lavender-msg - 1/29/08 Period use of lavender in food and elsewhere. NOTE: See also the files: herbs-msg, spices-msg, seeds-msg, roses-art, cook-flowers-msg, gardens-msg, gardening-bib, p-agriculture-bib, p-herbals-msg, Palladius-art. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 09:06:19 +1000 (EST) From: The Cheshire Cat Subject: SC - Lavender ><< Any cautions on eating lavender?>> Cooks hat *off* Herbalist hat *on* LAVENDER Family: labitae Part Used: Flowers Constituents: volatile oils Action: aromatic, carminative, nervine Helps to: Improve the digestion, reduce flatulence and colic, ease nervous tension Historical Notes: Lavender has been prized for it's scent since Elizabethan times. It is native of the Mediterranean and was used by the Romans for scent and medicine - it's use in the bath accounts for it's name, as lavare is the Latin word for 'to wash'. It was mentioned in the Bible as the much values 'Spikenard'. Lavender was one of the herbs thought to give protection from the plague in the Middle Ages, and there are many customs and folklore rituals in which is figues. It was taken to the New world by the pilgrims in the xeventeenth century. As a medicine, lavender was thought to help against the bites of snakes and mad dogs, and was taken to relieve pain and reduce stress and tension problems. Extrnally it was used as a lotion or poultice for painful problems like headaches and toothaches. The oil was used on skin injuries like burns and ulcers. Lavender makes a good remedy for the digestion and an excellent one for easing nervous tension. The taste is not overly unpleasant once you get used to it. (I make an infusion of it for just this problem). culpepper says: 'Lavender is of special use for pains in the head and brain to do proceed of a cold cause, as the apoplexy, falling sickness, the drowsy or sluggish malady, cramps, convulsions, palsies and often faintings. It strenghtens the stomach and freeth the liver and spleen from obstructions, and provoketh woman's courses.' Here's the only warning. Don't take Lavender in large quantities if you are pregnant without the approval of a certified herbal practitioner. Herbalist hat *off* Cooks hat *on* Sorry about that, I know that herbalism doesn't quite belong on this list, but I couldn't help it since I have had some bad experiences with various herbs, I am a strong believer that people should have some idea of what it is that they are putting into their bodies. Non of my research indicates that there is any particular type of lavender that should be used. I always use the plain spike lavender. - -Sianan ************************************************************************** Marina Denton sianan at geocities.com Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 21:55:04 +0930 From: "David & Sue Carter" Subject: Re: SC - Lavender (long-ish) Milady Sianan wrote, re Lavender's pedigree: >Family: labitae >Part Used: Flowers >Constituents: volatile oils >Action: aromatic, carminative, nervine >Helps to: Improve the digestion, reduce flatulence and colic, ease nervous >tension But I have not seen anyone mention that there are several species of Lavender, which differ in their fragrance, and in most cases in their bitterness as well. I own a useful little herb guide called Herbs For All Seasons, by Rosemary Hemphill, Angus and Robertson 1972 and new Ed 1983 (ISBN 0 0207 14637 3), in which she lists the cultivated varieties as: French Lavender (Lavandula dentata) English Lavender (L. vera, L. officinalis, L. spica) Italian Lavender (L. stoechas) All are said to originate in the mountainous regions bordering the Western half of the Mediterranean and thrive on plenty of sun, dry conditions and poor soil. This is why we can grow some truly awesome lavender bushes here in Innilgard (Adelaide, South Australia). Rosemary states that English lavender was not cultivated in England until about 1568 (sadly she does not give her reference for this statement) She says that French lavender is the hardiest and blooms all year, and that lavender oil is made from both the flowers and the leaves. English lavender is more highly scented and lavender oil is made from the flowers only. It is also favoured for dried lavender. Italian lavender is not used for oil/perfume but as a fresh strewing herb, especially in Spain and Portugal, and its flowers are used by the Arabs for medicinal preparations. She also gives a recipe for Conserve Of Lavender Flowers. Again she does not quote the original, but