Lavender~
Well, its October already! So I thought I would do a post on one of my favorite Flowers of the summer...Lavender!
Did you know that there are thirty-nine species of Lavender! I myself had no idea...I have only two different kinds of lavender. Spanish lavender and Munstead lavender. The two are very different mind you and I really find the Munstead lavender much more useful than the Spanish as far as an use for making your own lavender oil. However the Spanish lavender is quite beautiful and lovely scent for the summer. I learned that lavender is use very much as a herb in cooking and in health too! I got to the flower over the summer vacation at my mother house because she has these huge and beautiful bushes of lavender that smell so lovely that when we got home I use had to have lavender in my garden too...Lavender has spikes of bluish purple & blue which are very fragrant tiny flowers a top tall thin stems. Which are surround by mounds of either grayish blue or light or darker green leaves. They are primarily cultivated in Provence France. They say that these flowers prefer an sandy, coarse soil, with very good drainage plus lots of sun. however, I have lavender [Munstead lavender & Spanish lavender] with just the good coarse potting soil and they are doing fine. You just have to be careful not to over water or underwater. Its a delicate balance you might say...I am concern however what to do during the winter months here in WA. state so I will include a website link for you all if you happen to be in a area of very cold or very raining and wet like myself. Hints;
Hardy Zones 4-9
Mature Height: 12-16
Begin in the fall by inspecting your plantings and prune off any dead, limp or unsightly growth. This is not the best time to give your plant a hard pruning for those of you with cold harsh freezing winters. If you are blessed with healthy plants you may not need to do any pruning until spring.
You also will want to make sure that there are no winter debris such as autumn leaves or plant
Material from nearby plants smothering your Lavender. A pile of leaves will get dampened
by winter precipitation and hold moisture in which will cause disease, die back or even kill your lavender plant. Even though it is winter you will need to see that good air circulation is maintained.
Try to avoid leaving your plants under a pile of damp snow fro a very long time. Some of you that live in areas where there is frequent freezing and thawing with creates dampness. If you had planted your Lavender in fast draining soil then applying a layer of mulch will help regulate soil temperatures.
It also ok for the ground to be frozen for the cold hardy types. Its the freezing thawing , freezing thawing that sometimes causes problems due to all the moisture accumulation and water runoff around the roots. Container plantings may need to be moved inside or to a more sheltered location.
taking the time to plant your lavender correctly from the start with good draining gritty soil is often times the best winter preparation of all to assure you see those purple flowers bloom again come spring. There are different varieties of lavender and some are better suited than others for different
geographical regions so don't be sad if you have lost your plant the first time around
This link is where I got the info above...enjoy....
They say that Lavender is considered to be a powerful herb that attracts energy of a high vibrational nature. Also it is said to be good for-a nervine relaxant muscle relaxant and antidepressant among other things... But I would ask your doctor about anything before using something like that before for these more serious ailments.
Lavender is also used for many uses in meditation too...Some ancient traditional uses were; Burns,
In the birthing rooms, To bless homes; Wreaths for newly married couples and finally hung in bunches throughout homes to dispel flies and mosquitoes.
Today-Lavender is used in so many ways; Like that of bath soaps, linen closet, perfumes, tea, flower extract, eye pillows, bath oils, essential oils for relaxation or folks that have migraine's like myself and finally cooking dishes.
Over the many years I have found lavender, mint and spearmint to be very useful in the essential oil form for my migraines that I have had since I was 13years old.
What I have done over the years is just put a couple of drops of the lavender oil on my finger then, massage into my temples being very careful not to get into my eyes. This can bring great relief to folks who gets them quite often.
History of Lavender~
According to Ancient Lore it is believed that King Solomon Ruler of Jerusalem from 971-931BC chose lavender to be included in his holy water because of its reputation to cleanse and purify.
So my dears I thought I would go once again to my King James Version of the Holy Bible and look for Songs of Solomon to see if there is anything about essential oils or maybe written in a different way...
Song of Solomon 4:10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is they love
than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!
Song of Solomon 1:3 Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured
forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.
These were two scripture from my own bible that I could find that had to do with essential oils back in biblical times...
Well, now I thought I would share my own recipe to making Lavender oil...I used my own lavender flowers and Jasmine flowers.
1-First pick as many dry lavender flowers from your garden. If you happen to have a jasmine tree you can add them too. Which I did. Just slowly add the dry flowers in a clean glass jar. till full or when you have no more flowers left at the end of the fall.
2- Once you have gathered as many dried flowers as you want or as you have-make sure that you have cut them from the long stems of the lavender flowers. If you are doing the jasmine flowers they are very easy just drop them in. Then get a Jar that you want to use for making yur essential oil and make sure it is clean and very dry. Add all the flowers and pack the lavender & jasmine into the clean jar.
3-Then its time to go to the herbal store. There is where you will find a good essential oil to pour over all the dry flowers cover and screw tie.
I found a rose oil but you can use any kind of oil you want. The one hint I would give you is don't get an essential oil that is to strong because you want to be able to smell your flowers after the 2-4months it is been sitting in the oil.. So you might as your local herbal store person for a little help.. So after you get home with your essential oil carefully pour all the oil on the flowers till they are all cover or even an inch above them. close tied and leave it on your counter top where it will be safe for that 2-4 month time. I would also write on the top what you have done on the top.. and the dates too. That way you know when you can open it. After the time you strain the flowers and get another clean jar for the new oil you have made and there you go..
4-Now if you don't have a garden or flowers you still can do this fun activity - At your local herbal stores they should have the flowers too.
If you want you can even put some of your oil in the tiny essential oil jars too.
I hope you all have fun with this... I now I did and my jar is still sitting😄💖
lavender chocolate truffles-
Well, lastly how one cooks with lavender. I thought you all might like this one that I found,
the Lavender Chocolate Truffles. The darkness of the chocolate and the fragrance of the lavender
just goes together in my book...
Ingredients-
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1cup heavy cream
1teaspoon dried lavender
1cup unsweetened cocoa
Make the Truffles-
Grate the chocolate in a bowl
Bring the cream and lavender to a simmer in a small
sauce pan for 1min, then strain out the lavender pieces.
Add the lavender cream mixture to the chocolate (which you should put in metal bowl)
stir to melt stir slowly.
Mix it well. Chill for at least 3 hours
Then roll into 1inch balls(I would use a 1inch ice cream scoop).
I would also put them on wax paper so they don't stick. later roll the
truffles into cocoa or anything else you would like.
Makes 24 Truffles.... Enjoy..
Well, my dears I hope you all enjoyed my
second post and I am truly try to get back on track.
I love you all so very much
Your Friend always Wendy
