Lavender Lies (35 page)

The other guests spent our wedding night in various Pack Saddle accommodations. Since the inn had been close to capacity already, most people had to sleep several to a room, and a few of the more stalwart bedded down in the lobby. The party, however, went on until the wee hours, as the wind blew and the rain rained and the spiked punch and champagne were augmented from the emergency stock in the Pack Saddle’s wine cellar. McQuaid and I crashed early, so we missed the entertainment. But a bleary-eyed, hung-over Hark told us the next day that ours was the rowdiest wedding party anybody could remember.

On Monday morning, all those who were ambulatory breakfasted in the Pack Saddle dining room. When the rain tapered off around ten, we turned out to watch the highway crew repair the flood damage. After the inspector pronounced the bridge fit for use, people began to leave, hugging and congratulating us and vowing never to forget our wedding as long as they lived.

On our way out to the parking lot with armloads of flower containers, Ruby and I stopped in Linda’s office. She looked tired but cheerful, the way a safari director ought to look at the end of a long and successful trip, having lost none of her tourists to the leopards.

“Thanks for the hospitality, Linda,” I said. “You were wonderful.”

“Right,” Ruby said. “When I get married, I’ll plan to hold the wedding here. You certainly know how to throw a party.”

“Yeah. Life’s a blast, isn’t it?” Linda shook her head. “Hey, did you hear the latest? Both Pauline Perkins and Ken Bowman announced their resignations from the Council this morning.”

“No kidding,” Ruby said. She looked at me. “I’ll bet they chose this morning to make the announcement because they figured the news would get buried in all the stuff about the storm.”

“No doubt,” I said, and picked up my suitcase. “Guess we’d better be on our way. Thanks again, Linda.”

Linda grinned at me. “Have a great time on your honeymoon. Where are you and Mike headed?”

“Hawaii,” I said expansively. “Blue skies, sweet breezes, days in the sun, sweet tropical nights. I can’t wait.”

“Blue skies?” Linda gave me a long look. “Have you looked at the weather forecast for Hawaii?”

“Oh, no!” Ruby groaned. “Don’t tell me—not another storm!”

“Hernando,” Linda said. She gave me a thumbs-up. “Bon voyage!”

If you’re a lavender lover, you’re not alone in your passion. The sharply clean, refreshing scent of its delicate flowers and silver-gray foliage was cherished in early times by the Egyptians (who used it to make mummies), the Phoenicians, the Greeks, and the Romans, and by gardeners everywhere.

Lavender grows best under its native conditions—that is, where it can have bright sun and excellent drainage. If lavender doesn’t like your moist, shady garden, try it in the hot, dry, gravelly space between the curb and the sidewalk where everything else fries to a crisp. If you live north of the Mason-Dixon line, you’ll need to stick with one of the winter-hardy species and toss a mulch blanket around it in winter.

There are twenty to thirty different species of lavender (depending on who’s counting) and lots of different varieties. The shrubby, thirty-inch plant you see most often is English lavender
(Lavandula angustifolia),
which tolerates cold weather. Its warm-weather friends are Spanish and French lavenders, and if you live in the South, they may do better for you. Lavender doesn’t come in just lavender, of course: it comes in varying shades of white, pink, dark violet, and blue. You can grow it from seed, cuttings, or root divisions, or do it the easy way and buy plants from Wanda’s Wonderful Acres (Wanda will love you for this) or your local nursery.

One of the greatest delights in the herb garden is harvesting lavender. Pick the spikes just as the flowers are about to open, watching for snakes, or fairies masquerading as snakes. (Sicilians used to believe that fairies took the form of snakes and draped themselves across the lavender branches.) Wrap the cut stems in a rubber band and hang upside down to dry in a warm, dark place so the color doesn’t fade. Your closet is good, particularly because you can visit it often and sniff to your heart’s content.

Once you’ve harvested your lavender, you’ll find all sorts of ways to enjoy it. The plant has long been used to scent soaps, cosmetics, and potpourris, and sachets, many of which you can make for yourself from the recipes and formulas in the books listed below. You can also use it in your bath and in footbaths, or put a few drops of the essential oil on your hair brush. While most people don’t think of lavender as a culinary herb, you can use it to flavor cookies and cakes, make tangy vinegars and punches, and brew fragrant teas.

Lavender’s healing properties have been known and exploited for centuries. It has been used to soothe headaches, calm the nerves, relieve anxiety, quiet indigestion, induce sleep, relax sore muscles, cool hot, tired feet, and kill germs. (During the dreadful plagues of the late Middle Ages, the robbers who plundered the personal belongings of the dead wore face masks dipped in Four Thieves Vinegar, which contained lavender.) Recent research shows that the plant contains a powerful antiseptic. Scientists have also confirmed that the scent of lavender lulls you to sleep by functioning as a central nervous system depressant. Other research suggests that the plant may have anticancer potential as well, triggering a mechanism that helps cancer cells destroy themselves.