says it is a variation on the conserve recipe in The Queens Closet Opened, by W.M. the Cook to Queen Henrietta Maria c1655. It is thus: 10 stalks of English or French Lavender Flowers 4 tablespoons icing sugar 2 dessertspoons Rosewater Rub the flowers off the stalks and chop finely. This should make approx 1 tablespoon of chopped flower Beat the icing sugar and the flowers together in a bowl, add the rose water slowly to make a stiff paste. Spread sparingly on the top of plain sweet biscuits, or over a plain cake and let set. I suspect that the preference for either French or English lavender for cooking is because you only need the petals of the flowers to impart the lavender flavour and so avoid bitter and woody flavours that the stems and leaves would give. Having tasted lavender shortbread and lavender ice (a sort of gelati and in period if you are late, Italian or French) there were very few visible lavender bits compared to the strong flavour (and lavender oil had NOT been used because it should not be used). I also suspect that of the English lavenders, L. officinalis is the herbal lavender as opposed to the ornamental one. Esla of Ifeld Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 21:38:20 +0930 From: "David & Sue Carter" Subject: Re: SC - Lavender (long-ish) Lord Ras quoted Mistress Christianna: << Gee, the variety that grows the best here in Atlanta, Ga. is > called "Spanish Lavender" by the nursery, I wonder which one of the above > that would be? (I have long lost the tag that came with it...:( >> And added: >French Lavender has surrogated leaves. English lavender for all practical >purposes does not. > >Ras I believe the word your spelling checker may be looking for is serrated :) Perhaps the following descriptions may help to identify the Spanish Lavender. French lavender is a woody shrub that requires a hard prune every year to keep its shape. It has sticky, serrated leaves (dentata means teeth) and flowers on short spikes. English lavender has smooth silver grey foliage and the flowers are on long spikes. It can be cut back hard but doesnt require it to form a pleasing shape. Italian Lavender is smaller, but very bushy with soft grey, pointed leaves and velvety flowers. It is described as being commonly used in Spain and Portugal as a favourite strewing herb on festive days in churches and homes. If the description fits, Spanish lavender may be a form of Italian lavender (L. stoechas) and therefore recommended for strewing and possibly drying, but not the preferred variety for perfume or cooking. Then again it might be something entirely different, assembled in a horticulturalist's laboratory for its superior marketablity but not necessarily any other useful trait. (with reference to strawberries, apples, and any number of other so called improved plants) Hope to be of help.. Esla Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 15:02:36 -0400 From: "Gaylin Walli" Subject: Re: SC - Lavender Esla wrote: >Perhaps the following descriptions may help to identify the Spanish >Lavender. [descriptions deleted] According to the books I've got here on my desk at work (an online), Spanish lavender's latin name is officially Lavandula stoechas, which is also called French lavender in some stores and books. If you have web access, here's an online pic from the Gardener's Library: http://www.homearts.com/affil/gardb/plants/lavastoe.htm Jasmine Jasmine de Cordoba, Midrealm (Metro-Detroit area of Michigan) jasmine at infoengine.com or g.walli at infoengine.com Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 11:27:18 -0400 From: "Gaylin Walli" Subject: SC - Re: Lavender varieties Concerning lavender varieties, Lady Allison wrote: >These are obviously different cultivars, but does anyone know whether >USA growers are cultivating for color, flower size, perfume, drying >qualities, etc? I've looked this up out of curiosity and a desperate attempt to avoid working on mundane work stuff. :) Here's what I've found. Hope this helps people. It treads dangerously close to off topic material, but at least might help the mundane grower pick varieties for their herb garden when recreating cooking, herbal, and medical botany type projects. Enjoy. -- Jasmine de Cordoba, jasmine at infoengine.com ++++ The largest listing of cultivars of lavender that I know of online is located at the San Marcos Growers website (a wholesale company based in Santa Barbara, California). Their website URL is: http://www.smgrowers.com/lav.htm Only a small