Tag: plant wonder collective

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Botanical Anthology Recipes

Botanical Anthology: Licorice Root Fizz

This is an excerpt from the article Root Mocktails by Leah Jorgensen Jean featured in the Autumn Vol 3 | Issue 10 | 2024 edition of Botanical Anthology. To learn more about mocktails and for the accompanying S’mores mocktail recipe using marshmallow root, check out the entire article! Our herbal magazine, featuring remedies, recipes and projects with plants for the autumn season, can be purchased as a digital version here and as a printed version here. 

Licorice Root Fizz 

Licorice Root Fizz is a delightful drink for those who appreciate its distinctive flavor. Licorice root provides a sweet, herbal taste that is soothing and mildly spicy.  Combined with sparkling water, it transforms into a refreshing and unique beverage, delivering an unexpectedly intense, complex, and invigorating experience. It is an excellent alternative for those who enjoy sipping on licorice-flavored liquors such as Pastis, Sambuca, Ouzo, Pernod, or Absinthe.

Materials

¼ c water
¼ c granulated sugar

2 tbsp licorice root, dried

Ice cubes
Juice of ½ lemon

Sparkling water or club soda
Lemon slice or twist, for garnish

Method
In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and licorice root. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then remove from the heat. Let the licorice root syrup cool to room temperature, then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Transfer the syrup to a clean jar or bottle and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the Licorice Root Fizz, fill a glass with ice, and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the licorice root syrup, depending on your sweetness preference. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the glass and stir to combine. Top with sparkling water or club soda, stirring gently to mix. Garnish with a lemon slice or twist and serve immediately.


Notes

  • Licorice should not be used while pregnant or nursing and those who have high blood pressure.

Leah Jorgensen Jean is a professional winemaker, holistic nutritionist, and regenerative herbal medicine grower based in Newberg, Oregon. She received her certificate in herbalism from Ecoversity and grows and prepares medicinal plants for her small town herbalist community.  Visit her on Instagram @cosmicculturebotanicals 

These recipes are excerpts from her first book The Herbalist’s Guide for the Sober Curious: 65 Garden-To-Glass Recipes published by Chartwell Books available wherever books are sold in January 2025. Visit her on Instagram @cosmicculturebotanicals 

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Botanical Anthology plant wonder collective

Botanical Anthology Autumn!

It’s here: the Botanical Anthology Autumn issue is available now!

It is a joint labor of love and adoration of plants by the creatives of the Plant Wonder Collective. Our fearless leader Harmonie, the lovely & incredibly creative contributors, and I have all worked tirelessly to bring you this amazing autumn tome we are so proud of. 

Recipes, harvest, folklore, apothecary, celebrations, rituals, interviews, crafts, poetry, foraging, tips, books and podcasts to love, fresh ideas, self care, and so much more to connect you to the wisdom of plants this autumn season. 

For this edition, I contributed an article on ritual teas for autumn’s full moons, a quick craft making hops dream pillows, a piece on the folklore of autumn goddesses and their associated plants, a book review, and a recipe for elderberry fire cider. 

From 9/3 through 9/12, you can pick up the digital (ebook) edition for only $16 and it comes with the All About Elderberry bonus booklet free! If that sounds like just the fall treat you’d like to dive into, here is the link:

DIGITAL EDITION 

Or if you prefer a print copy you can hold in your hands, place on your bookshelf and return to each autumn (as these issues are evergreen and you can enjoy them again and again), here is the link for that:

PRINT EDITION

Are you as ready for fall as I am? 

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plant wonder collective Recipes

Blackberry Elderberry Lemonade

School starts very early where we live (July 31 was our first day this year!), so it can be interesting to combine autumn immune boosting herbs with cold summer treats and summer seasonal plants. 

That’s where blackberry comes in! Blackberry is a nourishing, protective, antioxidant-rich ally in itself, and is in its prime this time of year. The vitamins and nutrients in blackberry can help to bolster the immune system and fight off illness. 

Add in elderberry, whose immune modulating properties are well known, along with fresh ginger for zing and an extra immune boost, and you have the start to an herbal syrup that can be used to make summer-friendly lemonade! (As an added bonus, since my kids don’t love the taste of elderberry on its own, blackberry is a perfect flavor partner to help add some sweetness and round out some of elderberry’s more mineral-y twang.)

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to try it for yourself and get a summertime immune boost!

