.herbs || lemon balm.

 The days are still hot here but getting shorter and shorter. I always find myself holding onto August, not wanting summer to be over just yet, but it feels like this year and this summer have flown by. The best part of late August is the bounty! It feels like everything in my family's gardens is overflowing! I tried a new nectarine jam recipes this weekend and have started preserving our herbs to enjoy in the fall and winter in a cup of tea. Yesterday, I cut some lemon balm and tied it up to dry.

Lemon balm is such a special herb! Not only does it grow very easily, it's a part of the mint family so if you're familiar with how mint grows then you know it's doesn't hold back, but it also has a lot of wonderful properties that we could all benefit from during this time! In April, I attended a virtual course with one of my favorite herbalist, Steph Zabel of Flowerfolk Herbs that focused on herbs for navigating uncertain times. One of the herbs she highlighted was lemon balm! Some of the wonderful properties of lemon balm she mentioned were:

1. It calms + relaxes - soothes social nerves
2. It's a gentle sedative - this makes it great for a bedtime tea
3. Its lifts spirits - traditional herbalist says that it brings joy
4. It's kid safe - it's a part of the mint family so it's gentle enough for anyone to consume
5. It has anti-viral properties

If you want to learn more about it's history, Steph wrote up an interesting blog post here or keep scrolling to find some yummy lemon balm tea recipes!

Lemon balm can be enjoyed fresh or dried as a single herb tea or as a blend. 

Lemon Balm Tea

1 heaping tbsp dried leaves or 2 heaping tbsp fresh leaves (with fresh leaves I like to muddle or chop them to get the yummy bright essential oils to release)

1 cup of boil water

Steep leaves for 10 mins or more. The longer you brew the more properties of healing herbs will be available, unlike black or green tea that have shorter brew times. 

Anxiety Releasing Tea recipe by Steph Zabel

2 tbsp oat straw

1.5 tbsp skullcap

1.5 tbsp lemon balm (double if using fresh)

2 tsp rose petals 

Steep tea for 10 mins or more and enjoy!

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Have you tried lemon balm before? What herbs are growing in your garden?

 

.full moon tea.

Inspired by the words + recipe of Herbalist, Steph Zabel’s most recent newsletter that contained blend for a full moon tea I am making my very first full moon tea tonight! 

A full moon tea is blended and then soaked in the full moonlight overnight. Full moon tea can be a grounding ritual to help align with the cycle of the moon, a moment to meditate, a nourishing self-care practice to give gratitude, a release of energy of the past moon cycle, a moment to set intuitions for the a start of a new moon cycle, and a hundred other reasons. For me it offers a moment of pause to set intention for the next few weeks.

I connected with Steph’s words: 

"When we are drawn away from our center we lose some of our strength, power, and clarity. We are more prone to anxiety, worry, fear and anger. We have a harder time knowing what is true and right for ourselves. We are more likely to react to external situations rather than respond from our centeredness.
 

The intent of this moon blend is to return our attention back to our internal world, that place of peace, truth, joy and possibility. This place is our center.

Keep this intent in mind as you make the tea, and especially as you drink it”

Her blend included:Wood betony, St. John’s Wort, Sage and Rose. I didn’t have all these herbs so I made my own blend.

|| Full Moon Tea || 

1 tablespoon Raspberry leaf

1 tablespoon Calendula

1 tablespoon Milky Oat Tops

1 tablespoon Rose Petals 

Raspberry leaf, Calendula and Milky Oat Tops are great herbs for awakening the heart and calming/nourishing the nerves and Rose Petals hold a balancing energy.

Blend herbs and place in a glass jar, fill the jar with water and set the jar outside or in window where it can soak up the moonlight! Leave overnight. Strain herbs in the morning and enjoy the tea!

.recipe: snooze tea.

A few years ago I found a curiosity to grow my knowledge about herbs and how to make delicious and beneficial tea blends. This lead me taking a herbal class a few years ago and learned how to make a yummy calm tea for the winter months. I loved the process of blending and drinking the tea. It's also a wonderful gift to give to loved ones! I have continued to try and experiment with herbs and tea blends then a few weeks ago I found a new herbal tea book that is overflowing with wonderful blends and recipes from PNW Herbalist Sarah Farr. I want to try all of these recipes but the first one I tried was snooze tea. It's a perfect tea for bedtime, the blend includes valerian and kava kava which are deeply relaxing herbs (note: some people do have different experiences with kava kava best to research more information if you have any medical concerns. And you shouldn't consume this tea if you are pregnant or breastfeed). 