number of the species of lavender cultivated in the world today are useful to the herbalist and the perfume industry [1] however, many more varieties might be useful to the cook of medieval food. In a recent small survey of a botanist, fragrance researcher, herb crafter, edible-flower chefs, plant growers, and herb gardeners from all over the United States (including "the far north" and "the deep south") the following varieties were the most popular for the reasons listed [2] (note the x- varieties are lavandins, not true lavenders): Lavendula angustafolia 'Hidcote' tradition, strong scent L. angustafolia 'Munstead' bluer flowers than most L. x-intermedia 'Grosso" strongest fragrance sweetness of essential oil abundance of flower spikes L. x-intermedia 'Royal Velvet' retains dark purple color dried L. angustafolia 'Lady' prolific flowers throught summer short lifespan (2-3 years) ease of propagation L. x-intermedia 'Provence' hardiness in Zone 5 or worse L. stoechas (Spanish L.) size of plant mass L. angustafolia 'Goodwin Creek Grey' size of plant mass L. angustafolia 'Formasike' size of plant mass Of the newest varieties being grown and developed in the trade for cooking and perfumery, the following are the most popular [3,4,5]: L. x-intermedia 'Super' Longest growth with best oil production and best drying strength. Most production in France and Tasmania. L. angustafolia 'Betty's Blue' Scent intensity at least as good as 'Hidcote' with better and longer bloom time. Most of the lavender grown worldwide is used to produce essential oils, with lavandin cultivars predominating because they yield greater quantities of oil. However, L. angustifolia is also grown for essential oil production, as selected forms give very high quality oil for use in perfumery [6] and cosmetics. References: [1] Snowbound Herbals website http://www.sbherbals.com/0797HotM.html [2] The Herb Companion magazine, April/May 1998, pp. 21-25. [3] Personal Communication, Bordine's Nursery, 9-12-98. [4] Personal Communication, Jennifer Arris, garden plant specialist, 9-12-98. [5] Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) website http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/lavender.html [6] Jenny McGimpsey: McGimpseyJ at crop.cri.nz Redbank Research Station, New Zealand New Zealand Crop & Food Research Ltd. WebSite http://www.crop.cri.nz/broadshe/Lavender.htm [Submitted by: "Philippa Alderton" ] ---------- From: Gaylin Walli To: herbalist at Ansteorra.ORG Subject: HERB - RECIPE: Lavender Cookies Date: Thursday, November 05, 1998 12:01 PM How about a food recipe for now? (I'm still trying to type in those balm recipes and the sour tummy cordial recipe for everyone) I made some of these last night. Yummy. These were a big hit last year at Christmas. I've made them before for folks and most people are suprised at how good they taste. It's not something that most people are used to, though, so be prepared for some "ugh!" reactions. Most people associate the smell/taste of lavender with soap, not food. -- jasmine, jasmine at infoengine.com JASMINE'S LAVENDER COOKIES (makes about 2.5-3.0 dozen) Equipment: mixing bowls measuring cups and spoons mixing spoons or a good electric mixer a small bowl (a soup bowl will work well) a small kitchen ruler a kitchen timer at least 2 ungreased cookie sheets cookie racks (wax paper on your countertop doesn't work as well) Ingredients for the cookies: 1 cup stick unsalted butter, softened but not melted (Do not use margarine, whipped butter, or butter substitute.) 1/2 cup white sugar or lavender sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups all-purpose flour Lavender sugar (for rolling the cookies in) Ingredients for lavender sugar: 1 cup dried lavender blossoms 1 cup white sugar Mix these together in a small bowl. You'll need to keep mixing these together as you use them because the lavender has a tendency to separate from the sugar and float to the top of the mix. If you make enough of this ahead of time you can sift out some of the flowers and use the leftover sugar in the cookies themselves (I keep some of this around at all times). Preparation instructions (see optional preparation below): Cream together the butter and the sugar until it is light and fluffy, a pale golden yellow color. To this mixture, add the salt and the flour gradually, but without beating excessively between additions. After the final addition of flour, mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined, being sure to scrape the