LAVENDER GINGER LEMONADE
Makes 6 servings
- Lavender Ginger Syrup (recipe follows)
- 4 cups water
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
Prepare the lavender syrup. In a 2 quart pitchwe4r, combine water, lemon juice and syrup. Add ice to the top and stir to chill (or serve in ice filled glasses).
Lavender Ginger Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 ounces crystallized ginger chopped
- 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender buds
- Grated zest of 2 lemons
- 2 cups water
In a food processor, combine sugar, ginger, lavender and lemon zest. Blend for 1 minute or until the ginger is broken into small pieces. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add water. Bring to boil and cook for 1 minute. Strain into bowl and discard solids.
Lavender Syrup
The sky’s the limit to what this syrup can transform. I add it to lemonade, iced tea, and it makes “adult beverages” even better! Many mixed drinks call for “simple syrup”-which is a fancy name for sugar dissolved in water. Just replace it with lavender syrup. You can convert other drinks to lavender aperitifs by adding the syrup to taste. For lavender martinis, for example, add 1 tablespoon of lavender syrup. For something like lemonade, replace a portion of the sugar with syrup.
Additionally, this is a wonderful complement to summer appetizers: drizzle over goat cheese on crackers, over grilled zucchini slices topped with crumbled goat cheese, dried apricot halves filled with goat cheese, chopped pistachios and a hint of lavender syrup.
Store the syrup for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Makes 1 ¾ Cups
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup water
2 Tablespoons fresh or dried culinary “Provence” lavender buds
1 small strip lemon zest
In a small saucepan, boil the water and sugar for 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the lavender and lemon zest. Allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain into a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate until needed.
Lavender Sun Tea
2 lg sun tea bags (Tetley and Luzianne are both excellent options)
1 sm bag Twinings Lady Grey tea
2 Tbsp. dried lavender
Measure dried lavender buds into one or two tea balls, being careful not to over crowd the buds. If the buds are packed too tightly in the tea balls, water will not circulate through the buds, resulting in a weaker lavender flavor. Place all three tea bags and tea ball(s) with lavender buds in a one gallon, glass pitcher or container (plastic can be dangerous to leave in the sun). Set the container in the sun. Longer steep times will create stronger tea, but do not leave the tea too long or it may become bitter. Six hours of direct sunlight should produce a not too bold, refreshing drink.
LAVENDER TEA BREAD
Ingredients
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lavender
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
Combine the milk and lavender in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat to a simmer, then remove from heat, and allow to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg until the mixture is light and fluffy. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the milk and lavender until just blended. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a wooden pick inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
Lavender Sugar Cookies (from Lois grandmother)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup shortening
1 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond or lemon flavoring
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
4 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. lavender buds
Beat eggs with sugars, shortening, and oil. Add next ingredients with lavender. Add flour last. Reduce flour if dough becomes too dry. Roll the dough into balls . Press the dough down with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
FANTASTIC LAVENDER Fizzy Foot Soak
Ingredients:
- ½ cup baking soda
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup citric acid
- 10 drops Lavender essential oil
- 5 drops Peppermint essential oil
- 2 Tbsp. dried peppermint leaves
Mix all ingredients together and store dry inside a sealable plastic bag or wide mouth glass jar with tight fitting lid.
You’ll need 2 Tablespoon of mixture per use. This recipe makes enough for about 20 foot soaks!
Mix 2 Tbsp. in a warm foot bath and sit back and relax for 5 to 10 minutes. Towel off & apply lotion to those pretty feet
Health Benefits of Lavender
Lavender has been used to cleanse and refresh since ancient times. In addition to its cleaning and disinfectant properties, Lavender is widely known as one of the most popular scents used in aromatherapy to promote relaxation, relieve headaches and it helps to treat insomnia and encourage slow-wave sleep, which is the deep sleep when our brains organize data and refuel for the next day.
- Wash or bathe with Backyard Botanicals lavender scented soap
- Spritz Backyard Botanicals linen spray over pillow and sheets just before bedtime
- Slip a Dream pillow with lavender buds in sleeping pillow
- Refresh clothes drawers with lavender bud sachets
- Moisten skin with lavender scented lotion
Lavender has been used in traditional medicine since ancient times and is gentle on skin, plus it smells wonderful, so adding it to recipes and projects can only be positive.
Flowers may be steeped into an infusion that is useful for treating nervous exhaustion and tension headaches.
- Made the same way as hot tea
- Put the flowers into teapot, add hot water
- Infuse for 10 minutes, sieve into teacup
- Drink hot or cold
