Lavender-Excellent For Fragrance And Cooking

Lavender is a member of the mint family and best known for it’s wonderful fragrance. It’s delicate lavender flowers and bluish-green leaves, make wonderful dried flower arrangements, fresh flower arrangements and add taste and aroma to sweets.

Two of the most well known varieties of Lavender are English Lavender and Spike Lavender. Some of the uses of both kinds of Lavender are:

1. English Lavender-English Lavender is the most common of the two dozen lavender varieties. It is more sweet and more delicate than Spike Lavender.

2. Spike Lavender-Spike Lavender is usually grown commercially for the perfume and soap industries to extend the more costly English Lavender.

Some of the main uses for Lavender are; scented soap, bath water, perfume, cosmetics, antiseptic, a restoration for faintness, pest repellant, protect linen from moths. For culinary use lavender can flavor honey, vinegar, pork, lamb, game, jellies, deserts, sweetened breads, pastries, cookies, and fruit. For kitchen use, lavender should be untreated and pesticide free. In summer, toss a few springs of lavender over hot coals while grilling meats to ad a bit of rosemary like aroma.

Lavender may be used fresh, however, dried lavender concentrates flavor. To dry, pick the lavender midday, when aromatic oils are warm and blooms are free of dew. Cut flower stems way below the flowers. Tie the stems in bunches and lay to dry for several weeks in a warm, ventilated room or shed out of direct sunlight. If desired, remove dried lavender from stems and store the blossoms in a jar.

Lavender-Orange Sauce For Crepes

With vegetable peeler, remove orange rind thinly from 1 large navel orange in 2 by 1 inch strips. Cuts strips lengthwise into ½ inch wide slivers. Boil slivers in saucepan of water, drain and repeat. Meanwhile, cut white membranes off peeled orange, section orange into a bow. Set aside. In large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon fresh lavender flowers until sugar dissolves. Add 3/4 cup orange juice; heat to boiling. Stir in blanched orange peel and sectioned oranges.

Be sure to check out our easy and fast crepe recipe that goes wonderfully with the Lavender-Orange Sauce.

--La Donna Jensen, co-owner Aaron’s Online Boutique, owner of Network Marketing Income, Internet entrepreneur, 20 years marketing and sales, author.

Article Source: www.AaronsOnlineBoutique.com