This time of year there is a lot of entertaining going on in our neighbourhood with house parties abound. The food is just as diverse are our friends who are hosting these little soirees from wine and cheese minglers to the causal elegance of a sit down dinner.
If you are hosting a party this season we have a perfect recipe that gives a tender juicy lamb loin or rib chop a bit of zing in the flavour department using locally grown lavender. The aromatic rub of lavender and orange zest is an ideal flavour combination to make any cut of lamb a herbal fragrant note that is reminiscent of the southern coast of France.
Served with a lovely fall salad of arugula or other bitter greens and tossed with roasted hazelnuts and pomegranate seeds. The pomegranate seeds are delightfully sweet and crunchy. The bright red colour and burst of flavour is one of our favourite additions to any salad this time of year, not just this one.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 Tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon Serenity Lavender’s dried culinary lavender buds
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground black peppercorns
8 double cut lamb chops (about 450 grams each)
Method
In a bowl, blend the olive oil with the shallot orange zest, lavender, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the lamb chops ad transfer them onto a broiling pan or metal rack set on a baking sheet. Let the chops rest in the fridge for 2 -3 hours
Preheat the broiler and position a rack 8-10 inches from the heat. Broil the chops for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally until the temperature reads 140 degrees F.
Salad
Ingredients
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 a large lemon)
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
400 grams of arugula
1/2 cup of roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
Place the arugula in a large bowl. Add the remainder of the ingredients into a small round covered plastic container. Shake well until the oil and lemon juice are blended. Pour over the lettuce, toss and serve with the lamb chops.
Enjoy!
Our bees have been busy this year and we have once again we have lavender honey!
What’s the buzz? A worker bee gathers in her entire life 0.8 gram (0.0288 ounce) of honey and it requires 556 worker bees and a million flowers to gather a pound of honey. Bees normally fly once around the world to gather enough nectar for that pound of honey but we make it a bit easier for them by placing our hives in our lavender production field. Still, that’s a lot of flowers.
Bees at work at Serenity Lavender
Raw honey has been used as a folk remedy throughout history. But those old wives tales are true and honey has a variety of health benefits and medical uses. It’s chocked full of antioxidants, is heart healthy and tastes delicious too!
The bees arrived back on our property on June 7th and we have 8 hives this year. The bees were very busy with 2 blooms this summer and our first batch of honey was extracted on July 21st.
Taste the pure goodness of raw lavender honey
Lavender honey in the making
Sooooo golden in colour and the delicate floral scent of lavender flows through this pleasant, well balanced and rounded honey.
Our bees make terrific lavender honey – not infused
Lavender honey comb
And we just stocked our shelves with some gorgeous honeycomb. Eating honeycomb is one way to enjoy the full fruits of our bees’ labour. To produce one pound of wax the bees consume 6-8 lbs of honey. The wax is edible and honeycomb contains not just honey but also pollen and sometimes royal jelly. It’s the perfect addition to a bowl of oatmeal in the morning and you’ll find it on our charcuterie boards at the Bistro 42.
We’ll be saying goodbye to our bees soon as the evenings cool but we thought we’d share this old family recipe as our bee season winds down and they go into hibernation.
Polish Honey Spice Cookies (Pierniczki)
Ingredients
1 c sugar
¼ c water
1 c honey
2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp nutmeg
4 tsp butter
4 c flour
1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup warm water
Icing
1 c confectioner’s sugar
1-2 Tbsp water depending on the thickness of the icing you want (glazed or piped)
½ teaspoon almond or peppermint extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a saucepan measure out 2 Tbsp of sugar and ¼ cup of water stir until dissolved and carmelize over gentle heat stirring until it begins to turn a golden brown colour. Add the remaining sugar, honey, spices and butter. Stir continuously until the mixture begins to boil. Remove from the stovetop and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl beat the egg and mix in the flour, baking soda and water. Blend in the sugar add spice mixture . Knead the dough until smooth. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it rest 20 minutes.
On a flour dusted countertop roll out the dough into a rectangle. Cut the dough into shapes using your favourite cookie cutters and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool. Ice the cookies.
Smacznego!
Schedule of Events
Thank you for joining us for Lavender Festival 2019 and helping us celebrate all things Lavender!
