Lavender, both beautiful and powerful

There are hundreds of varieties of lavender available, but the most popular is English lavender. English lavender is a fast growing, long blooming and fragrant herb with numerous uses. It offers lavender-colored flowers which appear in July and attractive grey-green foliage. It reaches a maximum of four feet in height and width.
Caring for lavender is quite simple. If the soil is even slightly fertile, additional fertilization is not required. This plant thrives in dry soil, making watering unnecessary. The only care required is to cut back the previous year's shoots in April to encourage vigorous growth and maximum flowering.
Propagation of this plant is a simple affair. Cuttings can be taken in September or August, or the plant can be carefully divided in the spring. An even simpler way to obtain more of this choice plant is to sow seed in the spring directly where it is to be grown. Plants will grow ten to twelve inches wide within two years of sowing.

Internally, Lavender is believed to be of benefit for a multitude of problems, including stress, anxiety, exhaustion, irritability, headaches, migraines, insomnia, depression, colds, digestion, flatulence, upset stomach, liver and gallbladder problems, nervousness, loss of appetite, and as a breath freshener and mouthwash. Inhaling the essential oil in some cases has been reported to work as well as narcotics for inducing relaxation and sleep, easing symptoms of depression, and reducing headache pain.
Externally, Lavender oil is one of the safest essential oils and can be used full-strength on the skin. It works wonderfully and can be applied directly for cuts, scrapes, wounds, burns, bee, wasp, and insect stings, rashes, muscle aches, rheumatism, arthritis, cold sores, canker sores, blisters, bruises, athlete's foot, and rubbed directly into the temples in case of headache or migraine.

1. Cut matured lavender flowers just above the leaves, getting the longest stem possible on the flower.
2.Without crushing the stems, tie each flower separately, close to the cut end with a long piece of string. Leave about 3/4" between each stem. This will ensure that when you hang them to dry, air will be able to circulate and that the lavender will not rot or mold while drying.
3.Tie the ends of your string together to form a loop.
4.Hang the chain of lavender, ensuring the flowers point toward the floor, in a dark dry place for about a month.
5.Untie the lavender from your piece of string when it's dry, your lavender is now ready to use.

Tips:
1.place a clean sheet under the bundles to catch any buds that will naturally drop from the drying bundles.
2.for removing the buds from the stems; Place the bundle,still tied together, into a pillowcase. Roll it up and gently press and roll on a counter as you would a rolling pin. Then scoop the buds out of the case and sieve out any large debris.
3.The remaining stems can be placed on campfire embers or charcoal to repel misquitoes.
4.You can also place a few lavender stems on the grill for lavender chicken.

Eye or Dream pillows are used in yoga, spas, and recommended by some doctors. They are simply a pillow sewn to about 3 inches wide to about 10 -12 inches long. There are numerous options for filling the bag, depending on the need of the person using it. The main filler is usually flax seed or rice. The reason for this is it is the perfect weight to enhance relaxation or sleep. The weight of the filler gently comforms to the shape of eyesocket helping you to relax. This is actually derived from the ancient practice of acupuncture.
Doctors and scientist have proven that you get your best sleep in the deep sleep state. This is the state of sleep when your breathing is slower and you have no eye movement. Therefore, the gentle pressure of the eye pillow allows you to reach this state faster. The introduction of herbs, roots, botanicals and essential oils multiplies the affects therefore giving you faster, more effective results.
As stated earlier, lavender has been proven to induce relaxation, sleep and ease headaches. Those are just a few of the reasons we put them in our lavender sleep / eye pillows. These pillows can be used as both a hot therapy or cold wrap. Simply place the pillow in the microwave for 30 - 45 seconds, do not overheat, and place the bag gently over closed eyes. It is best to do this in a reclining postion. The heat really wakes up the aromas of the herbs making it even more powerful.
This bag can also be placed in the freezer and used as a cold pack for sprains, bruises and bumps. No need to wrap it in a towel, the bag will be a comfortable temperature and you also dont have to worry about melting. And once again, the aroma of the lavender will help you relax in a stressful situation.
This is one of many products offered at my online store. Be sure to check it out for everyday natural options. visit me at www.naturalwondersandmore.ecrater.com

The following recipe works great for headaches.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon fresh lavender flowers or 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves or 2 teaspoons dried mint
1 cup boiling water

Pour boiling water over herbs in a teapot. Let steep for 5 - 7 minutes. If your teapot has a screen you can pour right into your teacup, if not, strain, pour into teacup and sweeten with honey.

Lavender Herb Tea

Ingredients
1 tsp. dried lavender flowers
1 tsp. dried chamomile flowers
1 tsp. green tea leaves
4 cups boiling water

Place the herbs in a warmed teapot. Pour in boiling water, cover, and steep for 3-5 minutes. Strain and serve, sweeten with honey if desired.

