Lavender Recipes!

As promised, here are a few little ways to bring more lavender into your life.

LAVENDER HONEY
This is great drizzled over toast, English muffins, granola, or stirred into a cup of tea!
1/4 cup English lavender buds
1 cup honey (not the creamed kind)

Place lavender and honey in the top part of a double boiler and simmer for about an hour, checking water to make sure it doesn't boil away. Remove from heat and strain out the lavender while the honey is still warm and thin. Pour honey into a clean jar with a lid, and store at room temperature.
Note: You do not ever want to let honey reach its boiling point. It will bubble up in a flash, leaving a sticky mess all over everywhere. Ask me how I know. ;-)

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CEDAR CHEST (MOTH-AWAY) SACHET

Adapted from the Atlantic Spice Company's recipe

The original recipe called for "Tilia Flowers", which Atlantic Spice no longer carries. They do carry the cellulose fiber fixative, which is basically ground-up corn cobs. Their link is listed to the right, and the San Francisco Herb Company is their sister company for all our western U.S.A friends.
You can omit the cellulose fiber if you'd like - just increase the amount of cedar chips by one cup, and drip the oil onto them instead.

Caution: Essential oils are potent and should be handled with care. Be careful not to get the oils directly on your skin or in your eyes! When mixing, use only non-reactive bowls, spoons, etc. (glass, ceramic, or stainless steel - no aluminum, plastic, etc.), and dedicate them to craft use from that point forward. (I like to get bowls & such at Goodwill for craft purposes!)

6 cups cedarwood chips*

4 cups lavender

1 cup cellulose fiber fixative

1 cup cinnamon sticks (1-inch)

1 cup cloves, whole

¼ to ½ ounce cinnamon or lavender essential oil

Drip essential oil onto the cellulose fiber nuggets, blending well. Mix with all other ingredients. Fill wide-mouth jars about ¾ full, cover tightly and store in a cool, dark place. Check fragrance after several days and add more cinnamon oil if desired. Cure for 2 to 6 weeks, shaking occasionally.

*Note: Cedar chips sold as bedding for small animals will work just fine, and are usually a lot less expensive than herb-store cedar!

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LAVENDER RIBBON BAGS

Dried lavender buds

Sheer wire-edged ribbon

Buttons or beads

Cut a 13” length of sheer wired ribbon.  Turn ends under about 1/4" and stitch.  Fold 5 ½ inches of the ribbon over on itself and stitch the sides together.  Put the lavender mixture into the pocket.  Fold over the remaining 2 inches to make the pocket flap.  Sew a button or beads to the pocket to secure the flap. 

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Have fun with your lavender!  - J.