Herb fairies cookbook by Anastasia Dominguez

Cookbook

Welcome to Herb Fairies!

his Cookbook gives you a taste of the recipes and remedies included with the Herb Fairies Book Club. We included one of the recipes from each book.

The book club includes the Herb Fairies books, along with journal page and recipe cards to help kids integrate what they learned in the books. They learn the healing and edible qualities of the plants, and use the recipes to experience them. In the Herb Fairies books, the children in the adventure learn quite a bit about the magic of the plants from the fairies. Kids LOVE trying the recipes and remedies the fairies share in the books. In fact, we hear from quite a few parents that kids have a much higher interest in not only wanting to make herbal creations, but also wanting to use them to stay healthy. Best of all, you as the parent get to experience a fun way to use herbs, and learn right along side them. Herb Fairies is all about nature and family connection. Enjoy!

John Gallagher, LearningHerbs PS... If you are new to herbs, do not worry. Herb Fairies makes it simply to learn about the common and safe herbs that the books cover.

Recipes written by Rosalee de la Forêt Herb Fairies books written by Kimberly Gallagher Herb Fairies ©2014 LearningHerbs.com, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. The herbal and plant information in the Herb Fairies Cookbook and the Herb Fairies series/site is for educational purposes only. The information within the Herb Fairies books and activities are not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other medical professional. If you have or suspect that you have a serious health problem, promptly contact your health care provider. Always consult with a health care practitioner before using any herbal remedy or food, especially if pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition. Never harvest and use/ingest a plant without being 100% sure you have correctly identified the plant.

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Cookbook

Table of Contents Chickweed Grilled Cheese Sandwiches..................................................................................................5 Candied Violet Flowers............................................................................................................................6 Plantain Poultice.......................................................................................................................................7 Lemon Balm Popsicles.............................................................................................................................8 Chamomile Honey....................................................................................................................................9 Calendula Chocolate Chip Raspberry Muffins...................................................................................10 Chocolate Elderberry Syrup..................................................................................................................11 Rose & Marshmallow Root Marshmallows........................................................................................12 Sweet and Sour Gobo.............................................................................................................................14 Pine Tea....................................................................................................................................................15 Rose Hip and Chia Seed Pudding.........................................................................................................16 Cinnamon Rolls......................................................................................................................................17 Dandelion Cookies.................................................................................................................................19

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A Magical Tale of Plants & Their Remedies

hen four young friends discover

You will get swept up in the story as five-year-

an herb fairy at the park, they are old herbalist Hailey and her brother, Rowan, drawn into a healing adventure along with two of their best friends, travel to the

beyond their wildest dreams. The Old Man of

Fairy Herb Garden to help heal the sick magic

the Forest has cast a terrible spell, locking up keepers. Along the way, you will meet fairies that much of the plant magic and draining the magic embody characteristics of the healing herbs. The from the world. The fairies turn to the children stories teach in multiple ways, and by the end of for help, and they all discover that only by the series you will be a keeper of plant medicine working together and healing the magic keepers

magic. You can even create your own journal

from all of the different magical races can the

of the thirteen plants covered in the series,

magic be fully restored.

recording their uses and experimenting with

Herb Fairies Book Club

your own herbal preparations.

Herb Fairies is much more than a series of books. HerbFairies.com turns the stories into a book club that helps YOU become a magic keeper! For each book in the series...

Draw and write about what you learned in your very own Magic Keeperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Journal.

Make the herbal remedies and recipes the kids make in the books with Recipe Cards!

Learn with puzzles, stories, songs, recipes, poems and games in Herbal Roots zine.

HerbFairies.com has downloadable Herb Fairies audio books, as well as printable PDF books and versions for Kindle, iPad and other mobile devices.

Visit HerbFairies.com to join the club!

Color your favorite fairies or print out posters to hang on your bedroom wall.

Recipe Card

Chickweed Grilled Cheese Sandwiches A simple way to get this delicious green into anyone’s diet. This more gourmet recipe calls for goat cheese and olives but can be simply made up with a couple of good slices of cheddar. Ingredients 2 pieces of bread, Soft goat cheese spread, Sliced kalamata olives, Fresh chickweed, Butter.

Butter one side of each bread piece and place one piece on a skillet. Turn the stove to low to medium heat. Cover the slice of bread with cheese, sliced olives, then chickweed, and place the other slice of bread on top with the butter side facing up. Grill until the bottom slice of bread has turned golden brown. Flip the sandwich, turn to low heat, and cover. It’s done when both sides are golden brown and the cheese has been melted.

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Candied Violet Flowers These make beautiful accents to sweet treats. Place them on cakes, muffins or breads. Kids will love to eat them as is.

Ingredients Fresh violets (or pansies) with stems attached, One egg white, Sugar.