At Natural Wonders and More we take the work out of making natural herbal teas. Our teas are bagged for your convenience. Simply add one tea bag to your teacup add boiling water and let steep. Remove the tea bag and sweeten with honey.
Here is our headache relief tea bags.
Let the pleasing taste and aroma of Lavender and mints ease your headache. This special blend combines lavender, spearmint, peppermint and green tea to help relieve tension or stress headaches. Just pour boiling water over 1 tea bag in a teapot or teacup and let steep for 4-6 minutes. Sweeten with honey for an even more potent healing tonic. Includes 10 tea bags, with strings and tags, packaged in a decorative party style favor box, perfect for gift giving,
visit www.naturalwondersandmore.ecrater.com for more products like this one.

As a member of the same family as many of our most popular herbs, it is not surprising that lavender is edible and that its use in food preparation is also returning. Flowers and leaves can be used fresh, and both buds and stems can be used dried. Lavender is a member of the mint family and is close to rosemary, sage, and thyme. It is best used with fennel, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, and savory.

English Lavender (l. angustifolia and munstead) has the sweetest fragrance of all the lavenders and is the one most commonly used in cooking. The uses of lavender are limited only by your imagination. Lavender has a sweet, floral flavor, with lemon and citrus notes. The potency of the lavender flowers increases with drying. In cooking, use 1/3 the quantity of dried flowers to fresh. The key to cooking with lavender is to experiment; start out with a small amount of flowers, and add more as you go. NOTE: Adding too much lavender to your recipe can be like eating perfume and will make your dish bitter. Because of the strong flavor of lavender, the secret is that a little goes a long way.

The lavender flowers add a beautiful color to salads. Lavender can also be substituted for rosemary in many bread recipes. The flowers can be put in sugar and sealed tightly for a couple of weeks then the sugar can be substituted for ordinary sugar for a cake, buns or custards. Grind the lavender in a herb or coffee grinder or mash it with mortar and pestle.

The spikes and leaves of lavender can be used in most dishes in place of rosemary in most recipes. Use the spikes or stems for making fruit or shrimp kabobs. Just place your favorite fruit on the stems and grill.

Flowers look beautiful and taste good too in a glass of champagne, with chocolate cake, or as a garnish for sorbets or ice creams. Lavender lends itself to savory dishes also, from hearty stews to wine-reduced sauces. Diminutive blooms add a mysterious scent to custards, flans or sorbets. Dried lavender blossoms used in perfumes and pot pourris.

Lavender Drop Cookies

makes: 36 cookies

12 sprigs fresh lavender
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
grated rind of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
hazelnuts to decorate

Preheat oven at 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Peel off lavender florets. Cream butter and sugar. Add lemon zest, juice and vanilla. Beat in egg. Blend in dry ingredients. Dough will be sticky. Drop by teaspoon onto the cookie sheet. Top with hazelnuts. Bake 15 minutes until light gold.
This is a specialty recipe from the Avonlea West Island Retreat. Mayne Island , British Columbia

These delightfully herbal tea cakes are the perfect compliment to black, herbal or iced tea. Confectioner's sugar dusted on the cookies just out of the oven quickly absorbs moisture and creates a near-glaze covering.

1 c. butter
½ c. confectioner's sugar
2 c. flour
1 ½ tbsp. dried lavender flowers or 2 tbsp. fresh lavender flowers
1 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ c. additional confectioner's sugar

Cream butter with sugar. Add flour gradually, beating well after each addition. Add lavender, mint and vanilla; blend well. Shape into 1" balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325° for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully roll cookies in additional powdered sugar before they cool; place on cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

It is surprisingly easy to make your own lavender scented bath salts. These also make excellent gifts as well as the perfect party favor at showers, and weddings. Yes, I do sell this product at my online store, so you ask, why do you so freely give the directions away? The answer is simple, It is more gratifying to me to help others feel the natural healing effects. This has helped me relax for years during some very difficult times, If this recipe helps one person through a tough time, then Im happy.

What you will need:

2 cups epsom salt
liquid food color of choice
Lavender essential oil
dried lavender buds (optional)
Large gallon size ziploc style freezer bag

Simply place the epsom salts into the freezer bag. Add a couple of drops of the liquid food coloring, (I like to use purple for the lavender)and about 10 drops of lavender essential oil. Seal the top of the freezer bag and shake until all the contents are thoroughly mixed. You can add additional essential oils for a mixture of scents if you like, I like to add some vanilla. You may also want to add dry lavender buds to the mixture for added aroma during use. Place the salts into small silk bags, sealable plastic bags, jars or any other nice container. And there you have it.