SATURDAY
10:00 am Tai Chi Demonstration
Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism
10:30 am Lavender Tour (free)
Meet at the Peace Garden/Labrinyth
11:00 am Cooking Demo
Learn the art of BBQ from Award winning competitive barbequer Wally Hayes. Meet at the Food tent
11:00 am Live Music – Max Marshall
-2:00 pm Grab some food, wine/beer and enjoy under the music tent
12:00 pm Lavender Wand Dem0
Meet at the Serenity Lavender booth
12:30 pm Lavender Tour (free)
Meet at the Peace Garden/Labrinyth
1:00 pm Paint and Sip Class
Prepaid tickets – meet under the canopy
1:00 pm What’s the Buzz? Bee tour
Pre sold tickets –Anderdon Apiaries stay tuned for future events
1:30 pm Decoupage Demo
Meet at the Serenity Lavender booth
2:00 pm Live Music- Aaron Furlotte
-5:00 pm Grab some food, wine/beer and enjoy under the music tent
2:00 pm Lavender Tour (free)
Meet at the Peace Garden/Labrinyth
2:30 pm What’s the Buzz? Bee tour
Pre sold tickets –Anderdon Apiaries stay tuned for future events
3:oo pm Wreath Making Demo
Meet at the Serenity Lavender booth
SUNDAY
10:30 am Lavender Tour (free)
Meet at the Peace Garden/Labrinyth
11:00 am Cooking Demo
Learn the art of BBQ from Award winning competitive barbequer Wally Hayes. Meet at the Food tent
11:00 am Live Music – James Staley
-2:00 pm Grab some food, wine/beer and enjoy under the music tent
12:00 pm Dried Flower Music Cone Demo
Meet at the Serenity Lavender booth
12:30 pm Lavender Tour (free)
Meet at the Peace Garden/Labrinyth
1:00 pm Paint and Sip Class
Prepaid tickets – meet under the canopy
1:00 pm What’s the Buzz? Bee tour
Pre sold tickets –Anderdon Apiaries stay tuned for future events
1:30 pm Decoupage Demo
Meet at the Serenity Lavender booth
2:00 pm Live Music-Garage Mahal
-5:00 pm Grab some food, wine/beer and enjoy under the music tent
2:00 pm Lavender Tour (free)
Meet at the Peace Garden/Labrinyth
2:30 pm What’s the Buzz? Bee tour
Pre sold tickets –Anderdon Apiaries stay tuned for future events
3:oo pm Felt Flower Wreath Demo
Meet at the Serenity Lavender booth
Thank you for your smiles and continued support!
Serenity Lavender Farm welcomes you to our 8th Annual Lavender Festival! Come join us as we celebrate Lavender bloomand our 10th store anniversary!
Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23
10am – 5pm 
130 County Road 50 East, Colchester, Ontario
FREE ADMISSION
This year’s festival will the the best yet, with over 30 artists and artisans, live music, tai chi demonstaration, yoga class, craft demos, a painting workshop, scavenger hunt, children’s activities, plant sale and lavender garden tours.
Here’s the line up so far and we invite you to come and celebrate our lavender bloom:
Musical Entertainment:
Max Marshall – Saturday, June 22, 11am – 2pm
Aaron and Joel Furlotte – Saturday, June 22, 2pm – 5pm
James Staley – Sunday, June 23, 11am – 2pm
Six Degrees – Sunday, June 23, 2pm – 5pm
Artisans:
Local artists, crafters and artisans make up our Artisan Alley, a place to admire and purchase hand-crafted original works and include:
Pawsitively a Dog Thing A Slice of Nature LRRR Designs
G-Pots Cary’s Cutting Boards Glen Eden Salsa
Bishop Artwork EVB Jewelry Stellas Works
Whispers of Wonder Handmade by Deb That’s Sew Sarah
Creations by Ann Mayz Birdhouses Whispering Willow Designs
Jewels by Jasper Transformed Treasures JWaters Design
Couture Art Terra Green Gardens Ayesha Drouillard
R.W Studios Garage Glass Art Dana Laferriere
Twisted to Life KandA Chalk Adventures Then n Now
Kap’s Collection Unconscious Reality Seaside Jewels
Silver by Wendy Jeff Perz Floyjoy Studio
Painting Workshops:
Local artist Rico Dancel is offering two of his well-loved Paint ‘n Wine workshops. His theme, “Lavender Fields Forever.” No experience or materials are necessary! Enjoy a relaxing afternoon with Rico as he leads you and your friends through a guided painting workshop. You’ll take home your own original creation of a lovely lavender field. Tickets must be purchased in advance. $50 + HST. Call Serenity Lavender Farm at 519-984-2684
Children’s Activities:
Every child is an artist and we have lots of children’s activities planned for Lavender Festival 2019! So bring your children and delight in the enchanting world of lavender where they can express their creativity in the chalk walk and colour station, be entertained by the whimsical story telling and readings of local children’s authors including Jane Buttery and Kara Koostra , explore the lavender labyrinth and experience the dance of the butterflies, go on a curiosity invoking adventure with our children’s scavenger hunt or simply write and tie a wish on the magical wishing tree.