Materials

Simple syrup:

2 c water

1 ½ c sugar (I used raw cane sugar)

1 c blackberries 

¼ c dried elderberries

3-4 slices fresh ginger 

Lemonade:

1 to 1 ½ c fresh lemon juice (5-6 lemons)

4 c ice

5 c water

Method

To make the simple syrup, add sugar and water to a saucepan and dissolve over low-medium heat. Add blackberries, elderberries, and ginger slices. Mash the contents with a potato masher. Simmer on low for 5 to 7 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to infuse for a further 10 minutes. Strain with a mesh strainer into a clean jar, cap, and refrigerate. 

To make the lemonade, juice the lemons and add to a pitcher. Add the ice, water, and 1 cup of the simple syrup. Stir well and taste; add more simple syrup if it isn’t sweet enough for your taste. Chill and serve over ice, or use frozen blackberries as ice cubes!

Notes

•Frozen or fresh blackberries can be used in this recipe interchangeably. 

•If your kids are averse to the taste of elderberry, you might choose to use less elderberries; if you’re making this for adults you might choose to add a bit more instead. 

For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.

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plant wonder collective Recipes

Basil Peach Ginger Smash

Whether your preference is a cocktail or a mocktail, the combination of basil, peach, and ginger makes a refreshing summer sip! I made my version muddling fresh peaches and basil with cane sugar, adding a splash of honey whiskey, and mixing in a squeeze of lime juice and peach juice before topping with my favorite ginger ale. But you could put your own spin on this drink in so many ways!

Here is the recipe I used:

Ingredients:

  • 3 peaches, pitted and sliced
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh basil
  • 2 tsp cane sugar
  • Splash lime juice
  • 4 oz peach juice / nectar
  • 3 oz whiskey or vodka
  • Ginger ale to top
  • Ice

Directions:

In a mason jar or cocktail shaker, use the handle of a wooden spoon to muddle slices from 2 of the peaches and the sugar. Add most of the basil (reserving some for garnish) and muddle a bit more, but more gently.

Add your liquor of choice, a splash of lime juice, and the peach juice and ice, replace lid or top of shaker tightly, and shake well for several minutes.

Prepare two glasses with ice and slices of the remaining peach. Strain the liquid into both glasses evenly, and top with ginger ale. Garnish with basil.

Notes:

  • Alternatively, you could make this a non-smash cocktail by making a basil simple syrup instead.
  • Instead of ginger ale, mix with white wine or Prosecco.
  • To make it a mocktail, replace the alcohol with kombucha, soda water, lemonade, or even black tea! Anyone can enjoy the basil-peach smash element of this drink!
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Botanical Anthology

Botanical Anthology Summer 2024!

It’s here! The launch of the Summer edition of Botanical Anthology is TODAY! It’s coming at ya just when the heat is rising, and plants are coming into their full glory. 

A plant lover’s dream, Botanical Anthology is a seasonal, plant-centered digital + print magazine bringing you over 40 articles from over 40 contributors in 110+ pages to incorporate herbs in your apothecary, kitchen, self-care, foraging, gardening, crafts, and summer celebrations. This is our ninth edition, beginning our next circle around the sun.

(I am extra proud of this magazine because not only am I a contributing writer, but I am also the copyeditor of the magazine!)

At Plant Wonder Collective, we love sharing daily inspiration on our plant of the month, but for this project, we really want to connect to the seasons. Let us be your guide to working with plants in the months ahead.

Through 6/19, grab your digital copy for just $16 and receive the All About Rose booklet for free! 

Here are the links to purchase:

DIGITAL edition

PRINT edition

We now offer gift cards and digital subscriptions, and the printed edition makes a great gift for the plant lover in your life!

Here are a few examples of what botanical goodness you’ll find within this issue’s pages!

* Whip up a batch of rose day cream, steep St. Joan’s wort oil + infuse a summer nights electuary

* Bake a cake with elderflower, sip a coriander lime cooler + dip hollyhock wraps in rose tahini sauce

* Grow bee balm, save tomato seeds + consider what is a weed

* Make sun prints with turmeric, beeswax dip plants for a garland + sew peppermint repellent sachets

* Brew full moon teas, cultivate abundance with basil + discover summer as fire

* Celebrate Father’s Day, Summer Solstice, First Harvest + Back to School with simple observances

* Meet Lucretia Jones, Reede Haroian, Tanner Filyaw, Dr. Tieraona Low Dog + Audrey Gilbert

📷  Our vibrant cover story is Solar-Powered Turmeric Prints authored by Julia Linsteadt: @a.farm.to.keep on Instagram / www.afarmtokeep.com

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herbal skincare Herbs and Herbalism plant wonder collective

Butterfly Pea Lip Balm

Due to its nourishing skin benefits and its striking blue hue, I decided to try out making butterfly pea flower lip balm! Butterfly pea flower has long been used in Southeast Asia in beauty and skin products, but is just starting to gain notice more broadly. This versatile plant has many applications inside and out, and this is a fun and portable one!

