FLOWER POWER

FLOWER POWER Botanical Libations Pack Healthy Punch

by April Thompson F lowersandotherbuddingbotanicalelementsthisspringaren’tjust eyecandytodressthetable;they canblessaneverydaybeveragewith intoxicatingnewscents,flavorsand colors. “It’ssuchajoytoseeabeautiful flowerorplant,smellitandthenaddit toadelightfulbeverageormeal. Plants havesomuchmedicinetoshare,andit’s funtoplaywiththat,”saysMyraSinnott, anaromatherapistandownerofEssential Botany,inWashington,D.C. Manybeveragefavoritescanbegiven afloraltwistwithlittleeffort,saysCassie Winslow,authorofFloral Libations: 41 Drinks + Ingredientsandfounderofthe blogDecoTartelette.com,inSantaCruz, California.Winslow’sgo-todrinksinclude lavender-infusedlemonadeandrosepetal almondmilk,whichcanbeservedhotor cold.“Ialsoloveanicedlavendercafé au lait.IfI’mfeelingextrafancy,I’llusefresh flowericecubes,too.”Driedhibiscusis anotherfavoriteofWinslow’s,asevenafew petalsoftheconcentrateddarkmagenta flowerwillbrightenandbeautifyanybeverage—evenayogurt-baseddrink. Whilemanybotanicaldrinkrecipes callforsimplesugarsyrup,Winslowsuggestshoneywithasplashofwaterasa substitute.Otherdrinksarenaturallysweet, likejasmineteasteepedinapplecider. Sinnottlikestofusethepowerof flowerswithotherbotanicalelementssuch asrosepetalsinalightraspberrydrink. “Ialsouserosewaterinawarmelixir withabaseofreishimushroomtea,goji berries,turmeric,cinnamonandginger, cacao,pearlpowderandhoney.Roseisa heart-openerandvitalizesthebodywith theimmune-boostingreishiandtheother tonifyingingredients,”saysSinnott. Winslowstressestheimportanceof buyingorganicingredients,asmanyflowers aresprayedwithtoxicpesticides—orbetter yet,home-grown.Shesuggeststheteaaisle ofnaturalfoodstoresisagoodplacefor procuringorganicfloralingredientssuchas chamomileandjasmine,whichoftencome unblendedinwholeform. Driedflowersareeasiertosourceand areoftenmorepotentthanfresh,shesays. “Freshispretty,butcanbemoresubtlein flavor.”Herrosesaltrecipe,whichcanbe usedtorimdrinksorseasonaldishes,calls fordriedroses,whichhavealongershelf lifeandwon’tclumpuplikefreshpetals. MarieViljoen,Brooklyn-basedauthor ofForage, Harvest, Feast: A Wild-Inspired Cuisine,suggestsusingcoldinfusionsrather Chamille Whiter/Shutterstock.com

2000 Crossings Blvd. Lancaster, PA 17601 wegmans.com

Plants have so much medicine to share, and it’s fun to play with that. ~Myra Sinnott

thanheatorboilingflowerstoretaintheir flavorsandaromas.Shealsorecommends pickingflowersearlyinthemorningorlate afternoon,whentheirscentpeaks.

A Cup of Wildflowers Whilebotanicalingredientscanbeobtained commercially,itcanbemorefun—and frugal—toforageforthem,suggestsViljoen, founderoftheblog66SquareFeet.blogspot. com.“It’salotoffuntogoouttocollect ingredientsyoucannotfindinthestore.You canexperienceuniquetextures,flavorsand perfumes,andplaywithwildingredients thathavebeenallbutforgotten,”shesays. SomeofViljoen’sseasonalforaged favoritesincludethefragrantelderflower, honeysuckleandcommonmilkweed flower.“Iliketocapturemilkweed’sfragranceanddeeppinkcolorinawildsoda orasweetcordial.”

