The Benefits of Elderberries Sambucus nigra and Sambucus canadensis
Across the country, the elderberries are turning dark purple or black and herbies everywhere are harvesting them, drying them, and formulating their favorite elderberry preparations for the seasons ahead. In my blog in June, we talked about the plant, the flowers, and some of the wonderful lore and magic that surround the elder. The flowers…
Arugula, Peach, Radish & Corn Salad
Summer produce is still plentiful, even as we head towards September. There are lots of healthy, plant-based meal choices to be created with ingredients like bell peppers, fresh herbs, zucchini, tomatoes, and peaches. And this super corn salad includes lots of them! A sweet, crunchy, savory, peppery salad base pairs perfectly with a cumin-spiked zesty…
Recipes Using Bee Balm
As we discussed in our last article, many names have been given to the plant monarda: bee balm, bergamot, or Oswego tea (more on that here). It has been used in North America for a very long time and for many purposes. You can find it in nearly every state in the U.S., and since it’s…
23 Ways to Use Chamomile
Chamomile is one of the most recognized and used herbs in the western world. Many people think of it first for anxiety and insomnia, but it’s far more than a gentle nervine. From tea and tinctures to salves and soap, chamomile’s versatility and aroma have long-been welcomed into our lives. To read about chamomile’s use throughout the…
9 Ways To Use Valerian, Valeriana officinalis
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a lovely garden plant with pinkish-white aromatic flowers. A perennial to Zone 4, valerian thrives in sun to partial shade, is easily propagated, and requires little care. Plant it in the back of your garden, though, since it can grow up to six feet tall! Valerian is more than a garden…
Homemade All-Purpose Seasoning
Familiar kitchen herbs are a sure bet when it comes to adding flavor and zest to any food preparation, but what about the more bitter wild or cultivated medicinal herbs that also help build immunity and act as antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory agents, just to mention a few of their actions? How do we get…
10 Elderflower Recipes and Uses
The elegant elderflower – if you’ve been noticing large, creamy blossoms on forest edges, then you’re probably seeing the flower of the elder. In this post, we are sharing an assortment of elderflower recipes to try yourself. Like us, we hope you find the flower an alluring early-summer resource! It seems appropriate that the elder is…
12 Nettle Recipes To Add To Your Cookbook
It is spring, and to many of us that means time to watch for the nettle. Long ago, our ancestors also watched for the first greens of spring after a hard winter with nutritional foods in short supply. As soon as they were able, they harvested nettle and incorporated its revitalizing nutrition into their diets. Nutritionally, nettle is one of nature’s…
How to Make a Delicious Dewberry Syrup
Each spring, one of nature’s gifts appears in the form of dewberries. Sometimes considered a weed by those unfamiliar with their benefits, dewberries grow on low, trailing brambles along fences, in woodlands, near roadways, and in other undisturbed areas. The vines are covered with small thorns, which can make it tricky to harvest dewberries. Forage…
Lemon Balm Lavender Scones
Today is a drip-droppy rainy Spring day here in Colorado. It has been raining for days which is strange for our little community. All this quiet persistent rain is bringing the world alive with vibrant greens of every shade. Dwelling in our yard is a luscious patch of fragrant lemon balm which showing it’s colors…
Refreshing Violet Lemonade
Wild violets are abundant this time of year, and they offer such wonderful benefits. The leaves are thought to support the lymphatic system, which is so helpful when we consider the strain put on our bodies by environmental pollution and toxins in food. Even those of us striving to reduce the number of toxins we’re…
A Family Herb: Violet Plant
Violet plants are a pure delight for the senses, enchanting children and adults alike with their lovely, sweet-smelling purple flowers and precious, bright green heart-shaped leaves. A seasonal springtime flower, violets are often among the first plants to peek their little flowering heads up towards the sun. Gather the flowers in the spring and enjoy…
A Homemade Dandelion and Chicory Root Coffee
I love coffee. That wonderful aroma on a chilly morning, how it wafts its “wake-me-up” scent straight to my nose. I adore that delightful buzz that comes with sipping my brew on the back patio, while watching the sunrise. I admit, sometimes it’s more than love; it’s a bit of an obsession. Back in the…
Introduction To Herbs For Kids: Herbs Are Tasty!
Everyone loves a tasty little something to munch on, and it is fun to cook up a yummy treat to share! You can make delicious food by using herbs when you cook. In fact, throughout history people have used herbs in their cooking to make their food tasty and healthy. When you add herbs to…
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Cashew Queso
Superbowl munchies might be over now that the Pats are officially champs, but fun, game-day food should be enjoyed all year long! Perfect for any sporting event, Sunday fun day, or just a creative, beautiful appetizer to serve when you’re hosting a party, these Southwestern stuffed sweet potatoes are easy to make and a healthy…
Love It Up With Herbal Aphrodisiacs
In herbalism, aphrodisiac herbs aren’t just a means to an end! Aphrodisiac herbs nourish the nervous, heart, and reproductive systems on both physical and energetic levels. Physically, they tonify the body and support balanced function, enhance physical desire (libido), and improve performance. Energetically, they balance and love up the heart and sacral chakras and increase…
Homemade Chocolate Recipes for Decadent Herbal Chocolates
Let’s be honest here. Chocolate is awesome. I could sit and eat chocolates until every last one is gone and everyone is wondering who ate all the chocolates. I never realized how easy it could be to make my own chocolates until I found a simple recipe in one of my mom’s chocolate cook books….
