Flower powers

by Carissa Wills-DeMello

Is there anything that embodies summer more than multicolored blossoms unfolding in the sunshine? For gardeners and herbalists, we wait for this eye candy all year long. It’s the time of year when we get to reap the beauty of what we sow. The harvest of fresh garden veggies is delicious, but flowers? Pure bliss!

It’s the copper-colored poppies, radiant lavender, and magnificent mullein that we’re all really waiting for. There’s something about the ephemeral nature of the flowers that captivate our spirit and beg the question: how can we preserve this beauty for year-round enjoyment? Here are a few time-worn practices for the herbalist in all of us.

Flower Essence

A flower essence is a water-based infusion which is said to capture the energetic imprint of a flower. Anyone who has inhaled the aroma of a flower knows that each is different. Some calm you instantly. Some inspire. Some give us strength or joy. A flower essence then captures these unique characteristics, so that we can benefit year-round from the emotional and spiritual support flowers offer. There are endless resources online to help you choose which flower essence is best for you. They can be used internally like a tincture, or externally as a mist. Easy-to-find flowers that make beautiful essences include: Mimosa, Goldenrod, Mullein, Motherwort, and Honeysuckle. ✿ Fill a bowl with clean spring water.

✿Pick a sunny morning to harvest. Choose which flowers you’ll be working with and take a moment to sit with them in gratitude – they will be creating herbal medicine for you, after all!

✿Harvest your flowers directly into your bowl – hold each blossom with a tweezer, clip at its base, and let it drop into your bowl.

✿Cover the surface of the water with a layer of flowers.

✿To “infuse” your essence, place your bowl in the sunlight for 3-4 hours or in the moonlight overnight.

✿After infusing, pour your essence through a mesh strainer into a clean glass jar with alcohol or distilled white vinegar, at a 50:50 dilution. Label the bottle.

✿You now have a preserved “mother essence” – this is to be diluted, not taken directly. To make a “stock essence,” add 10 drops of the mother essence to a 60 mL bottle filled with 50:50

spring water and alcohol or vinegar. To make a dosage bottle, add one drop of essence from the stock bottle to a 15 mL bottle filled with 50:50 water and alcohol or vinegar.

Sun Tea

One of the simplest ways to work with the magic of flowers Steep your sun is tea. In the summer, we can harness the power of the sun tea for a few for a light and nourishing brew! Simply pick whichever flowers hours, pouring you like, adding them to a pint it through a or quart sized jar. There is no “right” amount to harvest – the strainer when more flowers, the stronger the tea. Once you’re done harvest- you’re ready ing, fill your jar with room temp water. Cap it, and set it in the to sip. Enjoy it sun to steep. You can steep your tea on a windowsill, picnic over ice, or as-is table, or right in your garden for at that perfect added whimsy! Some favorite sun tea blossoms are: lemon sun-soaked balm, elder, chamomile, anise hyssop, bergamont, and any temperature mint. Steep your sun tea for a few hours, pouring it through a strainer when you’re ready to sip. Enjoy it over ice, or as-is at that perfect sun-soaked temperature.

Solar Oil

Many flowers have the power of soothing and healing our delicate skin. They contain compounds like resins, polysaccharides, tannins, and more that preserve skin integrity, heal wounds, and ease inflammation. Much like sun tea, a solar-infused oil is a way to ally with the summer sun to create healing remedies. And guess what? The process Choose flowers is just as easy! Simply harvest your favorite flowers (you might for their choose them for scent, healing properties, or both) and let them scent, healing wilt briefly in a shady, airy space. This allows excess water to properties, or evaporate, which could spoil your oil. Some wonderful blooms to both, to make start with are calendula, beach your solar oil rose, lavender, yarrow, and St. John’s Wort. Place your herbs in a clean, dry, glass mason jar. Fill that jar with enough oil to cover the herbs completely. The oil is your choice, depending on price and feel. Jojoba oil is light but expensive. Olive oil is affordable and rich. Sunflower seed oil is an affordable and light alternative. Next, tightly cap your jar and let it soak in the sun for at least a month. When your oil is ready, pour it through cheesecloth into a jar for storage. That’s it! Your oil is ready for use immediately, or you can combine it with beeswax to make an herbal salve. Wondering about the properties of various herbs? Do you have a burning question about carrier oils? Reach out to Carissa carissa@townfarmtonics.com with your herbal questions! Better Quality. Better Taste. For Over 35 Years.

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