Fornewbieforagers,drinkingredientscanbesourcedaseasilyasherbsfrom awindowbox,liketheantiviralthyme, whichmakesforadeliciouswildsoda madefromahandfulofherbs,sweetener andwaterleftonthecountertopafewdays tolightlyfermentandfizz.Anotherspring favorite,tenderyoungsprucetips,hasa sourflavorthatfermentswellwithstrawberriesandrhubarb,saysViljoen. Thesamerecipecanalsobeusedto makevinegar,alongerprocessresulting inamoreenduringproductwithgreat botanicalproperties.“Youcancreatea sippingvinegar,whichisgoodtomixwith seltzerorslow-cookwith,”saysViljoen. Whetherbotanicalingredientsare foraged,boughtorbroughtinfromthe backyardgardentobeputinahottea, acocktailoracoldbrew,themagicisin themaking.“Flowersareendlessfunto experimentwith,especiallywhenaddedto everydaydrinksanddishes.Itbringslifeto thekitchen,”saysWinslow.

April Thompson, a freelance writer in Washington, D.C., can be reached at AprilWrites.com.

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½ oz rose petals(Rosa spp),dried .4 oz rose hips(Rosa canina),dried 1 oz tulsi(Ocimum tenuiflorum),dried SOOTHING BOTANICAL SIPS

photo by Susan Bell Forthewarmrosequartz: 3-4 Rough pieces of rose quartz crystal

Mixalltheherbstogetherinalargebowl, thendecantintoasealablepouchorjar,beingsuretostoreawayfromdirectsunlight.

Unconditional Love

Here’sanIndian-inspiredherbalinfusion featuringclassicAyurvedicherbsthathelp spreadunconditionallovethatissoneeded intheworldrightnow.It’srecommended thatyouservetheinfusiononheated rosequartzcrystals;thiswillcontinueto emanatethelove.Thisrecipeisbestmade inlargerquantitiesandstoredforuse throughouttheyearorwheneveryouneed tospreadorsharemorelovewithfriends andfamily. Cleansethecrystals,byfirstrinsing andgentlyscrubbingthemunderrunningwater,thenplaceinthesunfora fewhoursandwhispersomelovepoetry tothem.

Placethecrystalsintheovenonalowheat (158to170°F)for15minutes,oruntilhot. Placethecrystalsintheteacups.

Forapotfor3 to4people,take6heaping teaspoonsoftheblend,pouroverfreshly boiledwater,infusewiththelidonfor 5to6minutes,thenfinestrainandserve incupsoverthewarmpiecesofrose quartzcrystal.

Recipe courtesy of Michael Isted, theHerball.

Yields:3½ozbeverage

.7 oz cinnamon bark(Cinnamomum zeylanicum) ½ oz ginger root(Zingiber officinalis),dried .2 oz ashwagandha root(Withania somnifera),dried .2 oz rhatavari root(Asparagus racemosus),dried Dandelion Honey Bowl of Soul

“IlovetomakeabowlofsoulwhenIneed tounwind,asthisbeverageisquitesoothing,”saysCassieWinslow.“Dandelions haveasubtlespicethatpairssonicelywith otherwarmingspicessuchascinnamon

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andnutmeg.Steepedinyourfavoritenutty milk,this’llbeyournewgo-togoodiewhen youwanttositwithyourthoughts,gazeout thewindowandsiponsomethingwarm.”

Yields:onebeverage

1 cup, unsweetened, almond milk or hazelnut milk 1 Tbsp honey (or agave sweetener) 1 dandelion tea bag Freshly ground nutmeg for garnish

Inasmallsaucepan,warmthemilkover mediumheatuntilitjustbeginstosimmer.

Whiskthemilk,thenslowlyaddthehoney oragavesweetenerandwhisktogether.

Pourthemilkmixtureintoalargemug.

Addtheteabagandallowtosteepfor fiveminutes.

Discardtheteabag.Sprinklethenutmeg ontop.

Recipe courtesy of Cassie Winslow, FloralLibations:41 Drinks+Ingredients.

Natural Awakenings recommendsusingorganic, non-GMO(geneticallymodified) andnon-bromatedingredients wheneverpossible.