3 Herbal Recipes To Boost Your Energy
After a tough day at work, your only wish is to slip into your comfy pajamas and curl up in a snug blanket. When the brutal alarm clock snaps you out of a happy dream the next morning, you grumble about what a disturbed night you’ve had courtesy of the mosquitoes and the blaring music playing…
How to Make Bone Broth
Post by Ellen Demotses, aromatherapist, TCM and Western herbalist. She is a member of the American Botanical Council and the American Herbalists Guild and is developing a natural skincare line. Everything that’s old is new, and everything that’s new is old. – Stephanie Mills Bone broth is everywhere. Recipes, articles and “brothals” have emerged across…
Spring’s Bitter Tonic Tea with Dandelion Root, Motherwort, and Lemon
The holidays have passed and the new year is upon us. Many of us have given ourselves license over the winter festival season to indulge in drinks, rich foods, and way more sugar than makes sense for a person to have. And all of those people! Friends, family, coworkers, parties… it is easy to feel…
Vegan, Gluten Free, No Bake Pumpkin Pie
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of pumpkin pie season for many folks. This vegan, gluten free, no bake pumpkin pie recipe is absolutely delicious, and a perfectly healthy addition to your holiday dessert table. It’s a cinch to throw together, and requires almost no settling time either. A yummy, easy, good-for-you pie? This one will be…
Vanilla Recipes: Three Ways To Bliss
Mmm…vanilla. Its sweet, perfumed aroma and flavor are known and loved around the world. The rich but subtle complexity of vanilla’s flavor is exotic and luxurious, yet at the same time comforting and gentle. No wonder it has been celebrated and used for hundreds of years, first cultivated by the Totonac Indians in eastern Mexico,…
The Small But Mighty Flaxseed (+ Flaxseed Smoothie Recipe!)
About 20 years ago I became very familiar with flax (Linum usitatissimum), both the seed and cold pressed oil. I had recently adopted the Yeast Connection Diet under the care of a doctor who used alternative practices in his approach to treating traditional ailments. In my case, recurring migraines were coming on all too often,…
Immune-Boosting Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Recipe
October is by far my favorite month of the year. This month is full of awesome things including cooler, boot-wearing weather, my birthday, pumpkin pie everything, and Halloween! This month is also the time of year that I really start to build my immune system to fight off all the colds and flu that everyone…
How To Make A Homemade Sugar Scrub with Calendula
Over the last 8-10 years, I’ve become more focused on living a healthier lifestyle and raising my kids with that mindset as well. Because of this decision, I’ve had to change a lot of things in my life–things that most people may see as harmless, but I can see that they do more harm than…
Herbal Burn Salve Recipe with Comfrey, Calendula, and More
This past month, my four-year-old landed a second-degree burn on his leg, thanks to a cup of accidentally spilled hot cocoa. Thankfully, I had an herbal burn salve in our medicine cabinet that was a perfect remedy for this painful situation. The Story Now isn’t that just the way things tend to happen? Kids always…
Sweeten Your Breakfast With Dandelion Flower Syrup
Everywhere that I turn, dandelions are popping up out of the ground. Many find them a nuisance, thinking they are just weeds, but dandelions are a wonderfully nutritious herb! Rich in vitamins and minerals, dandelions are known for not just for their medicinal properties, but also their delicious taste in salads, cookies, and syrups. You…
Put the Healthy Back Into Summer With High-C Herbal Ice Pops
Summertime in Texas usually means extreme heat and sunshine. After a day of fun out in the sun, we are all usually overheated and in need of something to cool us down and replenish our electrolytes. When this happens, my first act is to go to the freezer and see what ice pops we have…
Strawberry, Avocado & Hemp Seed Kale Salad
As the warmer New England weather finally seems like it’s here to stay, we are all about salads right now. Bikini and pool season will be here before you know it, and nutrient dense salads are a great way to get an assortment of vitamins and minerals, along with healthy fats and proteins. Kale is…
Harvesting and Cooking Nettles (Plus, Nettle and White Bean Recipe!)
Spring nettles are at their best right now in New England – new, spring-green, and tender – so last weekend I was delighted to discover a large patch simply brimming with the prickly goodness of nettles. Harvesting, preparing, and cooking nettles doesn’t have to be hard. Along with health benefits of nettle in herbal tea, these…
