By Pierre Ratte
Sonoma County has iconic colors: brown and green hills in summer, and then blazes of wildflowers depending on the season. Lavender is one of those colors.
Amazingly, lavender is in the mint family. Mint is known as a pick-me-up while lavender is a relaxant despite coming from the same botanical family: Lamiaceae. The botanical name for the lavender pictured above is Lavandula stoechas, commonly called Spanish lavender. It is distinguished by its deep violet leaves, which form a pineapple-shaped flower. French lavender, Lavandula dentata, has a paler color; less purple, with a narrower flower.
It’s a bit confusing to learn that Spanish lavender is native to France, while French lavender is native to Spain! Spanish lavender prefers rocky and sandy soil found in France, while French lavender prefers limestone soils found in Spain. To make matters more confusing, “true lavender” is English lavender, or Lavandula angustifolia. Except, of course, when it is grown in France, where some call it French lavender.
Culinary lavender is generally “true lavender,” or English lavender. Whatever the name and species, all lavenders appear to be of European origin and used early on for perfume and medicinal purposes. There are more than 45 species of lavender, each with its own scent and color.
Fun Facts: Lavender stems from the Latin word “lavare” meaning “to wash.” In Roman times, a pound of flowers sold for a month’s wages. Queen Elizabeth liked lavender jam and tea. Though we associate lavender with French cooking, it was not referenced in recipes until the late 1900s. Americans purchase culinary lavender in herbes de Provence, but this is the U.S. version of the spice mix. Herbes de Provence en France does not include lavender; it is traditionally made with thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, oregano and marjoram.
A lavender wedding is a quaint term describing a wedding of mixed sexual orientation. In the gilded age of Hollywood, lavender weddings concealed the homosexuality of one partner. If man and woman were both homosexual, the arrangement was referred to as a white wedding, since consummation would not take place. Taking things one step further into modern times, a throuple is a relationship or marriage between three people.