Begin by beating the egg white with a wire whisk until it begins to froth. Place the sugar in another shallow bowl. A note about the sugar: it’s best to use really fine sugar. I used regular sugar that I ground in a mortar and pestle. You can also find fine sugar in specialty shops. Fine sugar is different than powdered sugar. Here comes the delicate part. Pick up a flower by its stem and dip it into the egg white. You can also use a clean paintbrush to brush the egg whites on to each petal. Make sure you coat all the petals well, front and back. Next place the violet in the bowl of sugar and coat all parts of the flower with the sugar. Use a fork to lift the flower from the sugar. Place this on a plate or wax paper, snip the stem and repeat with all the flowers. Be sure to rearrange the flower so that it looks good, as it will dry this way. (You can use a chopstick or fork to arrange the petals nicely.) Lastly, place these in an oven on the lowest setting until completely dry. These will keep for a while if stored in an airtight container, but it’s best to use them as soon as possible. 6

Plantain Poultice

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Plantain grows practically everywhere, which really comes in handy if you are ever bitten by a mosquito, or stung by a wasp or bee. A plantain poultice can quickly soothe the pain from any of these pesky stings. The easiest and most practical way to make a poultice is by making what is often called a Ingredients spit poultice. Plantain leaf, A willing mouth.

Pick a young plantain leaf and wad it up into a ball. Place this ball in the back of your mouth and use your molars to mash it up a bit. This can take anywhere from 10-20 seconds. The goal is to mash up the plantain leaf and get its juices flowing, but you don’t want to swallow the juice! Once it’s a wad of green leaves, take it and place it on the affectedarea. Change the poultice every 20 minutes until the swelling and pain have decreased considerably.

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Lemon Balm Popsicles These are cooling, refreshing and delicious. Perfect for a hot summer day!

Ingredients 2 loosely packed cups of chopped fresh lemon balm leaves OR 4 Tablespoons of dried lemon balm leaves, Hot water, Honey, Half gallon jar (or other container), Popsicle molds.

Add the fresh (or dried) lemon balm to a half gallon mason jar. Fill this with just-boiled water and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain off the leaves and add honey to taste. These can be poured into popsicle molds, or paper cups with popsicle sticks or even ice cube trays. Freeze for a few hours and enjoy!

Chamomile Honey

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Chamomile honey gives us the reassuring and calming taste of chamomile with the sweetness of honey. This treat can soothe a sore throat, have a gentle calming effect, or help a tummy ache.

Ingredients a small handful of fresh, chamomile flowers, local organic raw honey, a small jar.

To begin, chop up the fresh chamomile into small pieces and place them in a jar. Ideally they will fill the jar while loosely packed. Next, fill this jar with honey. You may need to slightly warm the honey to a more syrupy consistency in order to get it to mix well. Now you’ll stir the flowers and honey together. I often use a chopstick for this, but any instrument you have will do. Let this sit on the counter for 2 - 3 days. You’ll notice that it has a thinner consistency now that the honey has pulled some of the water content from the leaves. If you think this will last longer than a week, you might want to store it in the fridge to avoid possible fermentation. 9

Calendula Chocolate Chip Raspberry Muffins

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Herbalists often use calendula as a medicinal herb but it is also a wonderful flower to add to our food. Those dark colored petals are high in flavonoids that can protect heart health. They are also colorful, adding a splash of fun to our food. Ingredients 2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 cup butter (softened), 1/2 cup honey, 1 egg, 1 cup applesauce, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, handful of calendula petals, pint of raspberries, 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. To begin, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and then set aside. Mix the softened butter with the honey and once well-combined stir in the egg, applesauce and vanilla. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the calendula flowers and chocolate chips and stir well. Gently stir in the raspberries and then spoon the batter into a muffin tin. (Fill each muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. 10

Chocolate Elderberry Syrup

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The following syrup is antioxidant-rich, combining the known health benefits of cocoa with the beneficial medicine of elderberries and the nutrient-rich rose hips. Enjoy it drizzled on ice cream, bananas, or on pancakes. Ingredients 1/2 cup of elderberries, 1/2 cup of rose hips, 2 cups of water, 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder (look for organic, fair trade and 100% cocoa), 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, honey to taste.

Simmer the elderberries and rose hips in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Strain well. Whisk in the cocoa powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add honey to taste while the mixture is still warm. Mix well and voila!

Rose & Marshmallow Root Marshmallows

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In Book Nine, the kids get to eat marshmallows made from marshmallow root! I’ve always wanted to try making these and this was the perfect excuse to put on my experimenting hat. I wanted to create something original so I decided to use rose hydrosol in place of some of the water and add hibiscus for a pink marshmallow. These are a little more complex than most of the recipes I’ve shared so far, but they are delicious! Enjoy your homemade marshmallows! Ingredients 1/2 cup rose hydrosol, 1/2 cup water, 1 Tablespoon marshmallow root powder, 1 -2 Tablespoons of hibiscus flowers (these make the marshmallows pink!)

1 cup honey, 1 packet of unflavored gelatin, 1/2 ts vanilla extract, Pinch of salt.

