Stop and sniff the Lavender and Roses.

Lavender / Rose Potpourri

1 cup of rose petals               1/4 cup of rose buds               1/2 cup of lavender flowers

1 cup rose geranium             1/4 cup of any blue blossoms (add for color not fragrance)

Add some snippets of thyme blossoms, lemon verbena leaves or other herb leaves.

4 tablespoons orris root powder               5 drops Victorian rose oil        5 drops of lavender oil

All flowers and leaves must be dried. Mix together all of the dry in a large bowl. Add the orris root oil and mix again. Add the other oils one drop at a time, mixing after each scent is added. Put the potpourri into a large glass jar. Seal it tightly for several weeks while it matures. Stir occasionally. When it is finished maturing place the potpourri into a nice bowl and enjoy.

This recipe was found at http://www.nanaellen.com/garden-cal.htm  It has been adapted somewhat as it is now past fresh flower season.  I have found one of the best places to purchase herbs and other organic products (cheaply) is from Mountain Rose Herbs. All herbs are organic and very fresh. They are not herbs that are sitting around in jars in a store. Try them.  Our health is very important if we wish to continue to make revolution and love.

The year was 1999 and I was working on an exhibition called “Challenging and Changing America: The Struggle for LGBT Civil Rights, 1900-1999. I was reviewing the archives of the Kalos Society a radical early gay rights group in Hartford. In a spiral note-book  that held the minutes and planning for a week of Pride in 1972 I came upon a recipe for meatloaf. The guys were going to have a meatloaf dinner to raise money to pay for some of the events they were holding. “AH”, I said to myself, “even radical gay revolutionaries have to stop and eat.”

So I send out this Lavender and Rose Potpourri so our homes can have a nice real scent as we enter the winter months. So we can stop and take a nice wiff, ease our minds, and when rested start again.

To view what Mountain Rose Herbs has to offer see: www.mountainroseherbs.com  If you use herbs you will be glad you did.