This Holiday Season, add a teaspoon of crushed Organic Culinary Lavender to lift a refreshing drink to the next level … be it lemonade, a fruit punch, your afternoon tea or your evening cocktail. Lavender goes well with lemon, lime, orange, pineapple, chocolate, tea (regular as well as herbal), gin, and sparkly wines!
Why not add a new twist to your holiday baking too! Lavender goes well with almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, vanilla, and citrus flavours such as lemon and orange. Not to mention coconut!
This is how I add 'punch' to one of our favourite holiday cookies!
Lavender Coconut Macaroons
Makes ca. 60-80 Macaroons
3 egg whites
210 g icing sugar
Zest from ¼ of organic lemon
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Organic Culinary Lavender
250 g unsweetened coconut flakes
100 g of good quality chocolate to decorate the cookies with
With a hand mixer beat egg whites until they are quite stiff.
Little by little add the icing sugar - continue to mix while adding icing sugar. Do not add icing sugar all at the same time as it will deflate the fluffy egg whites. Towards the end add the lemon juice.
Stop mixing. With a spatula add the Organic Culinary Lavender and the coconut – carefully stir the ingredients together.
Bake @ 335 °F for 13-15 minutes (you’re not really baking just ‘drying’ the Macaroons) – pull them out of the oven while still white. Melted chocolate can be drizzled over the Macaroons for an extra touch.
Just as we prepare our gardens for the winter sleep – another part of the world is just awakening from its winter slumber and is preparing for the hive of summer activity!
If you miss the fragrance of wonderful summer lavender … pack your bags … hit New Zealand because in the last ten years lavender has experienced a true renaissance in this part of the world.
In many ways, New Zealand has transformed lavender into a ‘modern’ product. The clean, crisp look of their products, the natural and organic approach, environmentally friendly packaging and shipping procedures are only a few examples of how lavender has stepped over the threshold from the classical to the modern.
The time to visit New Zealand is between October to March. Lavender fields are in full bloom between November and January. Discover this part of the world with your 'lavender eyes’. 14 Kiwi lavender farms await …
KUMHO Tire USA introduced the world’s first fragrant automotive tire. The aromatic tire is the fruition of more than a year's worth of research and development to deliver an alluring aroma tire that replaces the normal 'black rubber' smell with heat-resistant oils in the scent of lavender.
According to Rick Brennan, Brand Director for KUMHO, the company is selling the DX aroma tire to help build brand awareness and highlight KUMHO’s tire technology. The tire is targeted at female consumers who drive such sedans as the
Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Subaru Outback,
Chrysler Sebring and Ford Taurus.
Jet lag is that disorienting experience usually expressed in the inability to get proper sleep due to disrupted sleep patterns. Other symptoms of jet lag are: loss of concentration, loss of appetite, dehydrated skin and swollen feet.
Essential oil of lavender works double duty to help your body adjust. The chameleon-like nature of lavender both invigorates as well as relaxes. Use a wet cloth infused with a few drops of lavender essential oil to give you a boost of energy when you get off the plane.
It will help you to stay awake until it is time to go to sleep.
“When in Rome …” – abide by the new time zone immediately. Set your watch to local time as soon as you land and stick to your regular daily bed-time routine. So, if you go to bed at 11 pm at home, 11 pm local time should be your time for bed. Naps are not recommended. This technique helps the body adjust much quicker to a new ‘body clock’.
Before hitting the pillow, a calming lavender bath or shower does wonders to relax tired muscles. You can even rub a few drops of lavender essential oil directly onto the pillow (the oil of lavender does not leave a stain). The scent will help you relax and drift off to sleep more easily.
August 2007
Calming Lavender for Thunder-phobic Dogs!
Many dogs are upset by thunder storms or fireworks. Their irritability is expressed by panting, nervous pacing, and restlessness. For some dogs, panic sets in and leads to property damage or the danger of injuring themselves.
Lavender essential oil with its calming properties can be rubbed onto the dog’s neck, shoulders and chest to calm them during these stressful circumstances.
Lavender is also beneficial in alleviating motion sickness – the scent of lavender seems to calm dogs during long car trips. The scent of lavender has also been used in veterinary waiting rooms to calm animals anxious before their appointments.
In addition to having a calming effect on your furry friend, lavender repels fleas as well as ticks and helps with skin problems! Lavender is one of the top ingredients found in top-of-the line pet grooming products.
Culinary Lavender, especially in the south of France, is known for flavouring teas, coctails, savoury dishes, desserts, cakes, pastries and is often added to salt and pepper or to create the very famous Herbes de Provence spice mixture.
Culinary experts in North America have now picked up the trend and are using lavender to add that “je ne sais quoi” to a multitude of dishes.
Surprise your family and friends by adding a hint of lavender to your favourite recipe!
Dear Traveler and Lavender Fan –
A vacation experience of a lifetime awaits!
Sequim - pronounced “S’kwim” - holds the title “Lavender Capital of North America.” Endowed with more sunshine than California, Sequim, Washington is located in the rain shadow of the majestic Olympic Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. It offers a vacation destination for mountain lovers and sea aficionados with breathtaking scenery – literally.
Thanks to its unique climate, more than 30 lavender farms with 160,000 lavender plants abound!
One can find lavender farms specializing in the production of pure lavender essential oil, floral bundles, beauty-related products and culinary delights.
Open to the public throughout the summer months, visitors have the chance to learn how to grow and use this ancient herb that
has fascinated and beguiled people for millennia.
Mid June through September is the time when lavender is most
abundant and fragrant – yet the highlight of the season must be
the Sequim Lavender Festival held annually in July.
This Holiday Season, add a teaspoon of crushed Organic Culinary Lavender to lift a refreshing drink to the next level … be it lemonade, a fruit punch, your afternoon tea or your evening cocktail. Lavender goes well with lemon, lime, orange, pineapple, chocolate, tea (regular as well as herbal), gin, and sparkly wines! 
Purple Reign in Sequim, Washington!