Lavender

[OptimusPrime]

Hello everyone - I'm new, and immediately have two questions!

I have a Lavender plant growing in the back yard (just moved into this house 6 months ago), and I really want to utilize it!

I once had a "Lavender Infused Gin and Tonic" at a restaurant that I would love to re-create! How would I go about "infusing" Lavender for usage in an drink like this?

Also, on the other hand, my fiance wondered about how she could attain the Lavender Oil (for use in skin care) from the plant...Any ideas here?

Thanks for any help!

[Suzanne]

I hope someone else knows about oils, 'cause I don't.

However: for culinary uses, you have to be sure that the lavender has not been sprayed with any pesticide, herbicide, or other poison. If there's no way for you to know, you might want to wait until next year before you try to use any of the flowers. (Ask about this on The Chef's Garden here -- people who frequent that forum know EVERYTHING.

If the lavender is okay to use, you can probably put a few washed sprigs into a bottle of gin and let it infuse. You might have to test it every day until it reaches the point where you want it. So maybe you better start 2 bottles -- one to test and one to keep.

[Pinot]

I have read on a few occasions that only true English lavender is edible. I grow all sorts , but have never used it in food. I am not sure , but I don't think other Lavender would be poisionous , but it maybe too astringent to be enjoyed.

[Harpua]

For the body oil, the carrier oil recommended for this purpose is sweet almond oil. You take your big bunch of lavender, bruise it like with a mortar and pestol (sp?), and then stick it in a seal tight jar. Add some of the oil and shake it up. Leave it in a dark place for a couple of weeks and shake it every once in awhile.

I did this once, and I used the stem and everything. It gives it more of an herbacious smell. I would try it next time with just the flower part, but I wouldn't want to be the one seperating it from the stem. It's really up to you because there is still a lot of fragrance in the greens. Hope this helps.


Edit: I made lavender butter cookies once.. they were pretty tasty. I've also had it in chocolate.

[lins]

I have lots of herbal remedy books, Just looked up how to make an infused oil, i'll try and cut it short!
Bash up your herb then Half fill an air tight container(they use a metal one) cover with your oil, put the lid on then place in a pan and fill pan to within 2cm of the top of the container. simmer for 2 hours, allow to cool and strain, repeat the process with new herbs and the same oil!
you can use this as is or melt in some beeswax and use as a skin rub (300ml home made oil 25g yellow beeswax)
As regards to culinary uses I have been told lavender is somtimes used in france for making a provence herb mix!
hope this is of some help!

[redace1960]

harpua and lins have the 411. my 2 cents:
use a neutral flavored oil-sweet almond is the best choice, but for cooking anything light is going to be all right-not olive oil or corn oil, for example. when you're heating the crushed needles (the foliage off the lavender plant is what you use; 1/2 cup packed needles to 1 1/2 cup oil) just HEAT. don't let the oil even shimmer. any hotter and you degrade the oils of the plant. leave the pot uncovered so that no condensate forms to drip into your oil and spoil it. your kitchen will smell heavenly! after say 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally, cool the mixture to room temp, strain through a fine strainer, then again through a coffee filter and there you go! this is the way by which any infused oil can be made for cooking. for perfumes the extra stages of storing and shaking the needle mixture are used before finally twice-filtering; and you will give you a very, very strongly flavored/scented solution.
as susanne says, you can also use booze-type alcohol as the carrier...regular everclear or crap vodka without flavoring, but i never have.