Other Hand mixer, 8x8” pan, Candy Thermometer, Sauce Pan.

Bring the water and rose hydrosol to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the marshmallow root and hibiscus flower and stir with a whisk. Simmer for five minutes and then place in the fridge until cool. Strain the marshmallow and hibiscus decoction through a fine mesh sieve. Add enough water to equal a full cup. Take half of the marshmallow mixture and place in a medium sized bowl and add gelatin to it. Set aside. Take the other half of the mixture in a small saucepan along with the honey, vanilla extract and the salt. 12

Bring to a simmer. Place the candy thermometer in the mixture until it reaches 2400 (soft ball) then remove from heat.

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Using a hand mixer begin to mix the marshmallow and gelatin mixture on low. Slowly add the hot marshmallow and honey mixture while continuing to mix. Once the two mixtures have been combined continue to whip on high for another 5-10 minutes. Pour the mixture onto an 8x8 pan lined with natural parchment paper that has been oiled. Let these sit for a few hours until they are set up and firm. Slice with a knife. Enjoy these marshmallows any way you would enjoy the store-bought variety. I especially love them in hot cocoa.

Sweet and Sour Gobo

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This recipe is based on Susun Weed’s recipe found in her wonderful book, Healing Wise. The combination of the earthy burdock and dandelion roots combined with the tangy vinegar, salty tamari and sweet honey is delightful! Serve with rice and/or alongside a meat dish.

Ingredients 5-8 burdock roots, 3-5 dandelion roots, water to cover the roots, 2 tablespoons tamari, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1-2 cloves garlic.

Slice the burdock and dandelion roots into thin diagonals. Simmer in water until tender. Drain. Combine the roots along with the tamari, vinegar and honey in a medium pan and sauté for about five minutes. Add minced garlic, sesame oil and sesame seeds and sauté for one minute more. Enjoy! 14

Pine Tea

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Pine needles make a lovely-tasting tea! If you simply steep the needles in hot water the tea has a mild citrus taste that is enjoyable. If you simmer the needles for 20 minutes then it will have a more medicinal taste and is great for helping the body expel stuck mucus in the lungs.

Ingredients Pine needles, water, honey to taste (optional), jar.

I like to use a small handful of needles per 8 ounces of water. You can use more or less depending on your personal tastes. Put the desired amount of water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add the chopped pine needles. When the needles sink to the bottom of the pan the tea is done. (Steep for at least 10 minutes). Strain off the needles, add honey if desired and enjoy!

Rose Hip and Chia Seed Pudding Chia seeds are all the rage these days. These seeds germinate almost instantly and are high in Omega 3’s and calcium. They make an easy dessert that can be served up in a myriad of ways. The recipe is super easy but takes time for the rose hips and chia seeds to sit.

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Ingredients 1/2 cup dried rose hips, apple juice (about 2 cups), 1/2 cup chia seeds, 1 can coconut milk (13.5 ounces), 1 cup water, 2 tsp cinnamon powder, honey or maple syrup to taste.

To begin, place the dried rose hips and apple cider in a bowl. Let this sit for a couple of hours until the rose hips have rehydrated and are no longer crunchy. Once the rose hips have softened, combine them along with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until everything is well combined. Let this sit for at least three hours or overnight. When it’s done it will have a thick pudding-like consistency.

Cinnamon Rolls Cinnamon has been paired with bread for hundreds of years. It adds a sweet and spiced taste, ensuring a wellloved treat. This recipe is a super simple recipe for making cinnamon rolls. I’ve added more spices and slashed the sugar content (don’t worry, it’s still very sweet) to make it a healthier indulgence. Ingredients Filling 4 tablespoons softened butter, 1/8 cup sugar, 4 teaspoons cinnamon powder, 1 tsp clove powder, 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder, 1/2 cup minced walnuts (optional).

Ingredients Dough

Ingredients Glaze

2 cups flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 cup milk. 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons softened butter, 3/4 cup milk.

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Begin by making the filling. In a small bowl combine butter, sugar, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg to form a crumbly mixture. Once well-mixed, add the optional nuts. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mixture over the bottom of a 9x9 pan. To make the dough, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in softened butter using your fingers or a pastry tool and then stir in the milk to form a soft dough. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick and spread the remaining filling on the rolled out dough. Roll up the rectangle and then, using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 pieces. Bake the pieces for 20-25 min at 400°F. For the glaze, combine powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Once rolls are finished, drizzle on glaze and serve warm.

Dandelion Cookies

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This is a fun way to celebrate spring and kids will love participating in the making and eating of these tasty treats.

Ingredients 1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup of honey, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1 cup regular oats, 1/2 cup freshly picked dandelion flowers.

Preheat oven to 375°. Melt butter on low heat. Set aside to cool slightly. Remove all of the green stems and bracts from the dandelion flowers; set aside. Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, set aside. Mix the dandelion flowers into the honey and butter mixture. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir well. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir well. Place by the tablespoon full onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. 19