Ruby’s Lavender Mead Rabbit Stew

• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 1 whole rabbit
• 2–4 cups mead or white wine
• 2–4 cups water or stock
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1–2 heads garlic (peel and use as individual cloves or leave whole and unpeeled)
• Lavender, fresh or dried (Fresh lavender can be tied in a bundle. Dried lavender should be made into a potpourri with cheesecloth.)
• 2–3 whole root vegetables of your choice or availability, such as carrots, turnips, potatoes, or rutabaga (winter squash works too), scrubbed and cut into chunks
• Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter or warm olive oil over medium heat in a 6- or 8-quart Dutch oven. Add the rabbit and brown on both sides.

Add enough mead (or wine) and water (or stock) to just barely cover rabbit. Add sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and lavender. Bring the mixture to a simmer and turn the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1–2 hours or until the rabbit starts to get tender. Turn the rabbit occasionally and make sure the herbs are submerged.

When the rabbit meat is tender, add the root vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue to cook until the meat starts to fall off the bone. You can then ladle the stew into soup bowls to serve. Serves 4–6.