Sunday, May 22, 2011

A Trio of Rose Recipes

Plucked my first rose of the season,earlier today and so am prompted to post these :

~Rose Sugar~ This scented sugar adds flowery flavour to seasonal berries and herbal iced teas.It can also be used on facial skin when mixed into a soap or cleanser.
  Combine 1/2 cup of fragrant rose petals and one cup of organic sugar.Store in an air-tight container,without opening,for three weeks.Sift the sugar and keep in a dry container.

~Rose Water~ This flavourful fluid can be used in cakes,drinks,skin-toners,and baths.Gather 3-4 cups fresh rose petals and pack them into a glass container.Cover with 1 cup spring water and steep for at least 48 hours time.Strain and store in the fridge in a sterilized glass bottle.

~Rose Oil~ Capture the essence of your garden by making this oil to add to soaps,lotions,and for aromatheraputic use.As with all these recipes,be sure to use only unsprayed roses,as pesticides can linger with-in the flowers.Pour one cup of sunflower or unscented vegetable oil into a clean glass container.Tightly pack layers of 3-4 cups of rose petals,cover tightly,and let be for 48 hours.Strain the oil from the petals,then pack another several cups fresh rose petals into the same oil for the same two days' time.Repeat this method until the oil has been sufficiently imbued with rose scent.Do a final strain of petals and store in a dark, airtight bottle.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Moonrise

If you appreciate Lunar light as much as I do, then you will find these tips of interest & worth committing to memory :

                                   The New Moon always rises at Sunrise.

                                    And the First Quarter at Noon.

                                    The Full Moon always rises at Sunset.

                                     And the Last Quarter at Midnight.

   Moonrise occurs about fifty minutes later each day. The New Moon is invisible because its illuminated side faces away from the Earth, which occurs when the Moon lines up between Earth & the Sun. One or two days after the date of the New Moon, you can see a thin crescent setting just after Sunset in the Western sky as the Lunar cycle continues.