If you need a little help to unwind and relax at night this might be a nice tea to try. Find the recipe and infusion instructions below!

Snooze Tea

Recipe by: Sarah Farr

from Healing Herbal Teas: Learn to Blend 101 Specially Formulated Teas for Stress Management, Common Ailments, Seasonal Health, and Immune Support

2 parts Valerian

1 part Kava

1 part Linden

1 part mint

1 part passionflower

0.25 part hops

0.25 part nutmeg

Hot: Pour 1.5 cups hot water over 1 to 2 tablespoons tea. Steep for 5 to 10 mins.

Cold: Combine 2 cups cold water and 1 to 2 tablespoons of tea in lidded jar. Shake the jar to make sure all the tea is saturated. Place in the refrigerator or cool place for at least 2 hours.

.travel food.

Do you have a go-to for travel food? I tend to take long trips (long in mileage, slow in mileage or I rely on southwest airlines...enough said.) which can mean all day spent in the airport with no real food options. My Naturopath Doctor gave me a recipe for soaked nut bars last year for a good power snack. I love them! They are full of flavor and lots of good stuff like omega-3s, proteins, and healthy fats! Click on the link below for a version of the recipe,

almost makes me excited to sit in an airplane all day...almost.

Soaked Nut Bars

Another great thing about this recipe is that you can totally switch things around like using different nuts (I used walnuts this time instead of Cashews), different seasoning (I LOVE cinnamon so I don't really change that but I did add dark chocolate chips! Highly recommend this!!), and dried fruit (I use dates because I love them but you can use dried cherries, cranberries, raisins, etc). I also added chia seeds as well. Maybe some toasted quinoa next time...so many options, seriously!

Once you try these you'll never buy a protein bar again!!

.thrilled.

photo source: lifewithacinnamongirl.blogspot.com

Julie over at Life with a Cinnamon Girl is birthing a quarterly cook-zine, Seasoned.

"...I have spent the past month in the kitchen working up all kinds of delicious meals and if the kale, leek and white bean pizza that we just tested out has anything to say...it's that you should really pick up a copy come early January! The cookazine will be available in digital and hardcopy. Not only are there going to be twenty-something recipes from our kitchen there will also be articles about winter life from some of my favorite people on the internet and off."
(Seasoned Quarterly).


It is a seasonal zine that will be filled with yummy eats and delicious conscious thoughts about mind, body, and food. She asked her readers to submit wintery pictures and I'm thrilled to say she picked two of mine!! Be sure to check out the zine on January 7th.

.summer eats.

Is it hot in your corner of the world? I never though I would come back to America to "warm up" from the cold winter of Malawi (more chilly than cold but you know...). It's been straight high 90's to 100. It's a demanding dry heat, but I love it. The only way I know summer time to be.

But with the thick heat what to eat? zucchini crudo (raw) and fried okra? Sounds good to me.

let simmer until the onions are soft and fragrant then add a few tomatoes (not pictured). While this is simmering with the tomatoes put the red pepper in the oven to roast.

let mix simmer and saute until soften. Set aside until meal is read and then serve on top on zucchini (think spaghetti).

and then a good ol' southern appetizer...

the cornmeal mix is mostly cornmeal with a dash of flour, paprika, salt, and pepper.

and finally enjoy!

deschutes brewery anyone??

.cooking in malawi.

chik’n and green bean pasta in a white sauce
This recipe is good for 2 small stomaches (or a cute dinner guest wearing hot pink shorts!) or 1 really hungry person!

Ingedigents

½ cup "chik'n" soya (TVP)
½ cup green beans (snapped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 cup spaghetti noodles
2 tablespoons butter (the more you add the more flavor you’ll have but at least to cover the beans)
1 cup of milk or (substitute, I used powered milk)
1 tablespoon flour
Italian seasonings (oregano, thyme, basil, etc.) al gusto
Salt & Pepper al gusto
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*Boil your noodles (I like mine a little al dente) the classic test is to throw the noodle on the wall and if it sticks then it’s READY!

*Melt butter in pan.

*When butter is melted add minced garlic and snapped beans, let simmer for a few minutes

*Add flour and mix into bean/garlic sauté well, let cook for a few minutes (keep stirring!!)

*Add salt, pepper, and seasoning as you like.

*Add TVP and milk (or substitute) and whisk vigorously.

*Let simmer until desired thickness!

Buen Provecho!