Awesome Book!!

Photo from amazon.ca

Today, I would like to share one of my favorite herbal references with you.

The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook is written by James Green who I had the sincere pleasure of meeting last summer when I attended one of his seminars on quantum physics and plants (enthralling stuff!)

James Green has a wonderful and somewhat humorous way of delivering detailed instructions for making various herbal concoctions (often giving a choice of methods).  I love having a bit of background about what I'm making as well as the 1-2-3 how to make it; this book provides both perfectly.

I'm a big fan of ordering on-line as it is typically 25% - 40% cheaper than in the store, it's free shipping on orders of $39 or more and new items often arrive within a week!  Here are links to this book on amazon.ca and chapters.ca.  Check it out! :)

Bountiful Yards!

A special treat in my harvest basket this week: gorgeous wild rose buds and blossoms!!!

Such a stunning addition to any herb tea or body product!

In my tea today: fresh clover blossoms (so sweet!!)

Just pour boiling water over the blossoms and steep for 10 minutes. Strain and serve!

Vinegars I put up today:

• fresh stinging nettles (shown left)
• fresh comfrey leaves
• fresh chives

Just chop the fresh leaves into glass jars and cover with apple cider vinegar. Fold a larger piece of waxed paper into quarters and pace on top of the jar before putting on the lid to keep the lid from rusting. Shake daily for two weeks then strain and bottle. Serve on veggies, use in salad dressings or make delicious mayo with a twist!

The Basics of Making Herbal Beverages

HERBAL TEA

For the purposes of this blog, the term "tea" will refer to hot or cold beverages created using the leaves and flowers of various herbs. These teas may or may not contain tea leaves (such as green tea leaves).

Let's keep it simple. Here is the most basic method for preparing herbal tea in a saucepan:

Dried Herbal Tea

1 teaspoon dried flowers/leaves (single herb or blend of herbs)

1 cup boiling water

Fresh Herbal Tea

1 tablespoon fresh flowers/leaves (single herb or blend of herbs)

1 cup boiling water

Always cover tea to keep in the herbal goodness.

Steep at least 10 minutes (or longer for stronger tea).

Strain and serve.

HERBAL DECOCTION

When preparing a herbal "tea" that contains seeds and roots, the decoction method is used. This method is slightly more aggressive in order extract the medicinal benefits of the seeds and roots - but it's still super simple!

The same proportions apply, but the method differs:

Dried Herbal Decoction

1 teaspoon dried seeds/roots (single herb or blend of herbs)

1 cup boiling water

Fresh Herbal Decoction

1 tablespoon fresh seeds/roots (single herb or blend of herbs)

1 cup boiling water

Always cover decoction to keep in the herbal goodness.

Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, strain and serve.

OR

Add any flowers/leaves and steep for 10 more minutes.

Strain and serve.

HERB IDEAS

Here are just a few of my favorite herbs divided into their respective flower, leaf, seed or root categories. We'll talk about the medicinal benefits of them in my next post. For now, you can try them for flavor!

Flower:

linden

red clover

calendula

chamomile

Leaf:

dandelion

peppermint

lemon balm

rosemary

Seed:

dill

fennel

caraway

celery

Root:

dandelion

blackberry

licorice

marshmallow

Happy sampling!

Val