It’s summer time and that means parties and barbecues and…fruit on the grill? Absolutely. I have heard of grilling bananas before (which is amazing), so I thought maybe trying a few other fruits on kabob stick would be interesting. And especially interesting paired with a little lavender vanilla ice cream.

Ok, let’s back up here. Yes, I’m talking about lavender, the purple, good-smelling flower that you normally think of as a scent for body lotion or home fragrances. Turns out, lavender has culinary uses as well. Heard of the spice blend herbs de provence? Lavender is in it! Every time I buy a new container of it, I always add extra lavender. If you like the way lavender smells, you’ll like the way it tastes because it tastes exactly the same way. Tonight, I used my stash I bought at Spice and Tea Exchange.

Lavender has many uses such as calming the nerves, soothing irritated skin, and reducing nausea. Personally, I keep a little satchet of dried lavender flowers that I got at a beautiful organic lavender farm in rural Pennsylvania by my bedside. The scent just melts away stress and helps me get to sleep easier and more peacefully. And of course, I like to eat it too.

I chose apricots, peaches and pineapples because they’re fairly firm when not-too-ripe. Once the heat chars the fruit and caramelizes the natural sugars, get ready for a sweet treat.

Grilled Fruit Kabobs
2 firm apricots, cut into large chunks
2 firm peaches, cut into large chunks
2-3 thick slices of fresh pineapple, cut into large chunks

Soak wooden kabob sticks in water before grilling to keep them from burning (clearly, I didn’t do this, as you can see in the photos).
Place 4-5 pieces of fruit on each kabob stick and grill for about 10 minutes on medium heat (400-500°) until fruit has slight grill marks on both sides. Do not overcook or you’ll have a mushy mess dripping through your grill.

Lavender Vanilla Ice Cream
I took the easy route here. I just bought a pint of So Delicious coconut-based dairy-free and soy-free Vanilla Bean frozen dessert, let it melt a little, stirred in about 2 teaspoons of dried organic culinary lavender flowers, then put it back in the freezer. Voila. Amazing and fast lavender vanilla ice cream that goes awesome with some grilled fruit.

Hot off the grill – pineapple, peaches and apricots