The Frugal Foodie: Honey Lemon-Lavender Teaspoons

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Photography by Howard Lee Puckett; Styling by Virginia Cravens-Houston and Judy Feagin

Makes 20 spoons

Scour thrift stores and yard sales for pretty silver teaspoons and demitasse spoons.

• 1⁄3 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon dried lavender blossoms
• ½ cup honey
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• Peel of 1 lemon, cut into 1⁄4-inch strips (yellow part only, no white pith)
• 20 spoons
• Fresh lavender sprigs and blossoms, for garnish

1. Pour boiling water over lavender; cover and steep 5 minutes. Pour liquid through a wire-mesh strainer into a glass measuring cup, reserving 1⁄4 cup liquid; discard lavender.

2. Place lavender-flavored water, honey, sugar, vinegar and lemon peel in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Brush the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush when sugar crystals form. Boil until the candy reaches the hard-crack stage (when a drop of the molten candy in a glass of cold water gets hard instantly or a candy thermometer reads 275 degrees), 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let the candy cool for 5 minutes.

3. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on the counter, and place a wooden spoon in the middle.

4. Dip a spoon in the candy, moving it around to fill most of the spoon’s bowl with the candy. Set the spoon down on the foil, resting its handle on the handle of the wooden spoon to keep the candy in the bowl of the spoon. Let cool completely.

5. Wrap the bowl of the spoon in plastic wrap or cellophane, and tie with twine and a fresh lavender sprig and blossom, if desired. Spoons can be stirred into hot tea or even hot water to make a sweet, soothing treat.

Lara Starr and Lynette Shirk’s book, The Frugal Foodie Cookbook: Waste-Not Recipes for the Wise Cook (Viva Editions), was released in September 2009. 

Click here for the main article, The Frugal Foodie: 8 Recipes.