Five ways to use Lavender in Your Home this fall

No other herb is quite so prized for its fragrance and beauty, or more evocative of romance than lavender.  The season for harvesting lavender has just passed and I have a number of screens full of dried buds.  

Lavender has a laundry list of good-for-you properties.  It is antiseptic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsive, and anti-depressant. Lavender benefits stress, anxiety, exhaustion, irritability, headaches, migraines, insomnia, depression, colds, digestion, flatulence, upset stomach, liver and gallbladder problems, nervousness, and loss of appetite.  With this in mind, I glanced through just a few notes in my file drawer and came up with five great ways to put lavender to work for you.

Relaxing Lavender Bath
Make a strong infusion by adding a handful finely chopped lavender leaves and flowers to a cup of boiling water. Let it steep 10 minutes, strain and add to your bath.  Lavender will not only relax you with its scent but will reduce the stressful feelings with it essential components.

Drowsy Potpourri
Fill a bowl by your bedside with rose petals and dried lavender flowers. Add a drop or two of lavender essential oil. Finger the bowl before drifting to sleep.

Sleepy Sachets
Put lavender flowers and a few drops of essential oil in sachets to slip beneath pillow or inside the pillow case for a soothing release of scent if you wake or turn in the night. Or if you don’t have time pick up a few Lavender Sachets from the Backyard Patch to slip into Birthday cards and hostess gifts.

Lavender Moth BagsMix equal parts of the herbs from the following list. Place them inside muslin bags or if you are feeling especially crafty, sew squares of thin cotton or use heat seal tea bags to create sachets.  Lay them in with your blankets and towels or put them in between your clothes in the drawer.

Dried Herbs to use:

lavender flowers

lavender leaves

mint

rosemary

southernwood

santolina

marjoram

  

The Backyard Patch makes two different Moth Sachets as part of our Green Cleaning line and one has a recipe very similar to this one, using lavender to combat bugs in storage.

Lavender Room SprayAdd 5 drops lavender essential oil to 50 ml distilled water in an atomizer. You will need to shake the atomizer vigorously before each use. Do not make large quantities as the keeping time is relatively short.

Hope you enjoy this short list and remember to use your lavender for all the seasonal effects of shorter days and time changes.

How Tuesday - Purple Basil Jelly

It has been some years since I made jelly and I decided that I was putting it off because of my small kitchen and for jelly that was not really an issue.  To prove that to myself (and perhaps to you if you also have a small kitchen,) I made Purple Basil Jelly.  Last week before the temps went below 40 and took out the basil crop, I needed to rescue all those herbs.  Since I had to harvest every basil plant that left me with the surplus needed to make this recipe.  I did it in an evening after harvesting the plants so you do not even need to set aside a day or something to accomplish this.

I actually shared this recipe in the newest issue (November/December) of The Essential Herbal Magazine.  Now would be the time to order your subscription to get this and other seasonal end-of-year recipes as well as other articles for the herbal minded person!

The recipe follows all the pictured steps.

First I washed and air dried the harvested stems.  I laid them out on paper towel and turned them a couple of times while I got the other materials together and grated the lemon zest.

I measured the basil leaves into the measuring cup, pressing them down to make sure I had an entire 1 1/2 cups of leaves.  Then I placed the leaves in the empty saucepan and bruised them with my fingers. 

Adding the lemon zest, spices, 1 3/4 cups orange juice orange juice and 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar to the pan after the herbs were well bruised. 

Using a medium temperature, I brought he mixture to a boil slowly.

Once it was fully boiling I took it off the stove and poured the contents into a bowl, placed a cover over it and let it steep for 30 minutes.

After the mixture steeped I poured it into my jelly colander.  using the wooden plunger to press down the herbs and extract all the liquid.  You do not normally press down on the materials when making jelly as this will make the mixture cloudy, but the dark color and use of balsamic vinegar in this recipe means it will already be dark and cloudy so you might as well extract all you can from the herbs.

Once I had at least two cups of liquid I measured that back into a saucepan, added the 4 cups of sugar, one cup at a time and brought it to a full rolling boil.  You can see how just adding the sugar started to thicken the mixture and I had not yet added the pectin.

Once it was fully boiling and foaming I added the liquid pectin.  It comes in pre-measured pouches of 3 ounces so you need to make a recipe that crafts 4 to 6 pints to use this amount of pectin.

Bring the jelly back to a full boil so that it is rolling and foaming, then set your timer for one minute.  Stir constantly or the mixture will scorch.

Once you have allowed it to boil for 1 minutes remove it from heat and  skim off the foam that collects on top.  My mom always liked to eat this while it was still warm.

Once you have skimmed off the foam, pour the hot liquid into hot sterilized jars.  I generally leave the jars in the hot water I boiled them in until just before the jelly boils then I remove them from the how water and drain them on a towel.  By the time the pectin boils for one minute I can flip the jars over and fill them right away.  When I take the jars out of the hot water I slip the metal mason jar lids into the hot water and leave them in the water until I am ready to seal each jar with a lid.

