Strawberry Lavender Spritzer - Weekend Recipe

Before the Strawberries are all gone you just have to try this wine spritzer.  Perfect in a punch bowl at your garden party.  I am making a non-alcoholic version to serve at the Villa Park Gardenwalk next Weekend!

Strawberry - Lavender Wine Spritzer

• 1/4 cup orange juice

• 1 cup fresh strawberries

• 1 tablespoon fresh lavender buds

• 3 cups white wine (or one 750 ml bottle)

• 4 cups club soda or seltzer water

• 4 to 6 fresh lavender sprigs

• 4 to 6 fresh strawberries

In a blender or food processor, blend the orange juice, 1 cup of strawberries, and lavender flowers.

Transfer to a jug or bowl.  Pour wine over the blended mixture and allow to steep for 30 minutes; then strain into a punch bowl, discarding solids. To serve, fill a wineglass half full with flavored wine and top with mineral water. Garnish with a sprig of lavender and a strawberry.

For a non-alcoholic version use white grape juice or apple juice,instead of wine.

Weekend Recipe - White Tea Sangria

White Tea Sangria

Something cold and fruity on a hot day.  What is better than iced tea?  Perhaps Iced tea with a twist!

4 heaping Tbsp. loose white tea

1 bottle white wine, chilled

2 cups white grape juice, chilled

1 orange, washed and sliced

1 lime, washed and sliced

1 lemon, washed and sliced

2 kiwis, washed and sliced

1 peach, washed and sliced

1 apple, washed and sliced

6–12 berries, washed

6–12 grapes, washed

Ice

Directions:

In a teapot or jar, cover tea leaves with boiling water and steep for 4 minutes. Strain out leaves and let tea cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher. Pour into ice-filled glasses. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Note: Substitute any of the fruits with whatever fresh, seasonal fruits you have on hand. Also, you can use oolong tea instead of white tea, if desired.

4 cups boiling water

Herb of the Week - Calendula or Pot Marigold

Let's face it. The turn in the weather here this week from mild to very cold has certainly chapped my skin.  And the over heated office I work in has taken its toll as well. But herbs can help to heal both body and spirit. And there's something especially healing in a soothing product you've made yourself, with all-natural ingredients.

So today’s Herb of the Week is Calendula (Calendula officinalis), one of the top skin healing herbs.

Tonight I am presenting a program on Bath and Beauty which focuses on aromatherapy to lift your spirits and soothing treatments for winter harried skin.  I thought I would share a couple of the calendula-centered recipes I put together for this program as well as help you in a decision to include this great herb in your garden this year.

History

The name Calendula came from the ancient Romans for the fact that it bloomed on or around the first day of the month or calends.  Although more popular for its color and attractive flowers rather than its medicinal properties it was featured in the Doctrine of Signatures (the principal that an herb's physical characteristics are a clue to its usefulness) as a treatment of jaundice.  Nicolas Culpepper stated it was a good herb to strengthen the heart.

Calendula came to the Americas with European settlers.  It was prominently used during the Civil War as a treatment for healing wounds and halting bleeding.

To Grow

Calendula is a cheery, dependable blooming flower in the marigold family (not to be confused with scented marigolds in the family Tagetes.) They have semi strong upright branching stems with medium green leaves covered with tiny hairs.  The flowers are round many petal daisy-like poms that come in shades from yellow to deep orange.  They will bloom from midsummer until after frost.  The flowers close at dusk.  It is said if the flowers open fully in the morning the weather will be pleasant, if they do not, weather will be less seasonal.

This is a plant easily grown from seed and can be grown in all zones.  Fresh seed is essential however, because the seed viability is only one year.  The seeds are curvy crescent shapes covered with ridges.  Harvesting seed yourself is great but you must use them in the next growing season.  You can sow the seed directly into the garden once the soil has reached about 60 degrees.  On a nice sunny day in April or May this is a great early garden activity.  You can also start them indoors planting them out after the chance of frost has passed. Thin the plants to 9 to 10 inches and keep them weed free, but beyond this no special treatment is needed to grow them.  They are a hardy annual plant and will survive frosts and even early snow.  They prefer a cooler climate and bloom best in fall weather.  Once the temperature reaches 25 degrees their season will end.  If you put seeds in pots in July you can enjoy them along with your mums for fall color.