There are a number of ways you can tailor diy lip balm to your texture preferences and skin needs. You could infuse dried butterfly pea flowers in oil (the oil won’t be blue), try different base oils and essential oils, use more or less of the powder, etc. Here is how I made this batch:

Melt and combine beeswax, shea butter, sweet almond oil, and butterfly pea powder in a double boiler over low heat, stirring very well with a wooden chopstick to help combine the ingredients and dissolve the powder. 

Remove from heat and stir in essential oils well. (Omit them if sensitive skin is an issue.) Pour into lip balm tubes (or tins) and allow to cool and harden for a few hours. (You can speed this process up by placing them in the fridge.) 

This lip balm has a pretty light blue color in the tube, but looks clear on the lips. (You could experiment with adding more powder if you want more color.) It is silky soft, incredibly moisturizing, and healing & conditioning for the lips. You could also use this lip balm on the go for other skin issues like dry, cracked knuckles in the colder months!

This recipe was shared as a part of Butterfly Pea Flower month at the Plant Wonder Collective! If you’d like to support the work of PWC, please consider joining our Study Circle on Patreon for exclusive recipes, articles, digital downloads and printables for the plant of the month. We appreciate you being on this learning journey with us!

For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.

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Folklore Herbs and Herbalism plant wonder collective Recipes Tea

Butterfly Pea Faerie Tea

Butterfly Pea Flower is just so very magical! It is astounding how brilliantly blue the flowers can so easily turn the water in a cup of tea. It feels like a bit of faerie magic, for sure!

When I was doing some research for the faerie + plant folklore book I am writing (!!), I came across a type of Eastern European faerie called Er Tütra, which means Morning Mist: the name for a type of weather spirit/faerie. These Morning Mist folk are only visible to human eyes in the form of their namesake natural phenomenon, but they are hard at work to promote the health and growth of crops—an invaluable service to the fauna and humans of the land. 

I made the connection between butterfly pea flower and these Morning Mist faeries because of the folklore surrounding this lovely plant. There are strong ties between butterfly pea flower in Southeast Asian cultures and motherhood and divine feminine symbolism, with a distinct focus on protection and mothering. The Er Tütra certainly perform this caretaking role for the land and crops. What’s more, there are very interesting studies on the use of butterfly pea flower in natural insecticides for crops! Yet another cool connection. 

Here is the recipe for the Butterfly Pea Faerie tea! Embody the springtime Morning Mist with this tea blend and perhaps offer some to the Er Tütra for their aid in your spring garden.

Ingredients

1 part green tea or green rooibos 

1 part meadowsweet

1 part passionflower

1/2 part mint

1/2 part yarrow

1/2 part butterfly pea flower

Directions

To make a single cup of tea, add 1 tablespoon to a tea strainer, eco- friendly tea bag, or French press. Pour 1 to 1 1⁄2 cups hot water over the tea and steep for 3-4 minutes. Add honey or your preferred sweetener to taste, if desired.

To cold-brew this tea blend, add the ingredients to a glass jar or French press, steep overnight in the refrigerator, strain, and serve.

This recipe was shared as a part of Butterfly Pea Flower month at the Plant Wonder Collective! If you’d like to support the work of PWC, please consider joining our Study Circle on Patreon for exclusive recipes, articles, digital downloads and printables for the plant of the month, including this graphic available for print as an apothecary jar sticker. We appreciate you being on this learning journey with us!

For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.

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Botanical Anthology

Botanical Anthology Spring Launch!

Today is the day! The spring issue of Botanical Anthology, the plant-centered independent magazine I contribute articles to (and edit) comes out today! I am so excited about all the lovely spring recipes, apothecary preparations, celebrations, crafts, sabbat magic, gardening, foraging, poetry, and more inside its pages. 

This digital + print magazine contains over 40 articles from 38 creative contributors. It is a gorgeous springtime plant-filled wonder and is evergreen—you can come back to it every year, more like a book than a magazine. 

And this time around, the bonus booklet is all about DANDELION! It is the biggest bonus booklet yet, and possibly my favorite one so far. (The bonus booklet is exclusive to those who purchase the magazine now through 3/14.)

Full disclosure—if you use my link to purchase a digital copy, I get a little tiny boost; but if you prefer a physical copy, I get a teensy one if you use my link for that, too. 

Here are the links:

Spring Botanical Anthology DIGITAL

Spring Botanical Anthology PRINT

Would you like a peek at what’s inside? Then look no further!

