How to Harvest and Prepare Prickly Pear Cactus
The prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) cactus is synonymous with the American West, and what a gift she is to desert dwellers. The name prickly pear refers to a group of around one dozen species in the Opuntia genus (Desert USA, n.d.). Every part of this plant is useful, and prickly pear serves a wide range…
Botanical Vegan Tamales Recipe
This vegan tamales recipe is a fun twist on traditional tamales. I love how the edible flower colors and shapes appear to be painted on the masa after steaming. The spiced and hibiscus-infused jackfruit is a pleasing plant-based close companion in taste and texture to carnitas. You might find it more refreshing as a light…
Adaptogen Bliss Balls Recipe & Video
Adaptogens are a category of tonic herbs that are often used to keep the general terrain of the body healthy and functioning properly. While there are many types of tonic herbs, adaptogens are often classed as endocrine system tonics, though they can have an effect on other body systems as well. While we’re not going…
How To Make A Kid-Friendly Mother’s Day DIY Herbal Hand Cream
With Mother’s day right around the corner, many children are busy crafting lovely gifts for the most treasured of people, their mommy. Children love to make gifts for sharing, and moms adore each precious gesture from their little ones. This year help the children in your life make mom’s day extra special with a batch…
Bedtime Herbal Bath Recipe with Linden, Catnip, Lavender, and More
In the very depths of winter, the world becomes sleepy. This cold, dark season is a time for introspection and resting before the life bursts forth again in the spring. Taking good care to get healthy sleep is an important part of self-care. Use this herbal bath recipe which is filled with relaxing herbs to help provide gentle…
Herbalicious Homemade Granola
Crafting a big batch of homemade granola is such a treat. Pans thinly layered with the goodness of rolled oats and nuts slowly roasting in the oven is wonderful and homey. This not-to-sweet recipe uses only dried fruits along any goodies that you choose to include for sweetness. It is rich in fiber, whole grains,…
A Recipe For Family-Friendly Herbal Chai
Making and drinking herbal chai together is a wonderful way to enjoy herbs with the whole family. After all what could be better than a big mug of sweetly-spiced steamy goodness on a chilly day? Chai is full of healthful herbs that aid digestion, warm the body, and gently boost the immune system. This recipe…
Guts to Marrow, Gelatin is Easy to Swallow
The latest food fads are all about the grizzly bits of the animal, so it’s maybe a relief to a lot of folks that some of the most nutritious grizzle of all — gelatin! — can come in pretty colors topped by pastured whipped cream. Gelatin, perhaps you’ve heard, is making a comeback, and nobody’s…
Japanese Knotweed Recipe and Monograph Excerpt
“In addition to its medicinal properties, Japanese knotweed shoots have been used as a common food in China as well as Japan, where it is known as itadori-kon or just itadori, which means “removes pain.” Itadori is traditionally prepared by preserving the shoots in salt for up to 10 days, or may be cooked fresh…
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…