The plants will grow 12 to 18 inches tall depending on conditions.  They are also a great container plant and keep to 6 to 8 inches in window boxes and patio planters.  They will grow in just about any soil that is well drained.  They react badly to dampness.  They do prefer a sunny location.  Calendula is considered a companion plant as it can draw aphids away from other plants, but you will need to watch for an infestation.

Susceptible to all the normal pests of the garden, they will develop powdery mildew if not properly thinned.  To keep them blooming, make sure they are well watered and clip of the spent flower heads.  Since I harvest the flower heads, just as they reach full bloom, I know I will always have a new crop of buds to take their place.

To Use

Pinch off the flower heads from the stem and lay them flat to dry.  Once they are dry you must place them in a dark jar with a tight fitting lid to preserve the color of the petals.  The flowers are hygroscopic meaning they are easily affected by humidity.  Some suggest pulling each petal off the flower, but I have never had the patience to do that before drying and am still satisfied with the color and quality of my dried calendula.

Historically a woman who could not choose between two suitors was advised to make a fine powder of dried calendula flowers, marjoram, thyme and wormwood simmer them in honey and white wine then rub the mixture over her body.  Then she must lie down and repeat “St. Luke, St. Luke be kind to me: In my dreams let me my true love see!”  I just had to share that because it is February!

As an edible flower, the most common early uses for Calendula were in cooking.  In England it was tossed into dishes so often you might think it was a vegetable.  It was especially popular for flavor when stewing lark or sparrow according to the Elizabethan cookbook of John Gerard.  Other dishes including Calendula pudding, Calendula oatmeal, and calendula dumplings were also created.  There were even recipes for calendula wine (see below).  It is great as a coloring in rice dishes, and the leaves can be used in salads.  Add the petals to soups, stews and fish dishes.

Tinctures of the flowers have been recommended for the treatment of a wide variety of ailments including amenorrhea, cramps, toothaches, fever, flu, and stomach aches.  As a general tonic it has been known to induce sweating in a fever and increase urination and aid digestion.  Calendula has also been extensively used as an external remedy for sores, cuts, bruises, burns and rashes.  You can make a quick and easy ointment by crushing fresh flower petals and mixing them with olive oil.  A personal powder can be made by grinding dried flowers and blending them with arrowroot powder, cornstarch or talc.  I will often pluck a flower and rub it on a bee sting to relieve the pain and itching with good results.

Calendula has a strong yellow / orange color and the petals can often be substituted for saffron in a recipe.  I grid them, then stir them in when I want a rich yellow color in my lemon herbal butter.

More recently with the advent of home making of remedies and cosmetics, Calendula has found a new niche.  In addition to the yellow color it can impart to lotions and salves it is also great for skin.  An antiseptic with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties it can promote healing.  The essential oils in the petals are an excellent skin healer, especially for cracked skin and chapped lips.  A poultice on burns or stings is very use useful.  Salves with calendula can be used for the treatment of varicose veins, chilblains and impetigo.  A cold infusion (tea) can be used as eyewash for Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis.)  The sap in the stem has a reputation for removing warts, corns and calluses, which is why an infusion of the leaves, stems and flowers is used to make soothing lotions and creams for dry rough skin.

At the Backyard Patch I use Calendula in my Elmhurst Garden Walk Tea, Victorian Floral Black Tea and in Green Tea for the Tummy.  In other products is it part of the infused oil in a Massage oil. 

Recipes

Sweet Calendula Buns

4 Tbls. softened butter

½ cup caster sugar

2 eggs

½ cup self-rising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tbls. fresh calendula petals

Put the butter sugar, eggs and sifted flour and baking powder into a bowl and mix until smooth and glossy.  Fold in 1 ½ Tbls. calendula petals.  Turn the mixture into greased or paper lined muffin tins and sprinkle with remaining petals.  Bake in a warm over 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Calendula Wine

2 quarts of Calendula officinalis flowers

1 gallon boiling water

1 Campden tablet, crushed (sterilizer available from a wine making store)

3 tangerines, juice and thinly pared peel from each

1 lemon, juice and thinly pared peel

5 ¾ cups sugar

1 ¼ cups white raisins, finely chopped

wine yeast

yeast nutrient

Directions:

1.              Wash the flowers and put into a large container with a lid.  Pour over the boiling water and stir in the Campden tablet and leave for 24 hours. 

