Lavender Love: Honey Lavender Plum Ice Cream

Last year I attended a yoga retreat at Keys Creek Lavender Fields and it was amazing.  So when I heard that Saerin was going to be doing it again, I was very interested.

But life is busy, and it was the day before Thatbaby (and therefore my) birthday and I kept putting off signing up.  

This has been a really rough year for me mentally and emotionally and Thatboy really encouraged me to sign up and make the time for myself, to center and regroup.  And so, I got up early the morning of the retreat, made a batch of cupcakes to frost when I got home, and headed out to the lavender farm.

I had a much harder time focusing this year and didn't find the same sense of peace as last year, but that was definitely on me.  Sometimes we're wound so tight, it takes a lot more to loosen the knots. The scenery remained beautiful, the weather was perfect, and Saerin is a fantastic instructor.  Her yoga is very woman-centered, aiming for the parts of the body that affect us the most, and positions that listen to how our bodies work.

There was a lovely lunch laid out for us after the yoga, and then it was time for our tour of the farm.

Last year the retreat was at the end of June, and most of the lavender was already harvested or at the end of the season.  This year, in early June, we got to see all the different varieties that grow at the farm.  What was most intriguing for me were the varieties that weren't the typical lavender color you expect.

Like the Spanish Lavender - which is a really vibrant shade of pink.

Sweet Lavender was up and down the hillside.  This is a pretty familiar variety to most of us.

French Lavender - which is the typical variety you might find growing in...my backyard...and front yard.

Pukehou Lavender, a New Zealand Variety which is bright purple.

Winter Bee Lavender, which is short and round, like a little bumblebee.

And Yellow Lavender, which is, well, yellow.  It also has a less flowery smell.  More citrusy, or herbal.  I really liked it.

We also got to see the distillery in action.  This little baby converts those lavender flowers into lavender oil.

As we took the tour, our knowledgeable tour guide grabbed cuttings from many of the different varieties and passed them out.  After the tour, we spent the rest of the afternoon poolside, wrapping the cuttings to make lavender bundles.

Even if the retreat wasn't the reset that I was hoping it would be, it was a welcome break from the day to day.   And the setting never fails to make me happy. In an attempt to recreate it, I've been trying to use more lavender in my day to day life.  I made a littlelavender spray that I've been using on our pillows and the kids pillows, as well as for those pesky mosquito bites we've been getting.  Did you know lavender oil stops the itching?  I brought home some lavender sleep balm.  And of course, using lavender in drinks and desserts.  After having some amazing Salt and Straw lavender ice cream last year, I knew I wanted to attempt to make my own.  But right now, I just can't bring myself to make ice cream without fruit in it.  It's Summer for goodness sakes!  My initial plan was lavender ice cream, swirled with a blueberry syrup.  But Thatkid suggested plums instead.  Goodness knows we have no shortage of plums.  We eat them like crazy!

Although Thatkid is the one who made the plum suggestion, he actually was not a fan of this ice cream.  I get it, it's kind of a grown up flavor.  The overwhelming flavor is honey.  Not surprising given that it's in both the base and the plum syrup.  But the lavender adds a nice floral taste, which is I think where we lost the kids.  The plums?  Well they aren't necessary and you're welcome to skip them, but like I said, we're plum crazy over here and I really like what they bring to the dish.

Honey Lavender Plum Ice Cream

2 cups milk

1/4 cup lavender

1/2 cup honey (divided)

5 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

3 plums, peeled, pitted, and chopped

1 Tbsp water

1. Combine milk, lavender, and 1/3 cup of honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Heat until almost boiling, then cover and remove from heat.  
2. Let sit for 5 minutes.  Strain the mixture through a mesh sieve, reserving the milk and discarding the solids.
3.  Beat egg yolks and sugar in an electric mixer on medium high speed until pale and creamy.
4. Add half of the milk to the egg yolks and whisk until blended.
5. Add remaining milk and then pour the entire egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
6.  Remove from heat and stir in cream.
7. Strain again through the sieve and into a bowl set into an ice-water bath.  Let cool completely.  (or place in refrigerator until cold)
8. Place cold milk mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to instructions.
9. While the ice cream is processing, combing the plums, water, and remaining honey in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook until the plums fall apart, stirring occasionally to keep the plums from burning.   Let cool for 5 minutes.
10.  Once the ice cream has reached a semi-solid state (think the consistency of soft serve) pour the plum syrup into the ice cream maker.  Continue to process the ice cream until it reaches the desired consistency. 

