late
I love the way you create art with your food. The strawberries look absolutely delicious and I can imagine the heady perfume of lavender…gently coating the back of my tongue. I have some lavender plants growing in our garden so lots to try…still I’d love to win!
Am I too late? OMGosh – and I was going to beg you for a give-a-way and you have one. In Canada, companies are not so generous. I have to see what I have to do to win. I will do it!
🙂
Valerie
LOVE the strawberries. Beautiful and novel!!!!
Lavender in baking! A must try!
Hope I win these goodies. Nice giveaway Bonnie!
I added a note on twitter too.
I love the smell of lavender! Great photos on your post.
Carmen
I am new to cooking with lavender, too. I wonder how easy it is to grow. Has anyone tried?
Great idea for a contest. I Tweeted it (@saucydipper).
Oh, the lavender fields are just lovely! And the lavender cream cheese is such a delicious stuffing for fresh strawberries, yum!
OOO Lavender is just the best!
What a treat Bonnie! This is marvelous. I promised myself I could explore culinary lavender this summer and if your post does not get me off my butt, nothing will!
Excellent pics too 🙂
Ciao, Devaki
It’s my first time seeing a lavender field. So nice! Love your food styling! The shots for strawberries looks gorgeous too!
Those lavender fields look like they are in Provence. What a great trip for the kids. And you! Great post and wonderful pictures. Love the strawberries and I would love to cook with lavender. Thanks for the giveaway and congrats on your 100th post!
I cant tell you how much I love this recipe. I am going to bookmark it.
Congrats on your 100th post daaaaahling, this is a beautiful blog. wishing you many more happy postings.
*kisses* HH
Lavender sounds very interesting to cook with. I have never tried it. Thse fields must have smelled amazing and been very calming. Love your blog!
Who knew that Texas had a lavender capital?? What a fun recipe with these strawberries. The flavor must be amazing. I have never been to lavender fields before, I can’t even imagine the fragrance! Great giveaway!
Congrats on your 100th post!! Those lavender fields look gorgeous and I can just imagine how lovely they would have smelt. Great recipe – I love the sound of both the book and the lavender – what a lovely prize. Looking forward to all upcoming posts.
love the idea with cream cheese & strawberry. never really tried that kind of combination!! But will def try it out day! thanks !! 🙂
Oh, my. I went to the lavender festival a few years back, but it was even “newer,” and the plants were much smaller. Plus, we made the mistake of spending time at the festivities in Blanco before we went to the farms, so it was extremely hot. I wish we’d had your experience.
I love lavender, it’s one of my favorite flowers. I enjoy recipes make with lavender. Can’t wait to try the powdered sugar.
Thanks for the chance to win!!
Aww, that lavender festival sounds absolutely amazing! Those field shots are breathtaking. & your strawberries are so unique, love it.
~Kurious Kitteh
Oh how wonderful it must be to wander among the lavender fields! I can almost smell it through the computer screen. And those strawberries sound heavenly! How sweet of you to offer your readers a giveaway!
This post reminds me of a dessert I ate at vegetarian restaurant that was also a combination of strawberries and lavender. It must have smelled amazing to walk through those fields!
I twitted : http://twitter.com/thescorpiowoman/status/16808109179
What a great and detailed post. Thanks for sharing the pictures as well. Lavender is one of my favorite scents and I had no idea it could work so well with strawberries. Thanks for the education. I love reading your tweets!
Your strawberries look so original and so yummy. I would like to grow lavender. It’s so beautiful 🙂
I tweeted! My username on twitter is CinnamonSpice.
The lavender fields are so gorgeous! I bet the smell was heavenly. Your lavender infused strawberries look so elegant and delicious!
i love the various ways you’ve stuffed your berries–very clever. and wow, whoever heard of stuffing strawberries to begin with? awesome. 🙂
Wow!! I’ve never had a chance to taste lavender! I hope I win this 🙂 Here is my tweet too!
http://twitter.com/ambikaskitchen
The further you walk, the deeper the purple? That’s awesome. I love this post, Bonnie, and I wish I could go there (sigh)…
By the way, your photos are so cute. No one takes photos like that, Bonnie. You have a very special style…I would be low down and try to copy, but I know it won’t work (smile)…
I did a story on one of the farms out there for work!!!!! It’s a neat place.
What lovely lavender fields! That is a great way of preparing strawberries!
Cheers,
Rosa
Those lavender fields look great, your bunch is perfect. And the picture of strawberries with lavender cream cheese I can’t even get the words to describe. I love everything about lavender, smell, flower, color.
Fantastic creativity with these strawberries. Just a magnificent job. You truly have a delicate touch.
Be well
Oh wow! You did that from the lavender!? Awesome! Delicious-looking treats.
gorgeous photos! Those look so good!
I think cooking with edible flowers is so fantastic…it adds a wow factor to whatever is made. I love that you went and picked your own…I never even knew that was possible! The strawberries sound fantastic and what an excellent giveaway!
I so want to visit a lavender field too! *envy*
I’ve never cooked with lavender before- I don’t even know what it really tastes like! The strawberries are supercute! I wish we had strawberries right now…I have a sorta strawberry craving after reading this- this recipe looks really fun =]
A feast for the eyes! The lavender and the strawberries are beautiful! Together I bet they taste heavenly:) Thanks for the chance to win a great giveaway, and CONGRATS on your 100th post!
The smell in the lavender field must be so amazing. I love the picture of the hand holding a bunch of lavender. The bunnies strawberries with valender cream cheese sound so delicious. Thanks for this lovely post! I think I’m gonna have a sweet dream tonight.
Lavender festival, how fun!! I bet it smelled heavenly.
those strawberries look beautiful and delicious!
What a peaceful post! I so enjoyed looking at those lavender fields. I wish I could walk through them. And what a wonderful idea with the strawberries. Perfect for these berry months!
Ohhhh…….lavender!!! I’d love to throw myself into a field of it!!
That strawberry bunny *grin* is to die for!! Keep playing with your food girl!!
I’m so jealous! It sounds like the perfect kind of festival! The the lavender-strawberries look amazing. Very, very cute display!
Fabulous give-way. I am tweeting this!
Earlier this year when we went to Seattle I had the chance to try lavender butter. It was delicious! I would love to win the lavender cookbook and try recipes myself 🙂
I love the Brownie recipe and the blackberry lavender champagne cocktail sounds absolutely to die for!