2.              Place the sugar in a large bowl.  Draw off 1 cup of the liquid and heat it to just before boiling with the citrus peel, then pour over the sugar.  Leave to cool to body temperature (rather than room temperature.)  Then pour back into the bulk of the liquid adding the raisins citrus juice, yeast and nutrient.  Cover and leave in a warm place for 5 days to ferment, stirring twice a day.

3.              Strain the liquid through a double thickness of muslin.  Pour into a fermenting jar, fitted with a fermentation lock and leave to continue fermenting. 

4.              Rack the wine as it begins to clear.

5.              When the wine is completely clear, bottle and store in a cool dark place for at least 6 months to mature.

Calendula Cleanser

4 Tbls. olive or almond oil

2 Tbls. dried calendula flowers

few drops of violet, orange blossom or rose water

Directions:

Warm the oil in a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water.  Stir in the dried flowers and continue to heat gently for 30 minutes.  Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool.  Stir in the flower water.  Bottle

Directions for use: swear a small amount onto face and rinse with warm water.  Keep refrigerated and use within 10 days.

Facial Mask
Calendula and chamomile have long been used as skin softeners, and aloe is a proven healer. Use the gel from your own aloe or purchase from the drugstore. Here's a soothing treatment for winter-worn faces, suitable for all skin types. The essential oils—you can choose from several, with different effects—provide a subtle aromatherapy, lifting and soothing your spirits, while the herbs and almond meal do their work.

2 tablespoons almond meal (almonds ground very fine)*
1 tablespoon powdered calendula
1 tablespoon powdered chamomile
about half of a raw egg, yolk and white beaten together
aloe gel, enough to make a paste
2 drops chamomile essential oil, or oil of your choice

Mix the almond meal and herbs together. Add enough aloe gel and egg to make a paste. Add essential oil. If the paste is too thin, add more almond meal; if it’s too thick, add a bit of aloe gel or egg. To use, wash your face. Pat dry, and apply the mask. Leave on for 10 minutes or so, while you’re lying down, then wash off gently. Refrigerate for up to a week. (This will make 3-4 masks.) Follow the mask with a gentle moisturizer.

*Almond meal and almond oil are recommended for cosmetics because both are superior moisturizing and softening agents. If you are allergic to nuts, or intend to make the cosmetic as a gift for a friend, you may substitute oatmeal (oat flakes ground fine) and a non-nut oil of your choice.

How Tuesday - Making Herbed Wine

Herbed Wine is about as striking a taste as herb viengar and just as versatile.  In fact any recipe that calls for wine you can use an herbed wine instead.  And it is easy to make. 

For today's HOW TO-sday I'll show you how to make Herbed Wine-

Pairings of herbs and wine are as ancient as humans can be. I often get asked about mixing herbs with wine and years ago created a Spiced Wine blend that I sell in the winter, but recently I engaged in a bit of research and found that adding herbs to an ordinary bottle of wine can make a very drinkable savory wine that is as easy to make as an herbal vinegar.

My husband has food sensitivities which resulted in my blending of cooking herbs for our personal use when I first began growing herbs 20 years ago.  That same sensitivity keeps him from drinking wine very often, but as he becomes a self-taught chef he loves to cook with wine and blending herbs into wine certainly gives you a new flavor to cook with.

Whether you like white or red wine you can easily blend herbs into it.  You can use fresh as these recipes suggest, but dry herbs blend into wine just as well as I will show below.

Herbal Chardonnay

3 sprigs of Rosemary

2 large basil leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered

1 ½ cups Chardonnay

Wash herbs and place in a clean pint jar. Add wine and cover.  Store in a cool, dark place for at least a week or until the flavor suits you.  Remove herbs.  Use to marinade fish or chicken, wine sauce or as part of cooking liquid for rice or beans.

Herbal Burgundy

4 sprigs thyme

4 sprigs marjoram

4 sprigs parsley

1 ½ cups burgundy

Wash herbs and place in a clean pint jar.  Add wine and store in a cool dark place for a t least 2 weeks or until flavor is full and mellow.  Use to marinade beef and ham, in making beef stew, vegetable soup and tomato sauce.

