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Mad Lavender Farm

An experience you'll come back to.

Adrienne Crombie

Smudge Therapy

January 10, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Mad Lavender Farm smudge sticks are made from homegrown Sage and Lavender, wild-foraged Mugwort, Sweet Annie and Rosebuds. The combination of the scents and properties of these herbs and flowers create a lovely and powerful smoke with therapeutic value.

Sage, aka salvia, is latin for healing. We grow four different varieties on the farm and I love to use combinations of sage in our smudge. Sage smoke is antibacterial and antimicrobial, so the smoke actually cleanses the air of pathogens. Burning sage also produces negative ions, which can act as an antidepressant and energy booster. Our bodies accumulate, over time, a redundancy of damaged positive ions and the negative ions produced by burning sage help to clear them away.

Lavender is a bit sweeter than sage and they balance each other well. Lavender smoke is ultra calming and relaxing. It’s a visual treat, too – the purple buds look so pretty with the sage.

Mugwort and Sweet Annie grow wild on our farm. Mugwort is used to enhance lucid dreaming, visions and protection. Healers also burn mugwort to ease superficial irritation.

The benefits of Sweet Annie aka Artemisia Annua are still being studied, particularly in relation to cancer cells, but it is most commonly used to treat Malaria. Sweet Annie’s anti-parasitic qualities are desirable for smudging, as well. The scent is sweet and fresh.

Rose helps to open your heart chakra up to love and compassion. Rose is said by some to attract fairies.

I heard a wonderful story this summer from a young woman visiting the farm about her experience with smudging. She had been in a bad relationship and it was ended but she was having a difficult time moving on. She was in a rut and she didn’t know the way out. She scheduled a massage, which was a great first step. Her massage therapist strongly advised that she take a purifying epsom salt bath and that she smudge every room in her house. She said that after she had completed smudging, she felt that a dark cloud had palpably lifted and her energy had shifted. After that, she got a great new job. And she met someone new.

Does it really work like that? I think the gifts of the natural world are here to partner with us and play with us and support us in growing to our full potential. I like that there is scientific study to affirm my experience but I trust my intuition and my experience to be my guide.

Sage Lavender Mugwort Sweet Annie and Rose Smudge
Our Smudge Sticks are crafted from Sage, Lavender, Sweet Annie, Mugwort and Rosebuds.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

A Valentine’s Workshop – Handmade Paper Valentines – Sunday, February 7th

January 4, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Location: A Maker’s Circle, Gladstone, NJ

Date: Sunday, February 7th

Times:

Morning session 11am-12noon,

TICKETS

Afternoon session 2pm-4pm 

TICKETS

Cost: $65.00 

Celebrate the old fashioned craft of making a special Valentine’s card for a loved one. This workshop is held at A Makers Circle in Gladstone, NJ.

In this 2 hour workshop, we will guide you through paper making from upcycled paper materials and lavender. Once the paper pulp is poured into a heart shaped mold, the hearts can then be decorated with ribbons, beads, stamps and paint. The finished cards are bound with a tiny ribbon on the spine.

Attendees will make at least 2 cards.  Each Valentine comes with an envelope. Teens and adults are welcome in this class.

Attendance is limited for social distancing. For our safety and yours, masks are required.

 

Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday. On a holiday that is potentially the worst time of the year to be single, making valentines for the people you hold dearest is a balm for loneliness. Who wouldn’t Iove finding an exquisite handmade valentine in their mailbox? (Hint: if there is anyone you missed on your Christmas card list, you can make up for it now).

I make a special valentine for my inner child, cause she always needs lots of love and attention. My inner child loves the sparkly stuff that fairy tales are made of and so I make sure to indulge her with bling and lots of pretty to play with.

I hope you will join me making Hand Made Paper Valentines on Sunday, February 7th at A Makers Circle and indulge your cravings for creativity. We can all use an extra helping of love.

Filed Under: Workshop

Apple Lavender Muffins

January 2, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

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.

Apple lavender muffin

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Recipes

Making Mocktails & Smoothies with Tulsi Basil

December 31, 2020 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

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.

Tulsi Simple Syrup
Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Recipes

The Mad Earl Mocktail

December 30, 2020 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

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.

Earl Grey mocktail
The Mad Earl Mocktail: as the ice melts, the flavor is undiluted!

Filed Under: Recipes

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