sides and bottoms of the bowl. Chill this dough for about 1 hour (sometimes a little less) until it is firm enough to handle (not excessively sticky on your hands). Preheat your oven to 350F. Form the dough you chilled into small balls, about 1-inch in diameter (measure them with a kitchen ruler). Roll each ball in the lavender sugar and place it on the ungreased cookie sheet. Press down the each ball with your thumb, but don't press all the way through, just far enough to flatten the cookie. Bake each sheet for roughly 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are very lightly golden, not brown on the edges. Take the cookies off the sheets as soon as they come out of the oven. Once cooled, store in an airtight tin or cookie jar. Optional prepartion: Another way to prepare these cookies is to follow the instructions for creaming everything together and chilling the dough as instructed above. Try using the lavender sugar that has the flowers filtered out in place of the plain sugar in the cookies. Once everything is chilled well enough to handle, take a long sheet of wide wax paper an place the dough at one end. Shape the dough roughly as a tube or rectangle and then use the wax paper to roll the dough up into a log. Leave enough room on each end of the log for a small amount of waxed paper to be twisted. Close the ends of the log off from the air by twisting the extra waxed paper in opposite directions (one clockwise, one counter- clockwise). Place your dough log in the freezer for AT LEAST 3 hours. You can freeze this log up to 6 months. When you're ready to make your cookies, simply slice them off the log, place them on the ungreased cookie sheet, sprinkle a little filtered lavender sugar on top of them, and bake as indicated above. Some preparation and baking hints: I've not gotten the hang of air-bake cookie sheets yet. I find that when I use these non-stick sheets, I burn my cookies because I keep thinking they aren't done. Keep in mind that the lavender that sticks to the outside of the cookie should turn brown, but that isn't an indicator of when the cookie is done. I've found that the first cookies I put in the oven cook slower than the later cookies. Keep this in mind when you're watching your cookies to see if they're done. While one sheet of cookies is baking, it's helpful to prepare the second sheet to go immediately into the oven. This minimizes the time the oven door is open and makes the baking go faster. If you only use one cookie sheet, you should really wait for your sheet to cool down some before you place the next batch of cookies on it. Without doing so you not only run the risk of burning yourself, but the cookies often are tougher and sometimes overbaked. Date: Wed, 13 Oct 1999 11:50:33 -0400 From: Jennifer Rushman Subject: SC - RE: SC- lavender harvest > Yes, that was my second search after posting to the Cooks' List. I will >also be looking about *how* to extract the essential oils from the leaves >. . . .maybe . . . .or is that considered "distilling?" and gonna get me >in trouble with the "revenooers?" I can't give much insight into lavender specifically however my MS thesis involved commercial mint production. Lavender is also an essential oil plant in which the oil is extracted from the flowers. The flowers are gathered an then immediately steam distilled. (See Simon, J.E., A.F. Chadwick and L.E. Craker. 1984. Herbs: An Indexed Bibliography. 1971-1980. The Scientific Literature on Selected Herbs, and Aromatic and Medicinal Plants of the Temperate Zone. Archon Books, 770 pp., Hamden, CT) I have never distilled lavender oil, however I have distilled peppermint oil by the same process. The process involves boiling the mint in a vessel which is connected to a condenser. As the mixture of crushed mint leaves and water boils the vapor condeses and is collected in another container. This condensed liquid will contain water and essential oil, with the oil floating on top. Be careful as essential oils are often very strong and could burn your skin or sinus passages. The yield and quality of mint oil varies with cultivar, growing conditions and post harvest handling, and could also be assumed for lavender. As an example 500 g of dried mint yielded 1-4 mL oil, or 40-90 pounds of oil from an acre of harvested mint. I couldn't find lavender yield info. Hope this helps, CH - --- Lady Clare Hele, Barony of Windmaster's Hill, Atlantia Jennifer Rushman, RTP, NC Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 