The lavender story

During Roman times, a pound of lavender was equal to a month’s wages for a farm laborer. It was commonly used in Roman baths to scent the water; hence it comes from the Latin verb lavare (to wash).

European royal history is filled with stories of lavender use. King Charles VI of France demanded lavender-filled pillows wherever he went. King Louis XIV also loved to bathe in lavender-scented water. Queen Elizabeth I of England required lavender fruit conserve at the royal table. She also wanted fresh lavender flowers available every day of the year, a daunting task for a gardener if you consider the climate of England. Queen Victoria, however, is known for making lavender popular in England. She engaged both the scent and medicinal qualities of it, from deodorant to disinfectant, throughout her household.

Queen Victoria made extensive use of lavender throughout Buckingham Palace.

In the United States and Canada, the Shakers were the first to grow lavender commercially. As a strict sect of English Quakers, they produced their own herbs and medicines and sold them to the "outside world." Later a New York advertising firm picked them up and sold the simple products worldwide.

Lavender is a unique fragrance produced by the combination of 180 different constituents and is widely used in the perfume industry to add a top or middle note to commercial products. In the world of professional sniffers, it has a green, hay-like sweetness and gives "fruity aspects" to perfumes and other scented products. English lavender yields a highly effective essential oil with very sweet overtones, and can be used in balms, salves, perfumes, cosmetics, and topical applications. French lavender yields a similar essential oil, but with higher levels of terpenes including camphor, which add a sharper overtone to the fragrance. Spanish lavender is mainly used for landscaping purposes.

Lavender oil distilled from our 2009 lavender harvest

Lavenders are widely grown in gardens. Flower spikes are used for dried flower arrangements. The fragrant purple flowers and flower buds are used in potpourris. Dried and sealed in pouches, they are placed among stored items of clothing to give a fresh fragrance and as a deterrent to moths. The plant is also grown commercially for extraction of lavender oil from the flowers. This oil is often used for aromatherapy.

 

Lavender drying in the basement of the inn

Lavender flowers yield abundant nectar which yields a high quality honey for beekeepers. Its flowers can be candied and are used as cake decoration. Lavender is also used as an herb, either alone or as an ingredient of herbes de Provence. Lavender is also used to flavor sugar, the product being called "lavender sugar", and the flowers are sometimes sold in a blend with black tea, as "lavender tea".French chefs in and around Provence, France have been incorporating this herb into their cuisine for many centuries. Lavender lends a floral, slightly sweet and elegant flavor to most dishes. For most cooking applications the dried buds (also referred to as flowers) of lavender are utilized, though some chefs experiment with the leaves as well. The buds however contain the essential oil of lavender, which is where both the scent and flavor of lavender are best derived.

George Washington Inn & Estate - Home of Washington Lavender

Essential oil of lavender has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It saw wide usage in hospitals during World War I, both as a healing agent and as a disinfectant. Lavender extracts are commonly used in fragrances for bath products today. Bunches of lavender repel insects. An infusion of lavender can also soothe and heal insect bites. If applied to the temples in a very small amount, lavender oil can soothe headaches. Lavender is also frequently used as an aid to sleep and relaxation. Seeds and flowers of the plant are added to pillows, and an infusion of three flower heads added to a cup of boiling water is recommended as a soothing and relaxing bedtime drink. Lavender water can also heal acne. It is also used in the treatment of skin burns and inflammatory conditions. Ingesting lavender should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding, however. This incredible lavender oil is considered to be the most versatile of all essential oils. (Sources: Wikipedia, Lavender by Elen Spector Platt and Lavender: Practical Inspirations by Tess Evelegh.)

America's "purple mountain majesties" at evening and a lavender field at Washington Lavender.

The purple spectrum, an array of hues are found in lavender flowers

Lavender is a member of the “purple” family which is the color of royalty. No wonder it was so popular with the kings and queens of Europe. Purple is also the color of our country’s regal mountains which were aptly penned in “ America the Beautiful" as purple mountain majesties. Shades of purple are vibrantly displayed as the sun sets over the high mountains of the western American landscape.
Although lavender flowers cover the entire purple spectrum, the specific color of lavender is usually considered to be a soft shade of purple. It carries with it a romantic connotation. Lavender roses imply "love at first sight". Also, lavender and yellow symbolize the holy day of Easter Sunday because it comes during the season of Spring when the early lavender crocus flowers bloom.

Biblical references to lavender (known as "spikenard" in biblical times, from the Greek name for lavender, naardus, after the Syrian city Naarda).

While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. Song of Solomon 1:12

A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse: a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits: camphire, with spikenard, spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. Song of Solomon 4:12-16

Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him. "Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?" This he said not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. John 12:3*

*One other reference includes Mark 14:3 (similar to John 12:3).

Lavender plants in a field at George Washington Inn and Estate

Come visit Washington Lavender at George Washington Inn & Estate. Savor a relaxing retreat
while enhancing your senses in fields of lavender, surrounded by a panorama of unparalled views.

~ MARTHA WASHINGTON'S LAVENDER SHORTBREAD ~  

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups sugar 
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 Tbsp. dried lavender buds
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar; add egg. Mix in salt, baking powder, lavender and flour. Place small heaps on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown in color.

~ MARTHA WASHINGTON'S CHERRY LAVENDER JAM  ~

Chop pitted cherries in food processor. In large heavy saucepan, add cherries, lemon juice, orange juice concentrate, vanilla, pectin and lavender. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick.  Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil again for 3 full minutes.

Fill sterilized jars with jam, leaving 1/4 – 1/2 inch space at the top. Make sure edge of jar is clean. Put on lids, ensuring sealant is in contact with edge of jar. Put on band, turning until just finger tight. Put jars back in canning pot and make sure jars are covered with an inch of water. Bring to full boil and cover with lid; boil for at least 10 minutes (small jars) or 15 minutes for large jars.

Turn off the heat source under the canning pot and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove jars from pot and set on clean towel. Jars must not be disturbed for at least 12 hours. You should be able to hear the “pop” of the lids sealing within a few minutes.

Martha Washington Lavender Products