Foraging seasonal wild foods is an exciting and nourishing way to celebrate the turnings of the year—one that connects us to our ancestral stories of sustenance. Each season offers something unique, perfectly timed to nourish the cycles of life.
Herb-infused finishing salts are a delightful alchemy between earth and sea, plant and mineral. Surprisingly easy to conjure up, and beautiful to behold, herbal salts provide an easy way to preserve excess fresh culinary herbs. They are called finishing salts because they are added to a dish after it is prepared.
Bent over the moist earth, we gathered up the crimson and golden fruit into our hungry bags, chatting about life as old friends will, with meandering topics and understood nuances. Picking through the fallen leaves and occasional thorn, our bags grew plump with the fallen medicinal jewels.
There are few scents in this world that evoke the feeling of clean – lavender is one of them. Its common and scientific name originates from lavare, the Latin word for wash or bathe. In addition to this fresh quality, lavender is a bitter herb that supports healthy digestion, a gentle nervine sedative that soothes the nervous system, and a topical remedy with a range of applications. In this article, we’ll discuss lavender’s medicinal and aromatherapy uses in detail, plus we’ll share a decadent recipe for Lavender Truffles.
Roll out the red carpet for pineapple sage, flaunting her cherry-red bilabiate flowers atop slender racemes. Numerous pollinators flock to her elegant flowering branches, seeking nutritious pollen, sipping nectar, and dutifully transferring pollen from anther to stigma.
How many times have you found yourself in this embarrassingly uncomfortable situation? You invite a treasured friend over on a hot summer afternoon and reach for the herbal iced tea you have lovingly prepared from fresh aromatic herbs in your garden, but then you realize with sinking humiliation that you only have plain Jane ice cubes on hand. You wish you could just go home, but unfortunately, you are already home. So you serve the plain ice cubes anyway and brace yourself for the gossip that will surely ensue from your frigid faux pas. “ What kind of herbalist serves ordinary ice cubes with their herbal refreshments?” Totally avoid that scenario, and stock up on these fancy pants herbal ice cubes instead.
Refreshing hibiscus mint herbal iced tea recipe with key-lime ice cubes. Hibiscus, also called roselle, is made from the calyces (sepals, part of the flower) of Hibiscus sabdariffa in the Mallow family (Malvaceae). High in anti-oxidant bioflavanoids, Hibiscus has been the study of many recent studies for its anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective qualities. It is a good tonic tea for folks with heart disease or high cholesterol, and as a general preventative against free radical stress on the body.
This recipe combines the ease of preparation with an explosion of taste. Infused with the warmth of turmeric, the smoky kick of chipotle, and the freshness of chives, these Turmeric Chives Chipotle Deviled Eggs are not just a treat for the palate but also a feast for the eyes.
Nopales (Opuntia spp., Cactaceae) are an important medicine and traditional food in Central America and the Southwest. Cherry Chipotle Nopales Salsa is high in bioflavonoids, with its array of vibrant rainbow colors. Serve this delicious salsa with chips or as a side with any Mexican dish. It is an excellent accompaniment to scrambled eggs and feta in corn tortillas.