21:18:07 EST From: LrdRas at aol.com Subject: SC - Lavender Guenevere_Nelson-Melby at needham.k12.ma.us writes: << Does anyone know when the first documented use of lavender as an ingredient occurred, >> Al-Baghdadi (1235 CE) uses lavender as an ingredient in many dishes. There may be earlier works of which this arrogant schmuck in unawares. . <> The spice trader's mentioned regularly on this list (Francesco's, Spice World and the Pepper's Guild) all carry lavender. Also any local whole foods store should stock it or be able to order it. Ras Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 02:48:49 +0200 From: Thomas Gloning Subject: SC - lavender << ... that Lavender (lavandula spica) was noted in 1150 by Hildegard >> "Lavendula ... homini ad comedendum non valet". (L. vera; ch. 35) lavender for man to eat not is-healthy The passage De spica/Lavendula spica (ch. 25) seems rather of medicinal than of culinary value (lavender wine for medical purposes): "CAP. XXV. ó DE SPICA. Spica calida et sicca, et calor ejus sanus est. Et qui spicam cum vino coquit, vel, si vinum non habet, cum melle et aqua coquat, et ita tepidum saepe bibat, et dolorem jecoris et pulmonis, et dumphedinem in pectore ejus mitigat, et scientiam puram ac purum ingenium facit." Are there other passages? Best, Thomas Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 07:29:48 CEST From: "Christina van Tets" Subject: SC - lavender There's a recipe in the Miscellany for a honey/lavender/pepper syrup - I think (your Grace? I imagine you know rather better than I) for pouring over the dreaded exploding Dafair. By the time I've finished wrestling with the Dafair themselves (why the heck do they explode only when _I_ make them?) I generally give up and use rosewater syrup instead, but I have done the lavender thing once or twice. OTOH, I've probably misremembered the whole thing and it's supposed to go over something else anyway... Cairistiona Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 05:52:11 -0400 (EDT) From: alysk at ix.netcom.com Subject: SC - Re: Period Recipes for Lavender Greetings. There are some recipes in the Anonymous 12th-(13th?)Century Andalusian recipes that are in Cariadoc's cookbook collection. Alys Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 07:24:14 -0500 (CDT) From: Jeff Heilveil Subject: SC - lavendar In general any flower that you pick up from a florist is a REALLY bad idea to use in cooking. There are little to no regulations on pesticide use in greenhouses if the food was not intended for consumption. This goes along with the theory that you don't want florist roses for making rosewater unless you know that they are organic, or that the grower uses biological control agents and not chemical control agents. Also, as for the use of lavendar in period there are a couple of recipes in the Miscellany (as Ras posted, I believe they ARE from al-Bahgdi (SP)). The recipe for a Counterfeit of Garbanzos (period Falafel), as well as the original (for which I cannot currently remember the name, but is on page 32-34ish) which is made with lamb both use lavendar and the recipes are not quite as good IMHO without said lavendar. Bogdan _______________________________________________________________________________ Jeffrey Heilveil M.S. Ld. Bogdan de la Brasov, C.W. Department of Entomology A Bear's paw and base vert on field argent University of Illinois Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 10:47:52 EDT From: "Catherine Hartley" Subject: Re: SC - Period recipes for lavender? The following is a recipe that I made for Meridies Crown List (for high Table)... it never got served as we had so much food, and it was forgotten...but it tastes wonderful. I would expect that Lavender is a nice flavor in any subtly flavored dish. Caitlin of Enniskillen Source: Libro della cucina del secolo XIV/ The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy, by Odile Redon et al. Primary Source: Togli buono vino con un poco d'aceto, e, sciumato che sia quando bolle, meetivi, dentro il pesceie, e cotto, cavalne, e fa bullire il vino tanto, che torni a la terza parte: poi mettivi dentro zaffarano e altre spezie, con alloro: poi colato il vino, mettivi spico, e lassa che sia freddo; poi metti, sopra'l pesce, nel catino. Translation: Take good wine and a little vinegar, and when it has been skimmed upon boiling, put in the fish, and when they are cooked, remove them, and boil the wine so that it reduces to one third; then add saffron and other spices, with bay leaves;then when the wine has been strained, add lavender and leave to cool; then put it over the fish in a dish. Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 11:04:04 -0400 From: "Gaylin Walli" Subject: SC - lavender Incidently, a nice recipe of poached pears in grape sauce (Platina) would be excellent served with lavender flowers. Tie a bunch together and hang them in the pot when you're reducing the sauce for the pears. Discard the blossoms when done and then garnish with more fresh blossoms. The purples would contrast nicely. A sprig of mint in the center and *poof*, Bob's your uncle. Jasmine iasmin de cordoba Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2000 00:13:36 +0200 From: Thomas Gloning Subject: SC - Period recipes for lavender? Here are some further candidates for lavender (and/or spicanardi): Enseignements (ed. Lozinski; ca. 1300) 134 Se vos volez fere comminee de pesson ("... puis prenez canele e espic e girofle ...") 157 Se vos volez fere gelee de pesson ("... poivre lonc, garingal, espic e un poi de safren..." Viandier (ed. Scully; 14th/15th cent.) 68 VAT Gelee de poisson 170 VAT Espices qu'il fault a ce present Viandier 24 MAZ Soutil brouet d'Angleterre Menagier (ed. Brereton/Ferrier; ca. 1393) 251.10 Pour faire .iiii. platz de gellee de char ("... espic ..." 270.31 Pour une quarte ou quarteron d'ypocras ... ("... espicnardi ..." Recueil de Riom (ed. Lambert; ca. 1466) Nr. 9 Une gelee de cher de poulailhe, lappereaux, et de cochons ("... giroffle, maxis, et espic, et garingal, ...") Martino (ed. Faccioli; 15th cent.) p. 130 Per fare dui piattelli di gelatina (" ... et meza quarta di spiconardo ...") See Platina VI.24 (transl. _spikenard_) The German Platina 1542: "... Spicanarden ..." Meister Eberhard (ed. Feyl; 15th cent.) R109 Oleum nardicum ("... Man nymbt spicanardi gancz vnd seudt ...") Ein sehr K¸nstliches vnd f¸rtrefflichs Kochbuch 1560 B5b Wie man Rephu:ener sol kochen ("Auch mag man wol Rosenwasser oder Lauendelwasser daran thun") B6a Ein pru:ee vber Hu:enner ("nim Spickwasser oder Rosenwasser"; _Spick_ 'Lavender') E7a Sugar with roses/sugar with lavender "Ein Rosen zucker ein zu machen/ oder andern Zucker. NJm zu eim lot Rosen/ drey lot zuckers/ Aber zu Lauendel vier lot/ zu eim lot Plu:emblein auch so vil" (Nr. 80). Sabina Welser (ed. Stopp; ca. 1553) 106 Ain kreitertortten z? machen ("... vnnd ain wenig lafendel ...") There is another German cookbook from 1609 with several lavender recipes; Wiswe mentions 15th century recipes for beer with lavender. _Espic_ is also listed in a 14th century French document on spices, mentioned in one of Pichon's footnotes to the Menagier. Sorry that I did not key in and translate all these recipes... am a bit under pressure with other stuff. Thomas To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: lavender sugar From: "Christina L Biles" Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2001 13:25:06 -0600 >>>Which parts of the plant do you use to infuse the sugar? I have a burgeoning plot in my front yard... Devra the Baker << I take fresh or dried lavender blossoms, bury them sugar, and shake the jar from time to time. For a presentation type gift, I would use whole stems, but typically I use a handful of dried blossoms. While you are looking at cooking applications, consider strawberry lavender jam or lavender jelly. -Magdalena d.C. Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 16:35:09 -0800 (PST) From: Samrah Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] culinary lavender To: Cooks within the SCA Michael Acord wrote: >>> I have come across a number of recipes calling for dried lavender flowers, but have not yet tried any of them. I have tried to determine which of the many varieties of lavender to use (French, English, Spanish, sweet, etc.), but am uncertain as to which is best. Any suggestions? TYIA. Mike Acord <<< Usually we are talking English Lavender, but I believe French would work. I have never tried using Spanish. If we are talking period cooking, if memory serves Spanish may be OOP. The main thing is to make sure it has been raised properly, without toxic type chemicals. Dried lavender is available is available in cellophane packages in the botanical/teas section of Mexican markets. Usually when using lavender one only uses the flower portion of the plant, so sweet would not seem to be of particular value to me, but if it is what you have growing in your garden.... Samrah Edited by Mark S. Harris lavender-msg Page 13 of 13