Fabulous Fruit Crisp

Fabulous Fruit Crisp

8-10 Medium size apples washed, cored, peeled 

(peels can be left on & add more vitamins), and sliced

2 c. blueberries

2 c. tart cherries pitted

1/2 c. flour

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 c. pure cane sugar

Oatmeal Crumb Topping

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. old fashioned oats

1/2 c. butter at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl, mix the apples, blueberries, and cherries together. Add in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cane sugar. Mix thoroughly. Pour into a 9 x 13 oven proof glass baking dish, set aside. 

Topping

In a medium bowl, add the brown sugar, flour, old fashioned oats, & butter. Using a fork mix together until well blended. You may want to use your clean hand to mix completely. Sprinkle topping over the fruit in the 9 x 13 pan.

Place in the oven & bake for approximately 45 minutes or until bubbly and the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. This will allow the juices to thicken and prevent burning your mouth! Serve with vanilla bean ice cream or whipped topping for a dessert or for breakfast with a bit of milk! The flour and dairy products can easily be substituted for dietary needs. 

Easy Lavender Lemon Cookies

Easy & Delicious

 Lavender Lemon

Sugar Cookies 

 

Cookie:
1 package refrigerated Pillsbury sugar cookie dough
3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. finely crushed lavender buds
1 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. lightly ground lavender buds

Glaze
1 c. powdered sugar
4-5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or lemon juice concentrate
1/2 tsp. lightly ground culinary lavender buds (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Empty contents of the entire refrigerated sugar cookie dough into a bowl.  Add 3/4 c. flour. Crush 1 tsp. of culinary grade lavender buds using a mortar and pestle. Add finely crushed lavender buds to dough and mix together with flour. Add 1 1/2 tsp. of lemon extract and blend into cookie dough.  Roll dough into desired size balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Mix 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/2 tsp. lightly ground culinary lavender buds (leave these a bit larger, do not crush into a powder). Using the bottom of a lightly greased drinking glass, lightly press each cookie with the sugar & lavender mixture.  Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes until edges begin to slightly brown and tops of cookies begin to crack. Remove from the oven & cool on a cooling rack.

Glaze:
Using a wisk, mix 1 c. of powdered sugar with 4-5 tsp. of fresh lemon juice or lemon juice concentrate.  After cookies have cooled completly, using a spoon, spread the glaze over each cookie and let the glaze dry. 

Enjoy with some Lavender Lemonade,
Lavender Tea, or Lavender Iced Tea!
They also taste great cooled in the refrigerator or
 freezer on a hot day!.

Here I am with my helper Noah and one of our 3 dogs, Sam, while Sean photographs us planting our first row of lavender.  This first row is called Melissa and was mainly chosen for its light pink flowers and culinary uses.

Well, it doesn't look like much, but that is 144 lavender plants.  Looking forward to success and adding 100's more over the coming years.

 My wonderful husband tilled the our first field and his little helpers Sean and Noah

 helped rake the dirt into these nice raised beds.  I was so thrilled to see how much they had accomplished.  Now, to get the weed barrier down and the lavender planted!

 Here is a picture of the future lavender test field taken from the north end of the field.  The fence is our neighbors, which usually has cows grazing in it. Just south of the field is Nettle Creek.

This is another picture of the future lavender field taken from the top of the hill near our home. 

August 8, 2012

After careful consideration, finally determined what lavender varieties and how many plants to start a test field with this fall and placed my order with Victor's Lavender.  We will have just 144 plants to start.  We will be planting Grosso, Buena Vista, Melissa, and Hidcote Giant. Can't wait. Expecting to get them planted as soon as they arrive in early September so that their roots can get established before the cold weather arrives. 

I took the picture above in July when the lavender that is planted in the flower beds around my house was in bloom.