 

I made the Chardonnay wine with dried herbs this winter (I did not have all these fresh herbs, so decided to make the entire recipe with dried.)

Below the photos is a recipe we then made with the herbs which is exquisite and easy.

I used   1 tsp. dried basil, 1 to 2 tsp. rosemary and 2 tsp. minced dried garlic with a nice inexpensive Chardonnay which has been open in the refrigerator for a week or so, being saved for cooking.

I measured the herbs into a small container and add a small amount of wine allowing the wine to rehydrate the herbs.  I let them sit for about 10 minutes.

Then I added 1 ½ cups white wine to a mason jar and poured in the rehydrated herbs and liquid.

I left the jar in the corner of my kitchen counter space in the dark area near the refrigerator for about two weeks and then we made the Pasta Recipe.

If you want to try your Herbed Wine the "Recipe of the Month in June 2011" on the website is Fusilli Pasta with Herb Wine Dressing -- Check it out Here! (scroll to the bottom of the page)

Here is another to try as well--

Sauteed Mushrooms with Herbed Wine

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup white wine infused with herbs  (like rosemary, oregano, basil, marjoram, etc.)

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place mushrooms in the skillet, and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Mix the wine and garlic into the skillet, and continue cooking until most of the wine has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chives. Continue cooking 1 minute.

Wassail Blends and Recipes

Wassail~ the old English word waes haeil means “be ye well”  It is the centuries old tradition of welcoming the new year by offering warming drink to friends and family who came to call on New Years.

I first made a Wassail Blend in 2003 when my sister in law wanted something unique as her wedding favor.  I researched the traditional ingredients for wassail which include cinnamon and cloves, but also cardamom and ginger.  We then packaged it in a muslin bag with orange peel.  I have since found several ways to prepare wassail punch so here are several recipes to try.  The first is the recipe I include with the mixture. 

Traditional Wassail

1 Wassail Blend Bag

1 cup raisins

1 1/2 quarts grape juice (or quart of wine)

1 gallon cider

          (or 1 to 1 1/2 gallons cran-apple juice)

In a large pan, place Wassail spice bag, raisins, and grape juice (or wine).  Bring to the simmering point.  Simmer for one hour.  Remove spice bag (it can be reused one more time).  Add cider, and heat just long enough to bring the mixture to a simmer.  Pour into a preheated punch bowl and serve.  When punch is all gone, raisins can be eaten.  Wassail gets better with age, so make it ahead of time and reheat. 

Spiced Cider Wassail

2 quarts apple cider

1 quart orange juice

1 quart apricot nectar

½ cup fresh lemon juice

1 Wassail Blend Bag

In a non-reactive pan, bring to a boil the cider, juices, and the spice bag.  Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.  Transfer to a heat proof punch bowl.  You can add some clove studded orange and lemon slices and float them in the bowl of wassail.  Makes 4 quarts.

Hot Spice Punch

1 bottle of dry red wine

1/2 cup seedless raisins

1 bag of Wassail Blend 

Put wine and wassail bag in a large bowl and leave for about 8 hours.  Then add raisins and heat punch until the surface begins to shake, but does not come to a boil.  Serve warm.

GLOGG (a traditional holiday drink)

1 gallon cider

2 cup water

1 Wassail Blend Bag

1 cup red wine

1 miniature box raisins

6 whole almonds

Bourbon or apple cider

Simmer Wassail Bag in 2 cups water for 15 minutes, remove bag and add remaining ingredients.  Simmer for an additional 20 minutes.  Then add 1/2 liter of bourbon or 1/2 gallon of cider.

Cran-Apple Punch

This special recipe was shared with me by a customer.  She created it using the Spiced Cider / Mulled Wine Blend.

12 cups apple juice

6 cups cranberry juice

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 pkg. of Wassail Blend or Spiced Cider / Mulled Wine Blend

Simmer on low heat for 30-45 minutes.  Serve warm.

Our Wassail Blend as well as the other Spiced Cider mixtures from the Backyard Patch are available by visiting this link or our Esty Store. 

Enjoy your holiday safely and responsibly!