Tag: Recipes

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herbal skincare Herbs and Herbalism Recipes

Easy Oat & Chamomile Face Mask

I’ve recently realized how easy it is to make soothing herbal face masks, and now I’m hooked! They’re versatile, ingredients are interchangeable, and you can definitely make them without a formal recipe. I am just getting started, but I can’t wait to experiment with all kinds of combinations (and share my favorites with you here)!

Today’s face mask is a very gentle, soothing one that is great for sensitive skin. Even your kiddos can try this one out! It combines powdered oats, chamomile, and cardamom for the dry ingredients—which you can store in a jar with a long shelf life, and simply combine a bit with the wet ingredients that your skin needs each time you use it.

Oats are extremely nourishing and soothing to skin, adding moisture and calming redness. Chamomile does much the same and is often included in skincare products for that reason! Cardamom has antibacterial properties and can help clear your complexion.

As far as wet ingredients to moisten the face mask, you can choose between many options based on your skin’s needs! Here are a few ideas; you can play with amounts to mix in for the sake of the mask’s consistency on your face.

  • Honey: antibacterial, helps with scars, mildly exfoliating (you’ll definitely need a thin liquid too to make the mask less sticky if you use honey)
  • Herbal toner: a witch hazel and herb infusion (like the comfrey one pictured) adds acne fighting and pore toning benefits
  • Rose water or other herbal hydrosol: gentle, nourishing, moisturizing, soothing, and smells amazing
  • Black or green tea: tightens pores, tones, purifies
  • Herb-infused oils: moisturizes and conditions dry and/or aging skin, feels super luxurious, and helps the mask have a lovely consistency
  • Aloe Vera: healing for acne scars and skin rashes, soothing, and tightening

Don’t be afraid to experiment with amounts! In the pictured dry mask base, I used 1/4 cup oats, 2 tablespoons chamomile, and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom. But experiment with amounts to get a consistency you love! Then apply to clean skin with a makeup brush, leave on for 10-15 minutes, and rinse off with lukewarm water.

What are your favorite face mask ingredients?

Categories
Herbs and Herbalism plant wonder collective Recipes

Dill Potato Soup

For dill month with the Plant Wonder Collective, I decided to make potato soup! Dill pairs so nicely with potatoes, and gives the soup a fresher flavor for springtime rather than a heavier, wintry taste.

You could make your own favorite potato soup recipe and simply add dill in wherever herbs are called for, or you can try out this easy slow cooker recipe I used!

Slow Cooker Dill Potato Soup

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon, diced
  • 2-3 pounds petite red/gold potatoes, chopped (no need to peel)
  • 3-4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh dill
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more to top
  • 1 pint (16 oz) heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

  • Cook bacon according to your preferred method.
  • Add potatoes, bacon, 3 cups of the chicken stock, onion, garlic, dill, thyme, and butter into 4-quart slow cooker and stir to combine.
  • Cover and cook, on low heat for about 7-8 hours or high heat for about 3-4 hours, until potatoes are tender.
  • Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes to your desired consistency. Add in cheese and heavy cream, stirring until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Replace cover and cook on low heat until warmed through, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more chicken stock as needed.
  • Top with more shredded cheese to serve.

Recipe adapted from this one by Damn Delicious.

Categories
Recipes wheel of the year

Imbolc: Blackberry Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Imbolc is upon us!

Also known as Candlemas or Midwinter, the first of February has long been a traditional time to celebrate the hope of winter’s end. The days are getting longer, the sun is beginning to return, and it’s time to start thinking about the seeds to be planted in spring (both literal and metaphorical). Traditionally, Imbolc was a feasting occasion and marked the lambing time, too. Nearing winter’s end the vegetable stores were dwindling, so foods involving milk, butter, and baking staples are customary.

It’s also a time to honor Brigid, who holds dual status as a pagan deity and as a Christian saint. She opens the way for spring’s return and is a fire and hearth goddess, among her many other associations. Brigid is also linked to fertility, inspiration, and poetry—all befitting the eager looking forward toward spring.

I decided to follow the Imbolc tradition of making a sweet celebratory baked good full of the dairy goodness traditionally associated with the occasion. I chose to make blackberry lemon poppyseed muffins specifically due to the ties between seeds and Imbolc, lemons and the sun as a symbol of the day, and blackberries and Brigid, to whom they are sacred. I also added cardamom as another seed connection (and because I adore it and add it to baked goods every chance I get).

I based my recipe off this wonderful one by Sally’s Baking Addiction—full credit to Sally for her tasty recipe!

This batch is delicious but turned out a bit…well, “rustic-looking!” Still, I think that is well within the spirit of the occasion. A couple changes I’d make the next time I make a batch of these include: use fewer blackberries (the recipe below is adjusted for that) and cut them up, bake a little longer, don’t do the 5 minutes at a higher temp at the beginning that the original recipe called for, and maybe consider larger muffin tins. (I’m far from an expert baker—so you get a realistic picture of the process here!)

Here is the original recipe I based mine off of, and below is my tweaked version. I used the recipe page template from the Materia Medica in my Etsy shop to make you a pretty recipe to save!

Let me know if you try this recipe! I’d love to hear how it turned out and if you enjoyed these Imbolc muffins!