My Vegan Apron: Lavender Water

If I were able to plant only one flower in my garden, it would be lavender. I love the smell of lavender; it's so relaxing. My lavender is in full bloom. The aroma of lavender fills the air in my front garden. This is were most of my lavender grows, a south facing garden that has the perfect soil for lavender to thrive. My original plants are 14 years old and they have naturally reseeded in many places in my front garden. It's a delight to see new seedlings growing in the spring where just last year there were none. I transplanted some small plants today in a rock garden, fingers crossed they thrive. I do hate to transplant my lavender; I hate to risk losing such a lovely plant.

I have had surprising success in growing lavender from seed. One of my biggest lavender plants I have today was grown from seeds. I remember receiving the lavender seeds from a friend. As she handed them to me, I was thinking to myself, these will never grow. But, to my surprise, they grew to be a very large plant in a pot and when I transplanted the lavender into the ground it tripled in size. Every year it grows a bounty full of purple jewels for me to enjoy.

Lavender has many benefits, including being an antispectic, a anti-inflammatory, and it also helps to relieve stress. I make many things with lavender, so I have decided that I will dedicate this week to the many uses of lavender. Each day I will give you a new recipe using lavender.

This week we start with lavender water! It's simple to make and much less expensive than buying it in a boutique. Lavender water also makes a lovely gift, a little luxury in a bottle.

You will need the following:

Roughly 30 lavender stems
A clean glass jar with a secure lid
16 ounces of distilled water
1/2 teaspoon of organic vodka

Pour the water and vodka into the glass jar, add the flower heads, seal tightly. Place in a cool dark location for 1 month. You may swirl the mixture around gently every few days. After one month, strain the water through a sieve to remove the flower heads. Decant into a spray bottle. You may use the lavender water to mist your pillows before bed, helping you relax and sleep better. Or, use it as your ironing water to take out wrinkles, leaving a fresh clean lavender scent on your clothes. Decant the lavender water into a bottle that has a long neck; fill the bottle with lavender water and attatch a pour spout into the neck of the bottle. This makes using the water a lot easier when ironing. Better yet, add a couple tablespoons to your rinse water when washing clothes. Even use as a room freshener, and give a few sprays to your furry family member's bed; they deserve the benefits of lavender too.