Lavender Jelly

LAVENDER JELLY

1/2 cup fresh Melissa lavender flowers
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 cups sugar
1 three-ounce pouch liquid pectin

Bring two cup water to boil- remove from heat and add flowers- steep for twenty minutes and strain. In heavy saucepan, add infused water, vinegar and sugar, bring to boil, stirring constantly for 10 minutes or until; sugar is dissolved. Add pectin, return to boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam. Pour in hot sterilized jars and seal.

***As with any herbs you use for food, they must be free of pesticides. If you purchase lavender for use make sure its culinary grade lavender. That way its organic for sure.

Lavender blends well with lemon, almond, blueberries, apple, peaches, nectarine, and chocolate. Experiment but use a light touch so doesn’t taste like potpourri or soap.

Recipes:

Lavender powder Sugar - Simply put 1/4 cup of organic lavender in a pint container and fill with Confectioners sugar. Shake. Tie a small strainer with ribbon around the box to make a nice gift. Tell them to sift the powdered sugar over pancakes etc. or use in recipes calling for powdered sugar like glaze or cookies. A subtle lavender taste. Variation: Snip half a vanilla bean and add to the powdered sugar and lavender.

Lavender Butter- Add a TB. lavender buds to a stick of margarine or butter. Let sit in the refrigerator. Serve with crackers. Or on a small round of toast topped with smoked turkey.

Vanilla or Chocolate cream pie with lavender: Infuse 1/4 cup of lavender in 2 cups of milk overnight in refrigerator. Strain and use milk to make choc. or vanilla instant or cooked pudding following pie instructions. Combine pudding with Dreamwhip and make a delicious pie. Use ready made crumb crust.

Lavender Blueberry Syrup: Infuse 1 TB. lavender in 1 -2 cups blueberry syrup in microwave. Strain and use on pancakes, French toast or waffles.

Easy Herbes de Provence bread: Use Pillsbury bread from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Unroll. Spray with margarine spray. Sprinkle with Herbs de Provence. Reroll and bake according to instructions.

Natural Sunburn Help

Summers here and that means sunburn. A friend of mine recently stayed out too long in the sun even using sunblock and got burned pretty bad. So I thought Id post some of these recipes for making your own sunburn relief items from natural things to keep on hand.

ALOE VERA SKIN GEL MAKES 4OZ.
1/2 c. aloe vera gel
2 tb. fresh chamomile flowers or 1tb. dried
1 tb. Vitamin E oil
2-3 drops peppermint essential oil
Mix together aloe vera gel and chamomile flowers in a sm. saucepan or microwave safe container. Heat mixture gently but do not boil. Let mixture cool completely, then strain off the chamomile flowers and discard them. Stir in Vitamin E and peppermint oils. Pour lotion into a clean jar with a tight fitting lid and store in a cool , dry place. To use, massage lotion into skin as needed. For extra cooling refreshment, store lotion in refrigerator.
*Aloe is especially soothing to skin because of its high water content and chamomile and Vitamin E help condition the skin and prevent peeling. Peppermint oil is cooling on the skin and also helps with the pain. Aloe vera gel can be purchased at a store, just make sure its pure gel, no additives. Or if you have your own plant, simply cut off one of the larger leaves, near the plants base, split the leaf lengthwise and scrape out the clear jelly into a small dish.

LAVENDER AFTER SUN LOTION MAKES 3 1/2 OZ.
2 tb. distilled water
1tb. witch hazel
1/4c. baking soda
1-2 drops lavender essential oil
Mix together all ingredients to form a thin, milky solution. Shake well before each use. To use, gently apply to skin; allow to dry. Reapply as necessary. This lotion leaves a fine, powdery film on your skin as it dries, so you may want to rinse your skin before going out.
*If you happen to get sunburned, this simple lotion will help calm your sensitive skin. It contains 3 sunburn soothers, witch hazel, baking soda and lavender oil.

Chamomile has many uses. It may be used as a conditioning cleanser for the hair; as an anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and mild antiseptic for the skin; internally it great for calming down children (it is a mild nerve sedative), helping with digestion as a mild tonic, travel sickness, PMS, sore throat, insomnia, sore mouth. conjunctivitis.
One can make an infusion of the tea by boiling water and pouring a cup over a teaspoonful of chamomile flowers, cover and let steep for 15 minutes, drink freely as needed.
If one enjoys a leisurely bath make a strong infusion, strain and add to your bath water, soak for at least 20 minutes.
This is a rinse for bringing out the blond highlights in the hair. Take three heaping tablespoons of chamomile flowers, add a cup of boiling water and let sleep until cool. Strain and pour over freshly washed hair.
Chamomile is now commonly used as a major ingredient in face creams. The volatile oil of azulene, and the flavanoids are very helpful in retaining a youthful, appearance. One can make an oil, ointment or lotion.

HEAT INFUSED CHAMOMILE OIL
120 grams of chamomile flowers 500 ml of oil (olive, grapeseed, almond)
Put the ingredient into a glass, ceramic, or stainless steel pot that has a cover. You can cook this in the oven at 114 degrees Celsius, or on top of the stove at a very low heat. Stir every fifteen minutes to half an hour. The oil should be ready in three hours. Strain label and use in your other formulas or topically as is.To make a salve, add one ounce of bees wax to one cup of your infused oil. Heat Together on a very low heat, in a double boiler, stirring constantly. When the wax is melted you can pour it off into your labeled jars. Label and use as needed.

LOTION OR FACE CREAM
One cup of chamomile oil One cup of distilled water (cold) One ounce of bees wax One tsp, powdered ascorbic acid
One tsp liquid lecithin Essential oil Gently melt the bees wax in the chamomile oil, add the lecithin and stir well, Pour your cold distilled water into a food processor (a hand held mixer works as well but it takes longer). Turn the processor to maximum, add the ascorbic acid and blend for a minute. Add the oil/beeswax mixture a drop at a time to the water mixture. It takes a few minutes for the mixture to emulsify. If you wish this is the time to add your drops of essential oil. Blend well Put into your jars. Label with the date. This cream may discolor over time. It will keep longer if kept in a cool dark environment.