Come join us for this fun filled weekend at Serenity Lavender Farm!
We’ve Decked our Halls with Christmas Cheer. Come experience the spirit of the Holiday season at Serenity Lavender! Our Holiday Open House is next weekend so save the date! Come taste our holiday teas and Christmas sweets. Learn how to cook with lavender and take home some of our favourite recipes, And be sure to check out our new men’s line and other great seasonal products! Hourly draws and lots of holiday cheer! We’d love to see you!
December 1st & 2nd
11am-6pm
In the New Year we teamed up with Anderdon Apiaries with the goal of bringing to you our customers some 100% natural lavender honey. Even though the spring was hard on our lavender plants that first crop of honey had the subtle delicate of lavender. The bees gathered the nectar from those little purple lavender flowers and it transformed the flavour of the honey perfectly. We have been wanting to offer lavender honey for a few years now and did not want to infuse the flavour of lavender into the honey. We wanted mother nature’s pure and natural version with the help of our friends, the honey bees. Our patience paid off and despite the damage we sustained to our lavender plants we were able to offer 100% natural unpasturized lavender honey, and boy was it delicious.
Once the lavender bloom was finished the bees moved onto to consuming the nectar from all those pretty wildflowers around the farm. This honey was collected, placed in jars and is still available in our retail shop. It’s a wonderful product too, for all you honey lovers.
As the season progressed our friends at Anderdon apiaries collected the honey comb and we are thrilled to announce that Honey comb is now in store!
Honey in the comb is pure, simple and its you to places liquid honey can’t. It’s totally safe to eat and people have been doing so for thousands of years. It’s fantastic over a bowl of oatmeal, slathered on a baguette with brie, finely chopped and topped on a salad with finely crumbled goat cheese or on your next charcuterie board. It keeps forever and you can store it at room temperature. Its good for you to. But best of all, it’s made from he nectar of the lavender plants and wildflowers at Serenity Lavender Farm and tastes delicious.
Come for this fun and interactive workshop and learn how to prune, plant, harvest and care for your lavender plant. We’ll give you a hands on demonstration of how to prune, give you companion planting ideas and discuss the culinary uses for lavender too! Workshop fee includes a workbook and a lavender plant to give you joy for years to come!
Cost $25.00 +hst. Tickets available on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/twilight-tour-learn-to-prune-grow-lavender-tickets-50014640135
Serenity Lavender is proud to host our 6th Annual Lavender Festival! This event was inspired by the beautiful aromas flavours and colours of lavender. Mother Nature was not kind to our beautiful lavender plants this winter, with the freeze thaw cycles we suffered significant crop loss and plant damage, but with every hardship comes opportunity. We took this opportunity to redesign our lavender gardens and to teach our
customers how to assess plants for cold damage and how to prune plants.
This year the festival incorporates our recently opened hospitality facility and Bistro 42. We’re offering activities for adults and children alike.
For adults there is a Tai Chi demonstration, Yoga class, Alcohol Ink class, Lavender Wand demonstration, Cooking demonstration, Lavender tours, Artists and Artisan alley, live music all day long, and of course artisanal crafted lavender culinary, bath and body products made with our farm grown lavender
We’re ready to entertain your children with whimsical storytelling and readings from local children’s authors, musical interludes, exploration of the lavender labyrinth, chalk art area, the magical wishing tree and if they’re lucky they may even witness the dance of the butterflies.
Come join us for a “Scentscational Experience”
June 30th and July 1st
10 am – 5 pm
130 County Road 50 East Colchester
Free Admission
Food and beverages available for purchase throughout the day.