All this, and pretty, too.

The following books can help you learn more about lavender’s many and various uses. And if there’s a wedding in your future, you might want to consult a couple of experts.

 

The Bride’s Herbal,
by Bertha Reppert. Available from Rosemary House, 120 South Market St., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.

A Cozy Book of Herbal Teas
, by Mindy Toomay. Recipes, remedies, and bits of folk wisdom about many herbs, including lavender.

Lavender: Practical Inspirations for Natural Gifts, Country Crafts and Decorative Displays,
by Tessa Evelegh. Lots of lavender lore, ideas for using lavender, gorgeous photographs.

Lavender, Lovage, & Lemongrass,
by Hazel Evans. Recipes, crafts, beauty products, and lovely, lovely photographs. Learn how to make lavender syrup, lavender bubble bath, lavender sleep toys, and even (a Victorian necessity) lavender ink.

Lavender, Sweet Lavender,
by Judyth A. McLeod. Information about lavender history, lore, cultivation, and use, abundantly illustrated.

Planning Your Herbal Wedding,
by Betsy Williams. Valuable instructions and ideas for using herbs to celebrate your wedding. Available from Betsy Williams’s The Proper Season, 155 Chestnut Street, Andover, MA 01810.

These little wands are often placed in drawers and on linen shelves, where the fragrance of lavender is especially welcome. Here’s what you need:

 

Strip the leaves from the stems (don’t disturb the flowers). Bundle the stems together, lining up the lowest blossoms, and tie a string tightly around the stems just below the blossoms. Bend the stems over the blossoms to form a cage around them, and secure with a rubber band. Starting at the top of the cage, weave the ribbon in and out of the stems in a descending spiral, forming a woven basket around the flowers. Tie tightly at the bottom of the basket. Trim stems neatly and add a bow.

This delicate recipe comes from a fine book of original recipes called
Seasonal Herbal Favorites from Martha’s Herbary,
Vol. 1, by cooking instructor Martha Paul. Martha says she’s working on Volume 2, so ask her about it when you order her book. The address: Martha’s Herbary, P.O. Box 236, Pomfret, CT 06258.

In food processor, process granulated sugar and flowers until flowers are finely ground. Heat oven to 400°. In a large bowl beat eggs with lavender sugar mixture and vanilla until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes). Gradually beat in % cup melted butter. With wire whisk, fold in flour. Spoon a scant one tablespoon batter into each madeleine mold. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Cool on wire rack. Store in airtight container. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving. (Martha suggests spraying the madeleine mold with cooking spray before filling. She says you might also try substituting rose water for the vanilla—a wonderful rose fragrance!)

 

 

 

For China’s wedding, Ruby made this sparkling punch, using two favorite herbs. This recipe serves six; you can double or triple it to serve your guests. Double the herb quantities if you are using fresh herbs.

In a teapot brew the mint in the hot water for 10 minutes. Add lavender, stir, and let cool. Strain, and add the grape juice. Chill. Just before serving, pour in ginger ale. Add ice cubes that have been frozen with a sprig of lavender or a mint leaf, or cool with a pretty ice ring. (Fill a ring mold half full of water, layer with roses and other edible flowers, then finish filling and freeze.)

Mix two teaspoons each of these dried herbs: rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and sage. Add four teaspoons of lavender. Mix and store in a tightly capped jar. For each bath, brew a strong tea of two teaspoons of this mixture to one cup of boiling water. Steep 10 minutes and add to your bath.

Mix 1 tablespoon lavender essential oil with 4 tablespoons almond oil and 1 tablespoon vodka. Add a few drops of rose or jasmine oil and mix. Store in a glass or plastic bottle. Add a few drops to your tub for a scented soak. To make your own massage oil, omit the vodka.

To make a mild bubble bath, grate one bar of castile soap into a quart of warm water. Mix well. To this liquid soap solution add 3 ounces of glycerin or coconut oil (either will make bubbles) and 2-4 drops lavender essential oil. Store in a glass or plastic container.

Kate Ardleigh is the heroine of the Robin Paige Victorian mysteries (written by Susan and Bill Albert under the pseudonym of Robin Paige). Lavender sachet is a necessity in every drawer in Kate’s home, and Lavender Lip Balm is always on her dressing table. Here are Kate’s recipes for these truly Victorian pleasures.

For a sweetly scented sachet, mix these ingredients, place in a lace sachet bag, and tie with a pretty ribbon.

In a clean lidded jar, steep the lavender flowers in the oil for a week. Strain into a small saucepan, add 5-6 drops of essential oil, and place over low heat. When warm, begin adding the beeswax. When you’ve melted in the first teaspoon of wax, remove from heat and test for hardness by placing a little on a saucer and putting it in the refrigerator. After a couple of minutes, check to see if the gloss has congealed. If it isn’t hard enough, add a little more wax and reheat. If it’s too hard, add a few drops of oil and reheat. When done, pour into a small lidded jar and let cool.