Since my last post, I did a little more thinking and a lot of note taking. I'm so exited that May is here and we can enjoy nice warm weather and the beauty of Gods creation all around us.What I really was looking forward too, was planting our garden!! And I have to say, we did it.We planted lots of tomato's,carrots,peppers,dill,beets,radishes,onions,cucumbers and much more!Once I figure out how to post photos,I will.We also took our first trip of the season to our local farmers Market,(at, Howe Meadow) witch is my favorite thing to do on Saturday mornings in the summer.It was a beautiful morning.We had try ed a sample of raw milk cheese!!It was so yummy,it made me think that I should take a cheese making class!hehe..Anyway, I really wanted to share some information that I am learning about, Lavender.We planted Lavender in our garden last year, and I loved passing by and running my hand threw it.The smell of Lavender is so aromatic,soothing,romantic.
There are many different varieties of lavender.The common lavender,English Lavender.Lavender is a perennial.The flowers are like a mauve-purple,the leaves are a pale greenish gray.
History in cooking- historically the Romans first introduced French lavender to Britain when they invaded. They brought the flower heads over dried and ground them to use as a condiment. The use of lavender as a condiment was much more common in medieval times because fresh meat was rare and difficult to keep.Condiments were used to hide the disagreeable flavors and tastes of semi-cooked or half-rotten flesh.(gross.)Jekka's Herb cookbook.
Queen Elizabeth 1.Loved lavender it is said that she kept a conserve of lavender(a mixture of lavender flowers and sugar) on her dining table and drank sweet lavender tisane,a hot tea made with lavender flowers and honey.yummy.
Lavender traveled from Europe to America with the earliest settlers and was commercially grown for medicinal purposes by Shakers,a Protestant religious denomination.
As the world turned from natural remedies to synthetic medicines,it took an accident in French perfume laboratory to bring the original herbal products back to the limelight.In the early 1900s,chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse burned himself badly while working in his family's perfume business.Instinctively, he plunged his burned arm into the nearest liquid,which happened to be lavender oil,rather than water.To his surprise, the burn healed with remarkable speed and left no scars.Gatefosse coined the term "aromatherapy" and became the father of the "french model" of aromatherapy, in which essential oils are used intensively in and on the body,like any medicine.from the book, The Maui book of Lavender. by Alii Chang.I love this book.Lavender is good for many things,the oil is antimicrobial and has sedative properties;it is used to treat insomnia,panic,shock and nervous palpitations.And it is the best herb for keeping flys out of the kitchen.Jekka's herb cookbook. I have different recipes for lavender jelly's and jams.Cannot wait to make those and let you know how they came out!
Here is a easy recipe for Lavender Butter.
Ingredients
half a cup unsalted butter,softened(one stick)
1T.honey or granulated sugar
1in a half tsp.of lavender buds,whole or lightly ground (I would buy organic lavender)
Mix all ingredients. Form into two balls.Refrigerate until firm.Serve with sweet breads.Makes a half a cup butter.
Here are the books I have been reading about lavender.
Jekka's Herb cookbook
The Maui book of Lavender
The Lavender garden
Here are some great links.
joysoflavender.com
happyvalleylavender.com
hoodriverlavender.com
angelina'scottage.com
"How miraculous that growing on my own little plot of land are plants that can turn dead soil into a hundred flavours as different as horseradish and thyme,smells ranging from stinkhorn to lavender.
-john Seymour,1914