Reservations required for Bistro 42.
Winter is here! And alongside winter fun come the challenges of the season, including dry skin, chapped lips, and keeping your house feeling spring fresh. Here are a few tips and tricks for meeting winter’s challenges head on so you can enjoy beauty of the season.
- Improve Sleep: A good night’s sleep is important, and Lavender helps to naturally relax the body and mind to encourage a restful sleep:
- Linen Spray – lightly mist sheets and pillows with Serenity Lavender Farm Linen Spray. You can spray your sheets when you turn the bed down at night, or in the morning while making the bed.
- Sachet – Tuck a sachet under the pillow when you make your bed. Flip your pillow over as you go to bed for a gentle scent of lavender.
- Essential Oil – lightly dab Serenity Lavender Farm Essential Oil behind your ears or on the bottoms of your feet.
- Diffuser – Serenity Lavender Farm Lavender Diffuser will gently release its scent through natural reed diffuser sticks
- Treat your Feet: Feet can take a beating in the winter and should receive some extra TLC.
- Foot Bath – add a few drops of Serenity Lavender Farm Essential Oil to a warm foot bath to relax and relieve stress.
- Foot Cream – mix a several drops of Serenity Lavender Farm Essential Oil to Coconut Oil. Spread on dry, cracked feet then put on a pair of socks before going to bed.
- Nosebleeds: The dry air can irritate the skin in our nasal passages and nosebleeds can result. To stop a nosebleed, put a drop of Serenity Lavender Oil on a tissue and wrap it around a small chip of ice. Place the wrapped ice against the base of the nose above the top lip and hold it there until the bleeding stops or as long as comfortable. Do not freeze your lip or gum.
- Relief for Eczema: Cold weather can exacerbate eczema and dermatitis. Add a few drops of Serenity Lavender Farm Essential Oil to coconut oil and use topically.
- Spring Clean: Bring the fresh feel of spring into your home! Combine water with white vinegar and a few drops of Serenity Lavender Farm Essential Oil to wash floors, mirrors, glass, and any hard surface. This DIY cleaner is environmentally friendly and child/pet safe. [Note: do not mix vinegar with chlorine products.]
- Cold Sore Relief: place a drop of Serenity Lavender Farm Essential Oil on a cold sore for pain relief and to speed healing. Lavender is a natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. Try it on dry, cracked lips for fast relief.
- Freshen Bathrooms: place a drop or two of Serenity Lavender Farm Essential Oil on the cardboard core of toilet paper when restocking the bathroom. Alternately, you can also spritz the inside of the roll with Serenity Lavender Farm Linen Spray. Each time paper is taken from the roll it will release the fresh scent of lavender.
- Cold/Sinus Relief: Lavender can bring quick relief from colds and sinus infections.
- Add a few drops of Serenity Lavender Farm Essential Oil to boiling water and inhale the steam to open nasal passages, relieve coughing and throat irritation, and naturally aid in treating sinus infections.
- Rub a drop of Serenity Lavender Farm Essential Oil near nasal passages, on the back of the neck, at the temple, and on the forehead—avoiding the eyes—for relief from sinus pressure and inflammation.
- Put a pinch of Serenity Lavender Farm Culinary Lavender in your tea, or brew a cup of one of Serenity Lavender Farm’s specialty teas to aid in sleeping and bring relief to irritated throats.
A little lavender goes a long way
to brighten your winter, naturally!
This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Sometimes it’s best to brainstorm when you are far away from all the hustle and bustle of the daily routine of home an work. Last year Serenity’s Lavender Festival exceeded all of our expectations. The turnout was amazing, the weather was picture perfect but we did not yet have our new hospitality centre and so with a new building smack dab in the centre of our parking and vendor area, with a full service restaurant open 7 days a week, a brainstorming session was in order. Over the next few months we’ll be rolling out the Festival activities. A sprinkle of new with old making this an even better festival for all ages!
Lavender is, of course still the star of the show and choosing a date can be a challenge not too early and not too late to miss the peak of bloom. And then there are all the other wonderful festivals in Windsor Essex to keep in mind. We’ve chosen June 30th and July 1st and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that mother nature is as kind to us as she was last year! So pencil that date into your calendars and we hope to see you for another Scentscational Experience!!!