Lavender Fields Forever: Lavender Martini

I recently reconnected with one of my old lawyer friends, from back when I used to lawyer.  Once we got in contact, we went back to old habits of sending each other events we thought would be interesting.  Which is how I ended up at a Lavender Farm one Saturday morning.

She had sent me info about a yoga retreat, run by another lawyer friend of hers.  The idea of a yoga retreat sounded nice, and needed, but it was the location that sold me.

Keys Creek Lavender Farm is located in Valley Center.  I came across it several years ago, when I stumbled on their Mother's Day brunch.  Over the years they have restricted public access more and more, and I have never actually gotten around to going.  A yoga retreat, with an old friend, at the very venue I've always wanted to go to, was a definite must.

The retreat was organized by Saerin Ally Cho and she had a space set aside for us all to meet and grab some tea or water as we trickled in. 

One of the farm workers pointed out this interesting looking tree.  He told us that it's a "Century Tree" that rarely blooms, but was in bloom while we were there - as was the one directly across from it.  He couldn't remember the last time they both bloomed at the same time. 

We began the morning with a little meditation in the crystal maze.

And then we headed up to the main event - the yoga!

After yoga, complete with the longest Savasana I have ever encountered (which was soooooooooooooooo nice), we headed back to the meeting tables for lunch.

The spread was incredible.  So much fruit, and a delicious vegetarian curry over steaming basmati rice. Oh!  And salad.  Of course. 

We ate, and talked, and ate some more.  Then we headed over to the farm's salt water pool to cool off a bit - or just enjoy the sights.

While we relaxed poolside, the Farm made us all lavender martinis.  Heavy on the vodka!

And then we got a private tour of the farm and the distillery where they turn the lavender into oils.  We rejoined for a final chance to share our thoughts on the day before parting ways, a little calmer, a little more centered.

I would love to tell you that I came home with the ability to recenter and ground myself at home when faced with the stressors of everyday life.  I didn't.  But I did come home with some lavender jelly, lavender soap, and a great idea for a martini.  Especially since I have my own stock of lavender at home - bushes in the front and back yard!  Mine has less vodka than the ones they made for us, and isn't quite as purple, but it's still a very refreshing drink for these hot summer days.  If you're not a drinker, or have little ones at home, the syrup also works really well with lemonade.

And a quick plug to my new food stylist - Thatkid is the one who arranged the drink and the lavender for the photo.  He's such a helper. 

Lavender Martini

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 Tbsp lavender buds

2 shots vodka

juice of 1 lemon

1. Make the lavender syrup.  Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and add lavender buds.  Let sit for 20 minutes.  Strain and cool completely.
2. In a shaker, combine vodka, lemon juice, 1 shot of the lavender syrup, and ice.  Shake and strain into glasses.  Garnish with lavender sprigs.

Sunday Runday: Hoppy Yoga

I know this is usually my space for running, but sometimes I do things other than run.  Just not as frequently as I used to.  Think of this as...cross-training.

Before I left my last job, a couple of the girls and I started hanging out outside of work.  One of the adventures we had discussed was something that seemed to embody San Diego - "Hoppy Yoga."  Because it doesn't get more San Diego than yoga and beer.  A lot of the breweries around town do this, hosting a yoga class followed by a "beer social."  We discussed different dates and options, and made plans for last Sunday.

This was a great wrap up of my first week at a new job, getting to see my old friends again.  We met at Culture Brewing Company in Ocean Beach before they opened for the day.

We spread out our mats and Katie, from the Hoppy Yoga group, led our class.  It's been a couple months since I've taken a yoga class, but I swear it comes back to you quickly.  And this seemed to work for pretty much every skill level - although as usual, the chaturanga separates the wheat from the chaff.  And I'm all chaff over here.

The class was a little longer than an hour, and after we were given tickets to redeem for a pint of beer. Everyone seemed to gravitate toward the pinker beers.  Strawberry blondes were the favorite, although my tart cherry wit was pretty pink too.

One of the things I really liked about this whole concept is that it encourages you to stick around after the yoga class.  I discussed with my friends the fact that if we had just taken a yoga class, we'd probably all go all separate ways after it was over.  Instead we sat around, talking and laughing, comparing when we had our first tastes of beer.  And then after we walked around exploring the neighborhood.  So good class, good beer, good friends?  It's the trinity of fitness.