Let us be your guide to work with plants as you journey through the spring season!

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Herbs and Herbalism plant wonder collective Recipes

Medicinal Hawthorn Syrup

Hawthorn syrup is an amazing and delicious late-winter herbal medicine! Not only does it support circulation, blood pressure, overall heart health, digestion, and the immune system; it also helps dispel some of those late-winter blues with its sweet nervine powers. But it doesn’t need to be reserved for this time of year—it is a gentle tonic herb that can in most cases be safely taken frequently, year-round.

Whether you take a couple spoonfuls a day, mix it into water or tea, or use it as a mocktail or cocktail ingredient (who says medicine can’t be fun?!), hawthorn syrup will bolster your body as well as your emotional wellbeing. And the flavor is so, so nice—from dried berries it produces a tangy, slightly earthy berry flavor. Reminds me a little of fig, or port wine.

All you need is three ingredients to make this syrup. Here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar (I used raw cane sugar)

1 cup dried hawthorn berries

Directions:

In a saucepan, heat water and sugar over low-medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely, stirring often with a wooden spoon. 

Add the hawthorn berries and allow to come to a light simmer, stirring often. Continue to simmer and stir for about 10 minutes. (We are being careful to keep this a syrup and not a caramel!)

Remove from heat and allow the hawthorn berries to steep in the syrup for another 20-30 minutes as it cools. Strain through a mesh strainer, and store in a clean jar or bottle in the fridge. Use within about 3-4 weeks.

Instead of discarding all the used syrup berries, brew a cup of tea with some of them!

A note about dried hawthorn berries: if you see a white substance on the outside of them, this is not mold and they’re not bad! It is the natural sugar in the berries that sort of collected on the surface as they dried.

Hawthorn is the Plant Wonder Collective plant of the month!

Plant Wonder Collective: Connecting you to nature through food, drink, play, garden, medicine, magic, and art.

If you’d like to support the work of PWC, please consider joining our Study Circle on Patreon for exclusive recipes, articles, digital downloads and printables for the plant of the month. We appreciate you being on this learning journey with us!

For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.

Categories
Herbs and Herbalism plant wonder collective Recipes

Turmeric Tincture Inside & Out

Turmeric has so many health benefits—for mind, body, and spirit. As for the body, it has properties that support the immune system, modulate inflammation and pain, support the liver, and so much more. Regarding mind and spirit, turmeric has a warming, cozy, grounding taste and strengthening energy.

One very versatile way to work with turmeric is in tincture form. Turmeric tincture is easy to make and so beneficial! It only requires two ingredients, a couple simple supplies, and 6 weeks of waiting for it to infuse its goodness.

And did you know you can use it internally and externally? Internally, putting a few drops up to a dropperful in a couple ounces of water, a small mug of tea, or a shot glass of orange juice (my favorite) to drink can deliver those wonderful aforementioned benefits—like immune support, pain, inflammation, digestion, and more.

Externally, try mixing a few drops with your favorite body oil (like calendula olive oil) or moisturizer and massage into skin for cramps, aches, and even arthritis.

Here is what you need to know for making a simple turmeric tincture!

Ingredients

Dried turmeric root pieces

Plain vodka or other clear alcohol, highest proof available (80 or higher is best)

1-pint glass canning jar

BPA-free plastic canning jar lid

Mesh strainer

Optional: cheesecloth

Dropper bottle/s

Instructions

Start with a sanitized, dry jar. Fill the jar 1/2 full with the dried turmeric root pieces.

Top with vodka / alcohol, covering the plant material with about an inch of liquid. Poke the hops down with a wooden chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon to ensure complete coverage and add more vodka if needed.

Cap tightly and label with the date and name of the tincture. Store in a cool, dark place, shaking daily. Allow to macerate for 6-8 weeks.

Strain with a fine mesh strainer and/or cheesecloth, and store in a clean jar or bottles in a dark place. Add to a dropper bottle for dosing. 

Use a few drops to one dropperful internally up to 3 times a day, or combine a dropperful with about ¼ cup body oil for external use.

Turmeric is the Plant Wonder Collective plant of the month!

Plant Wonder Collective: Connecting you to nature through food, drink, play, garden, medicine, magic, and art.

If you’d like to support the work of PWC, please consider joining our Study Circle on Patreon for exclusive recipes, articles, digital downloads and printables for the plant of the month. We appreciate you being on this learning journey with us!

For educational purposes only. Not intended for medical advice. Always consult your physician.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means if you choose to buy something from a link that I share, I will make a small percentage of the sale *at no extra cost to you*.