Okay, so my lavender is coming on strong. Other than sachets, or tied bunches of it, what do I DO with it? Open for any and all ideas, but what I'm really wanting to know is if there is a way to use the lavender from my garden for scenting homemade laundry detergent?
Hmmm... not sure how you would do that without extracting the oil first. And, I have no idea how to extract oil..LOL I never did get that far... read a bout it a long while ago but never gave it a try... so it was not retained info I'm sure if you Googled it, you could find the info you need I like to use it in Dream Pillows
I bought soem fabulous lavender-peach and lavender-blueberry jam at a farmers market last year. This is from recipezaar for Lavender Peach jam. http://www.recipezaar.com/293113 I would think the infusing method is good for all recies using lavender. Ingredients 1 lime, rind of 2 tablespoons lavender flowers, dried 1/2 cup boiling water 4 cups peaches, finely chopped (about 5-6 medium peaches) 2 tablespoons lemon juice 6 cups granulated sugar 1 (6 ounce) envelope liquid fruit pectin Directions 1Place lavender flowers in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over flowers and steep for 20 minutes. Strain and discard flowers. 2Combine lavender liquid, peaches, lemon juice and sugar in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boul over high heat and boil hard for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in pectin. 3Ladle into sterilized jars and process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes.
Funny you should post this! Yesterday I collected all my lavendar and it's now drying in the kitchen. Smells so good! I made lavender syrup and lavender sugar. These & other lavender recipes here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/story/413711.html. This morning I sweetened my tea with the sugar. Very nice - not too floral but a it had certain je ne sais quoi. Very nice. I can't wait to make saketinis with it: lemonade, sake, and a splash of lavendar syrup over rocks. I'm drying the lavender to make my own herbes de provence. It's so expensive at the grocery store. No reason I can't make my own for free. I use it all winter long in soups, cheese spreads, on pot roasts, in cream over turkey or chicken... delicious!!! Recipes: http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/21558/herbes-de-provence.html
My mum used to place a sprig or two of dried lavender into a jar of sugar. When we'd go to sweeten our tea the sugar would be infused with the scent. Very cool!
Wow, this site lists a lot of uses for lavender. Now I want to grow some. http://www.zephyrfarm.com.au/uses.htm chel
I had 4 huge plants last summer. A dog tore them to shreds. They didn't come back this year. I need to plant more.
