Lavender Chips

Lavender Chips by Cristin McDonnell This is an Armenian recipe for chips called lavash.  The recipe for lavash is from allrecipes.  I found a recipe for the lavender seasoning at Discover Lavender, a blog for cooking with culinary lavender.  When I saw that the recipe included dried seasoning, I went ahead and came up with my… Read more »

Lavender Cookies

Lavender Cookies Absolutely delicious cookies! The dough of these cookies…amazing! If you make homemade ice cream and are looking to infuse your ice cream with cookie dough, this is the cookie dough to use.  According to The Flavor Bible, lavender pairs well with cream dishes. You could infuse vanilla or lemon ice cream with this cookie dough.  Or… Read more »

Culinary Lavender and Wine Pairings: A Holiday Menu

Culinary Lavender and Wine Pairings: A Holiday Menu by Cristin McDonnell The holidays are a chance to take your regular menu and enhance it by cooking with a variety of herbs that you may not regularly use.  This year I am taking our usual holiday menu and adding a taste of Provence by cooking with… Read more »

Lavender Essential Oil and Goat Puncture Wounds

Lavender Essential Oil and Goat Puncture Wounds Our Biodynamic organic lavender essential oil is being put to the test! In October Gaviota sustained a puncture wound that we did not discover until early November. By then, the four-inch puncture wound had festered. The vet put her on a course of penicillin, but the infection returned…. Read more »

Butternut Squash Soup with Lavender and Sage

Butternut Squash Soup with Lavender and Sage By Cristin McDonnell This is a healthy fall/ winter dish.  Part of what makes this recipe healthy are the benefit that comes from cooking with high quality culinary grade lavender. Ingredients: 1 tbsp dried lavender 6 sage leaves (or 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked) 3 lb butternut… Read more »

Benefits of using Essential Oils in Clay Diffusers

Benefits of Using Essential Oils in Clay Diffusers by Cristin McDonnell Using a soapstone or clay diffuser has many health benefits over using an electrical diffuser.  Chemical air fresheners that plug-in to electrical circuits or that are sprayed are reported to have these four basic ingredients: formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, aerosol propellants, and p-dichlorobenzene.   All four can… Read more »

New: Essential Oil Diffuser Package

New: Essential Oil Diffuser Package Your can never anticipate the circuitous paths that take you where you are going! I first met Debra Manfree at one of our Open Houses here at the ranch. I remember the incident (and it was an incident!). Each Open House we do a number of tours in which we… Read more »

Preparing for Seasonal Change: Essential Oils and Ayurveda

Preparing for Seasonal Change: Essential Oils and Ayurveda By: Cristin McDonnell Colds, allergies, and seasonal influences seem to present themselves predominantly around December 21st , the winter solstice, and  March 21st, during the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere.  How often have you look forward to spending the holidays with family or finally having time off from work… Read more »

Lavender Focaccia

Lavender Focaccia Lavender focaccia bread is great served as an hors d’oeuvres.  If you are looking for a fun addition to your holiday meal, this is it.  It can be served plain and dipped into olive oil or if you have made a chicken or a turkey, it turns that bird into an incredible sandwich! Besides incredible… Read more »

Diluting Essential Oils for Faster Healing

Diluting Essential Oils for Faster Healing by Cristin McDonnell I am originally from Virginia.  While living in Virginia I have had minimal issues with my skin breaking out.  When I moved to California for four months, my skin did not fair well and I was continually broken out on my face.  I tried applying lavender… Read more »