Adrienne Crombie

The apples grown in Hunterdon County NJ are pretty wonderful. We had an apple orchard on our farm when I was a kid and my Dad would take us out to the orchard in the back of his truck and we would fill the bushel baskets to deliver to the local cider press. I ate so many apples then, you’d think I’d be sick of them. But there are so many different varieties of apples grown in here, my interest in them never flags. You won’t find more than a couple varieties at the supermarket. Please, do yourself a favor and check out all the many varieties of apples at your local farm market. Phillips Farm in Milford NJ has an amazing array.

How does Mad Lavender culinary lavender pair with apples? Lavender’s soft floral flavor works well with any fruit. I can’t think of a fruit that lavender wouldn’t like. I found this recipe on Instagram posted by Avalon Lavender and it looked so simple and good, just the kind of no-fuss baking I like. I made them in Jumbo muffin tins and they were perfect.

 

Apple Lavender Muffins

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (I use Meadow White from Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse in Milford NJ)

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 TBSP culinary lavender bud

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup apple, peeled and diced (safe some to decorate tops!)

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Line 12 muffin tins or 6 jumbo muffin tins with muffin cups

In large bowl, mix dry ingredients with wire wisk. Make a well in the center.

In separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir by hand just until batter is evenly moistened. Fold in 1/2 cup of the diced apples.

Fill prepared muffin tins about three-quarters full. Sprinkle remaining diced apple over muffins. Bake at 375 for 25 – 30 minutes. Test with a knife in the center – it should come out clean – to make sure they are baked through.

Cool muffins in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.

 

Shown here with Phillips Farm Blackberry Butter. Yum.

 

 

 

 

Tulsi Basil is believed to promote long life, balance and resilience and is said to relief stress and anxiety. The list of health benefits derived from Tulsi Basil is long but the for the purposes of making mocktails, let’s focus on the taste, which is incomparable. Tulsi is minty, mildly sweet and earthy all at the same time. It must be experienced.

Tulsi Basil Simple Syrup is the secret ingredient that makes an ordinary beverage extraordinary. Like any simple syrup, it’s simple to make.

Tulsi Basil Simple Syrup

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water

3 TBSPs dried Tulsi Basil leaf

1 1/3 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

Heat water and Tulsi Basil in a saucepan until simmering.

Add the sugar and simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature. Strain into a measuring cup. Pour the strained syrup into a jar and store in the refrigerator.

I like to store my simple syrups in recycled soda bottles fitted wit a pour top dispenser.

Here are a few ideas for using Tulsi Simple Syrup to liven up your beverages:

Pear Rickey Mocktail

Fill a glass half full of cold pear juice. Add 1 TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice and Tulsi Basil simple syrup to taste. Top with seltzer and give it a stir. Garnish with a thin slice of lime.

Blueberry Basil Mocktail

Fill a glass half full with Blueberry Basil Kombucha. Add Tulsi Basil simple syrup to taste. Top with seltzer and give it a stir with a wooden or bamboo utensil (avoid using metal with Kombucha, as the detox action of kombucha may extract toxins from the metal).

Blueberry Banana Basil Smoothie

Chop a frozen banana into a blender with a half cup frozen blueberries and Tulsi Basil simple syrup to taste. Add blueberry juice to blend to a smoothie.

Blueberry Basil Lassi

Blend together half cup frozen blueberries, one half ripe avocado, Tulsi Basil simple syrup to taste and 1 cup of plain yogurt. Add water to thin the mix if necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

New Years Eve is imminent and, for many, festive, bubbly drinks are indispensable to the celebration. Count me in on that, sans alcohol. I’ve celebrated New Years Eve with and without alcohol and I prefer waking to the first day of the year in good health and spirits, with no regrets. That being said, there is not much on the supermarket shelves that piques my interest or tickles my taste buds. Sparkling fruit beverages are cloyingly sweet and predictable. But with a little preparation and some simple ingredients, you can whip up something a bit more interesting and fun to drink like a Mad Earl Mocktail!

 

What I love best about the Mad Earl Mocktail:

The sweetness is easily adjusted to taste.

When the ice in the drink melts, the flavor is undiluted.

The caffeine boost helps to keep me up past my bedtime!

 

 

Mad Earl Mocktail

INGREDIENTS

To make 2 to 4 mocktails (depending on how big your glassware is)

3) Earl Grey tea bags (or 3 TBSPs loose tea)

1) TBSP culinary lavender bud

2) TBSPs fresh squeezed lemon juice

Lavender Simple Syrup to taste

Seltzer water

DIRECTIONS

Leave plenty of time for prep to make the Lavender Simple Syrup and to freeze the Earl Grey tea into ice cubes. Click on the link above to make the Lavender Simple Syrup.

Brew a pot of tea (approximately 1 pint) with 3 Earl Grey tea bags and 1 TBSP culinary lavender bud. When the tea has cooled to room temperature, strain into a large measuring cup. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze.

When you are ready to mix the drinks:

Blend 4 ice tea cubes and 1 TBSP lemon juice per drink to slushy consistency.

Pour the slushy into glasses to half full.

Pour on Lavender Simple Syrup to taste.

Top it off with seltzer water and give it a stir.

Garnish with a thin slice of lemon.

Note: for a variation, you may top it off with lavender kombucha instead of seltzer.