The hot lids are placed on top of each filled jar and the rings are screwed on finger tight.  Then you place the jars in a water bath and boil for 5 minutes.  Normally you water bath for 10 minutes, but herbal jelly will get runny if you go that long so only boil covered for 5 minutes.  Then remove the jars to a heat protected surface and let cool.  The lids should pop fairly quickly.  Any that do not should be kept in the refrigerator and eaten first, the others will keep for 6 to 12 months or longer.

Notice my empty jar in the middle to keep the others from falling over into the empty space while boiling.

Recipe --

Purple Basil Jelly

1 1/2 cups packed purple basil leaves, washed and air dried

zest of 1 lemon

3 whole cloves

2 allspice berries

1 3/4 cups orange juice

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

4 cups sugar

3 ounces of liquid pectin

Crush the basil leaves with your hands and place in a saucepan.  Add the lemon zest, cloves, allspice, orange juice and vinegar, then bring slowly to a boil.  Transfer to bowl and cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve pressing to extract all the juices. Measure 2 cups extracted liquid into a saucepan.  Add the sugar and bring to full rolling boil.  Stir in the pectin and boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat, skim and pour into hot sterilized jars and seal.

Stop back in a week and I will have some recipes for using the Purple Basil Jelly.

Kidney for Steve Donation and Auction

Recently I donated a box of Backyard Patch items to the family of Steve Nolan that is raising money for a kidney transplant operation.  Rather than restate all the details of the family and their situation, Here is a link to the Facebook page they created with all the details www.facebook.com/#!/groups/423352361018192/

I was impressed with this young family and especially with Christine (Steve’s Wife).  Her upbeat nature and creativity is an inspiration.  It was a simple request for me to donate to this cause, but I am finding it means a great deal to be able to participate in this fundraiser. I have done this before and everytime I amazed at how enriched I feel from such a simple gesture. 

 

 Here is the link to the special "kiss the Cook" basket Christine created with my herbs and donations from others.   It is an awesome basket and deserves much more bidding than it is getting, so won’t you check it out: http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/4059/auctions/4505/auction_items/99439

 

To read more of Steve’s story and see a few images of this young family  check out their special web page: http://www.giveforward.com/akidneyforsteve

Thank you!
Marcy Raleigh

 

 

Weekend Recipe - Overnight Oatmeal

The weather is perfect.  There is a great harvest to be attended to or some bicycling that can be enjoyed or sight seeing as the leaves change.  These are all good reasons to spend as little time in the kitchen in the morning as possible so you can enjoy as much of the seasonal shortened days as you can.  This recipe will help you do just that.  You make it ahead in the slow cooker and serve in the morning.

Special note - it is not just because it "sounds gourmet" that I suggest the steel-cut oats.  Steel cut oats, which you can find in some stores called Irish Oatmeal, is a toasted oat kernel that has been removed from the husk and cut into 2 or 3 pieces.  You cannot substitute rolled oats in this recipe because they cook too fast and your oatmeal will be done before you wake up in the morning.




Overnight Oatmeal
adapted from cooking.com

8 cups of water
2 cups steel-cut oats
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup dried apricots or peaches
1/2 to 1 tsp. cinnamon (of if you have it Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend)
1/4 tsp. salt (or less to taste)

Combine water, oats, cranberries, apricots (or peaches) and seasoning in a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker.  Turn the heat to low.  Place the lid in and cook until the oats are tender and creamy.  Takes about 7 to 8 hours.

If you want to make them on your stove, you need to craft it in a double boiler and should use about 1/2 of the recipe.  You will cook the oat mixture over boiling water fro about 1 1/2 hours, being sure to check the water level under the the double boiler so you don't burn it off.

I serve with a sprinkle of brown surgar or more Cinnful Dessert Blend.

Rose Petal Facial Cleanser

Rose is very softening to the skin.  Anything that can soften will lessen the appearance of wrinkles and pores.  The roses bloomed early this year due to the heat, but as a result I harvested many more flower heads than usual rather than watch them wither on the vine.  As a result I experimented with making a facial cleanser that has no soap.  You might like to try this for yourself or a gift.

Rose Petal Facial Cleanser

Fill a glass jar with dried or fresh rose petals and cover with distilled witch hazel.  Use a chopstick to stir the mixture to remove any air bubbles, then add more witch hazel so all petals are covered. If you leave the petals uncovered they will go brown within a couple of hours.

Seal the glass jar with a screw top lid, label and date. Leave the jar to infuse in a cool, dark place for a couple of weeks. Strain and pour into dark glass bottles.

If you find the scent from fresh rose petals is not strong or even non existent, it might be worth adding some dried rose petals and re-infusing for two further weeks after you have strained the fresh rose petals. The fragrance is much more concentrated with dried petals than with fresh.

To Use: Apply to your face with soaked cotton balls.

This recipe can also be made with dried or fresh elderflowers when they are in season.

