I love lavender. It smells wonderful, it is beautiful, it has many wonderful properties. I am very sensitive to lavender essential oil and so cannot use any bath/body/laundry/cleaning supplies using lavender oils/fragrance. I can, however, handle the plant itself just fine. And what a plant it is.
We picked up a few bundles of fresh lavender at our CSA farm last week. After letting it dry for a few days, we were ready to go. There are so many things you can make with dried lavender...we decided to make lavender sugar and bath salts. Both quick and easy to make, and the boys love to pluck the buds and shake the jars.
Lavender Sugar.
It has such a nice aroma. It is a great substitute for the store bought sprinkles on top of cakes and cookies. It is really amazing sprinkled over fresh berries (try it, really!) or mixed in at the end when whipping cream for desserts.
ingredients::
1 cup organic big crystal sugar
2-3 tsp fresh lavender buds, dried (don't use the stuff made for potpourri...not for food!)
small jelly jar
Mix together, screw on the lid, and let sit at room temperature for a week or two before using for maximum flavor.
You can put the lavender buds in a little muslin bag inside the sugar to add its aroma but not add the little chunks into what you sprinkle it on if you like - or sift before using. I actually like seeing the little flowers along with the crystals. And they are edible. :)
You can of course also make this with a finer turbinado sugar...and use it for baking scones and cakes. (I'm making a lavender honey today!!!).
++
Lavender Bath Salts.
I love using dead sea salts as a detox body scrub for me, and it is a great additive every week (or whenever he has a flare-up) for the bath for my son with eczema. Dead sea salt contains many minerals and has many therapeutic qualities good for the skin, the body, and healing - and that combined with the soothing/anti-inflammatory properties of the lavender and the emollient almond oil relieves itching and flare-ups.
ingredients::
1 cup good quality dead sea salt
1 Tbsp lavender buds, dried
1 Tbsp good quality almond oil
Mix together and store in an air tight canning jar. Let sit at room temperature for a week or two before using for maximum scent. Multiply this recipe for quantity...this makes about 2 baths worth.
You can scoop this into a small muslin bag and place it into the bathwater or just scoop right into bath if you don't mind little buds. :)
There are so many great uses for lavender...I'm sure we'll make many more things as the summer goes along. These all make great gifts too (we love testing out recipes in the summer so we can have ideas for gifting in a few months).
19 comments:
I've never tried the lavender sugar, but the bath salts are always nice. We planted some lavender this year. Not sure when we'll get any blooms but I can't wait!
Lavender is a favorite of mine as well and what a difference between the real thing and those products with lavender scent added.
The bath salts are functional and so beautiful too!
Don't you love this time of year and the gifts it gives us like LAVENDER! Thank you for the recipes :^)
I love lavender! I especially enjoy grwoing it. Just beautiful, and the bees adore it too. BLessings.
Wonderful Ideas! I only wish I had found them when my lavender was still in bloom (it's been close to 100 degrees here in Southern Illinois for the past few weeks!)
I've never tried lavender sugar. That sounds like something I want to try! I plant more lavender every year, and it's never enough. I love it so much. I guess I need my own lavender farm. :)
Love it! these would make lovely gifts for my girls to make!! Or a nice diy spa day :)
Thanks for the great ideas! I just had the best lavender and honey ice cream. Yummy!
Can't wait for my lavender to blossom!
These are great recipes! Thanks for sharing...
I used to have a huge lavender plant in my front yard. I should have done more with it while I had it! Time to plant one here!
just happened to come across your blog randomly - your photos are LOVELY. you have a beautiful eye
Yesterday morning I was outside puttering around, and ended up with a basket of catnip, pepermint, and lavender. It was heaven. :)
I have made muslin bags and filled with lavendar. Now the flowers were blooming and I am ready to try the sugar mixture and the bath salts. I love growing lavendar! I enjoyed your blog.
Judy
My grandson has very sensitive skin, and rough patches. I will make up some of these bath salts to try on him! Thanks for the suggestion!
Lavender bath sounds so lovely. I just read a recipe for lavender pasta (NY Times, Mark Bittman) which sounded interesting. I love growing lavender, but never do anything with it!
I like lavender, I can smell yours !
Thanks for the recipes... I'll try :)
i adore lavender too! I'd love to make that sugar yum! thanks for sharing and you photographed it so beautifully :o)
Oh, the lavender sugar looks so pretty! When I was a nanny in France I tried lavender ice cream, but I couldn't get over my association with bath products. It just tasted like soap to me.
My ten-month-old son has just started having eczema flare-ups. We were hoping he'd dodge that bullet since my husband (and all the in-laws) have it, but no such luck. Can you recommend a remedy for such a young boy? Are bath salts okay to use? Oatmeal? Would deeply appreciate some help with this if you (or anyone reading this) has any advice. Much love, as always!
Post a Comment