Lavender Jelly

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup dried or fresh lavender flowers

1 box powdered pectin or 1 pouch liquid pectin

Juice of 1 lemon

4 cups sugar

 

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, stir in lavender flowers, remove from heat and let steep for about 20 minutes.  After steeping, strain liquid into a separate bowl and discard the lavender flowers.  Stir in lemon juice and pectin until the pectin is completely dissolved.

Place mixture back into saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat; add sugar.  Continue to allow mixture to boil at a hard rolling boil for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After boiling, transfer the jelly into hot sterilized jars. Fill them to within 1/4 inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the top, seal the lid and tighten the ring around them.

 

Harvesting Chamomile

Two weeks ago I harvested my chamomile plant to dry and turn into tea. When harvesting chamomile for tea, only pluck the blossoms from the plant. After carefully removing the blossoms from the stems, spread on a plate or cookie sheet and let dry. Once the blossoms are dry, store in a container to preserve the freshness of the tea.

To have fresh chamomile tea, place about 2 tablespoons of fresh blossoms into your teapot and let steep for several minutes.

Tea Kettle Hunting

For the past several weeks, I’ve been on the hunt for a new tea kettle. I can’t decide if I want a stove top or an electric stand-alone. I’ve narrowed my choices to the following three:

Breville Electric Teakettle

Le Creuset Whistling Teakettle: Cherry Red

KitchenAid Gourmet Essentials 2-Quart Tea Kettle, Brushed Stainless Steel

Petite Beet Salad

Serve this finely chopped beet salad with goat cheese and fresh chives during the first course of Afternoon Tea. It’s a great compliment to any tea sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 4 large beets
• 2 oz goat cheese
• 3 tablespoon chives
• 6  small/petite bowls (spice/prep bowls work great)

Directions:

Wash beets well and trim ends off before cooking. Boil for approximately 20-30 minutes or until tender. Drain beets and peel skin using a knife.  Chop beets into small pieces and divide amongst the six small bowls.  Evenly crumble goat cheese on top of beets then sprinkle with freshly chopped chives.  Optional: Add a blooming touch by topping the salad with a flower from your chive plant.

High Mountain Green

I purchased some Organic High Mountain Green tea on Monday from our local tea cafe here in SLC, it’s a  tea that grows primarily in the higher elevation of the Sichuan province.  It has a smooth full-bodied flavor with small twisted leaves that unfold after steeping for several minutes. The taste is very interesting, I thought for a minute I had tasted a hint of apricot.

Latitude 29°N Longitude 98°E

Latitude 29°N, Longitude 98°E is where the two varieties of tea plants Camellia sinensis and Camellia assamica originated (Myanmar (Burma), Southwest China, Tibet and Northeast India).

Camellia sinensis grows best in the cool high altitude climates of China and Japan and has smaller leaves than the Camellia assamica plant, which has large broad leaves and grows best in the moist tropical climates of India and Myanmar.