Crafting Pillows to Aid Sleep

When the days shorten and the clocks change in autumn, I sometimes have problems sleeping.  This probably goes all the way back to the insomnia I suffered from in college and this time of year brings back those memories of wondering the dorm hallways and pacing the quad trying to get myself to sleep.  Most of the time I gave up trying to sleep and went over to the museum and cataloged artifacts in the wee hours of the morning.  It helped to know the security guards who would let me in.

lemon verbena

One of the first herbal remedies I employed with my first harvest back in the early 90s was a sleep pillow blend.  I cannot sew, so these were sealed into cotton bags and later oversized tea bags which I slipped into the pillow case.  As long as I kept from putting in catnip I generally got to keep the bags for myself.

There are several herbs you can choose when putting together a sleep enhancing pillow. Lavender is a popular herb for sleep-dream pillows, and was often used by Victorian ladies to relieve headaches.  Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena have an exceptionally soothing fragrance that is said to help depression. Rosemary was thought of traditionally as an herb that could guard against evil spirits and nightmares.

Any dried herbs you like may be added to a pillow.  Choose those whose scent appeals to you, but whatever you choose, remember that it should give off a soothing, subtle scent that promotes relaxation.  You can pick from angelica leaves, marjoram, rose petals, rose geranium leaves, lemon thyme, lavender, lemon balm, and lemon verbena.  Avoid mints as they are thought to be energizing and not so sleep enhancing.

The procedure for each blend is the same.  If using essential oil add it to the orris root powder - substitute oak moss if you are sensitive to orris root (these are fixatives, like in potpourri they help the pillow herbs keep their scent.)  Then mix in the ingredients and store in a covered jar for 2 weeks, shaking container daily.  Once cured place the dried flower mixture into a small pillow made of closely woven fabric or in a cotton teabag.

Lavender-Chamomile-Rose
2 oz. lavender flowers

1 oz. chamomile flowers

1 oz rose petals

2 tbsp. coriander seeds (lightly crushed),

1 sm. cinnamon stick (crumbled)

2 tbsp orris root powder

Lavender-Lemon Verbena-Rosemary
2 oz. lavender

1/2 oz. crumpled bay leaves

1 oz.lemon thyme

1 oz. rosemary
1 oz. lemon balm

1 oz. orris root powder, a few drops of lavender oil

Orange-Eucalyptus

2 oz. hops

1/2 oz. Eucalyptus

1 oz. meadowsweet

1 oz. woodruff

1 oz. crushed cloves

1 oz. crushed orange peel

1 oz. orris root, few drops sweet orange oil

If you do not have the time or the herbs to craft these pillow inserts yourself, the Backyard Patch makes pillow sachets for sleep, relaxation and headaches.  You can find them all on our website under Pillow Sachets on the Bath and Spa Items Page (look down toward the bottom.)

The Best Herbs for Autumn

Here is a list of the ripe perfect autumnal herbs  and some ways to add them into your seasonal cooking.

Garden Sage

Sage -- This herb gives savory flavor to sausages and stuffings, either by itself or in combination with other herbs. To amaze your friends at dinner parties, pick a handful of the thick, fleshy leaves and fry them to crispness in olive oil, then sprinkle them with sea salt. Much better than potato chips as a snack.

Peppermint -- The mint (small serrated leaves in the picture) shoots up long, lavender flowers. Don't discard the flowers! These have a strong and slightly different flavor than the leaves, and make a nice addition to salads. While most use mint to make iced tea or juleps, the mint can also be used in pestos, and to make various other Italian salsa verdes.

Flowering garlic chives -- This herb flowers in the fall with a white button type flower.  It can be used in stir-fries, or as stuffing for meat, poultry or fish. Steamed with a little sesame or olive oil, they make a fine side dish by themselves.

Lemon Balm

Lemon Balm -- Said to have healing properties, this herb in the mint family smells like lemon more than it tastes. It can make a fine addition to salads or teas, or can be macerated to make a soothing balm for insect stings or sunburn.

Purple Rubin Basil

Basil -- Once again, the flowers are the most potent part of this anise-y smelling herb, and, crumbled over pasta or fresh mozzarella with olive oil, make all the dressing you ever need. And if you like a colorful vinegar, use the purple varieties instead of the green for the best shade of magenta you have ever seen and all the same Basil flavors.

Curly parsley -- Once provided on the side of the plate almost universally in restaurants as a breath freshener (you were supposed to chew it after the meal), curly parsley is strongly flavored and a little goes a long way. Salads or pestos are its best use, or sparingly in meat and poultry stuffings. Or try stuffing a big zucchini with rice and chopped up curly parsley.

Lavender

Lavender -- Identifiable by its lovely lavender flowers and saw-tooth leaves, lavender is more fragrant than it is tasty, and cooking applications are sometimes hard to find. Yet, it is indispensable in the Herbs de Provence of France, is great stuffed in a sachet and hidden in your underwear drawer, and can be sparingly used in flans, ice creams, and other sweet applications.

Thyme -- After a rainfall, thyme becomes the densest of herbs, and also one of the most pungent. Typical uses include savory stews and soups, and why not dry a handful for the winter? Much better than the jarred variety in stores.  The lemon thyme varieties make great tea and vinegar.