First, Garden Time TV goes to Stonegate Farms to find out how to grow and harvest lavender for cooking. Then below the jump, Kathy Gehrt, the author of Discover Cooking with Lavender, demonstrates a recipe for Hazelnut-crusted Lavender Salmon.
Holiday fragrance gifts 2016, part 1
Today, the first in our eight-part series on fragrance related holiday gifts. We’re starting off late (we usually start on Black Friday, but lateness is one of my personal themes for 2016) and we’re starting off (relatively) cheap, with stocking stuffers and cheap thrills. Do add any of your own recommendations in the comments!
From Hiram Green, Dilettante in 10 ml Eau de Parfum: “Aglow with the gentle buzz of a luscious garden after a daytime rain shower, Dilettante, the latest all-natural scent from Hiram Green, is a delightfully playful tribute to the innocent joys of summer.” $45 at Luckyscent…
Fig Leaf Syrup (or Jelly) ~ recipe
I enjoy making fig jam in late summer (especially rich Mission Fig jam), but fruit isn’t the only culinary ingredient a fig tree yields — fig leaves make an unusual syrup that’s perfect for glazing savory and sweet foods (it’s a nice alternative to maple syrup for pancakes, too). My recipe below presents you with two options: liquid fig leaf syrup or fig leaf jelly. If you want jelly, all you need to do is set the syrup with pectin in step no. 6 below and use jars instead of bottles…
Last Roses of Summer ~ jam recipes
As autumn approaches, my garden is preparing for one final flourish before Day of the Dead (in Seattle that’s, aptly, The End…when my last marigolds will succumb to too much damp, the few remaining roses ‘forget’ to open fully, and quince stragglers, brown, soft and vinegary, lie on the ground).
In these late-August days, I’m thinking ahead: I need to make one more batch of fig-leaf syrup (my Desert King fig tree is so happy it’s two stories high, its leaves bigger than my head) and plan this year’s assorted quince treats: savory, sweet and alcoholic. Our Russian quince tree (Aromatnaya) has so much fruit I’ll be donating some to a pig sanctuary and a weed-chomping, underbrush-clearing goat herd. I’ll also make the final batches of rose jam.
I didn’t grow up eating roses…
A summer of violets
After writing last week’s review of Fabergé Straw Hat, I took a look around and realized that my violet obsession isn’t restricted to perfumes. I’m applying and ingesting and inhaling other violet-perfumed products on a regular basis, too. Here’s a quick round-up of some favorites.
Lush Daddy-O shampoo (top center image) is anything but a “shrinking violet” —its floral aroma is rich and vibrant, with added notes of ylang ylang and violet leaf to add complexity. The scent will linger in your hair all day…