Forthosethatwanttoimpressguests withalittlefloralflourishattheir nextdinnerparty,herearesometips fromtheexperts. Garnishingisagreatwaytouse freshedibleflowersandshowofftheir naturalshapesandcolors,saysCassie Winslow,authorofFloral Libations: 41 Drinks + Ingredientsandfounderofthe blogDecoTartelette.com,inSantaCruz, California.“Unlessit’sasmallpretty bloom,you’llwanttojustuseacouple ofpetalsthough,aswholeflowerscanbe hardtodrinkaroundotherwise.” Simplyinfusingfragrantflowersin waterovernightcanbearefreshingup- gradetotablewater,saysMarieViljoen, authorofForage, Harvest, Feast andthe 66-Square-Feetblog,basedinBrooklyn. “Goforflowerswithlotsoffragrance,like jasmine,rosesorviolets.Justputincool waterovernightandstrainouttheflowers inthemorning.” Drinkscanbedressedupwithafloral sugarorsaltrimusingroseorlavender. “Iliketorimhalftheglassontheside andnotjustthetop,togiveitacascading effect,”saysWinslow. Anotherfunpartytrickistosetup abarandletguestsgarnishtheirdrinks themselves. Winslowsuggestsalmostanycock- tailrecipecanbeturnedintoamocktail byusingsparklingwaterinsteadofalco- hol;forexample,avirginlilacmargarita greyhound. Floralicecubesalsoaddafancy touchtothedinnertable.Tocapturethe blossomsinice,Viljoensuggestsfilling thetrayhalfwaywithwater,puttinginthe flowers,freezingandthenfillinginthe restofthewatertorefreeze. FLORAL PARTY FAVORS

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by Sheila Julson P rofessionalherbalist TiffanyDaviessawan unmetneedinMohnton foranherbal-based,natural medicineresource.Thispast November,shetookherherbal consultingbusinesstothenext levelwithEmbarkHerbals,a storefeaturingmorethan250 bulkdriedherbs,tinctures, personalcareitemsandsupplies forDIYenthusiaststocrafttheir ownwellnessproducts,kefir andkombucha. Davies,whohasabachelor’sdegreein cellularandmolecularbiologyandaminorin healthscience,furtheredherherbaltraining viaDavidWinston’sHerbalStudiesprogram. Shehaslovedworkingwithherbssinceshe was14yearsoldandsharesherknowledge throughherbalconsultations,customherbal formulas,classesandworkshopsforadultsand children. “Weprovidetheresourcesneededtoutilizenaturalmedicine,andtheeducationand wisdomtoreinstatetheat-homeapothecary,” Daviesaffirms.Sheguidescustomerstoward whichherbsbestsuittheirconstitution,and shecanmakecustomblends.Forcomplex issues,Daviessuggestsbookingaconsultation. Shealsogetsmanycustomersthatarecurious aboutherbsbutdon’tknowwheretobegin. TheshelvesofEmbarkHerbalsarelined withnourishingherbalnootropics,adaptogens,nervinesandimmuneamphotericssuch asashwagandha,bacopa,nettles,turmericand reishi.Daviesalsocarriesbittersandcarminativessuchastulsi,marshmallow,dandelion, gentianandorangepeel,whichhelptosoothe andhealthedigestivetractandaidindigestion.Daviessaysshesourcesherbsfromreputablesourcesthatgrowtheplantswithorganic methods. EmbarkHerbalsalsofeaturesorganic,smallbatch,handblendedtisaneblendsformulatedwithcertainindicationsin mind;ahomemadelineofbath andpersonalcareitemssuchas first-aidsalves,lipbalms,bath bombs,bathandfootsoaks,hair andbeardoils;essentialoilfragrancescontainingcrystalsand petals;BachFlowerremedies; andAuraCaciaandYoungLivingessentialoils. Forthosewhowishto maketheirownproducts,customerscan findanassortmentofcarrieroilsandbutters, tincturejars,dropperbottles,ointmenttins andstrainers.Therearealsosuppliesfor peopletomaketheirowncustomizablegift baskets. Hands-onclassesincludeIntroduction toHerbalismandHerboftheWeek:GettingtoMeetYourHerbalAllies.Theclasses includealecture,worksheets,teatasting, seeingtheliveplantandcreatingaproduct totakehome,suchasasalveortincture. Participantsalsoreceiveseedstostarttheir ownherbalapothecarygardens.Sheholds teatastingeventsandaLittleSproutsclass forchildrenandteens. “Ourgoalistofacilitateareconnectionwithnatureanditsmarveloushealing powerswithinoursociety.Ifeelblessedby theopportunitytosharemypassionwith othersthroughteaching,andIlovethatI’m witnessingsomuchinterestinthiscommunityforhowtheycanuseherbsintheirown lives,”Daviesconcludes. Embark Herbals is located 377 Church Rd., Mohnton. For more information, call 833- 336-2275 or visit EmbarkHerbals.com. See ads, pages 35 and 50. Tiffany Davies