Botanical Anthology is an indie magazine made by and for plant lovers, which I am lucky to write articles for, edit, and help produce. It is very much a labor of love and is full of herbal and seasonal magic! Apothecary knowledge, tasty recipes, gardening tips, creative crafts, folklore, seasonal celebrations, interviews, and more!
Now through 6/26, you can pick up the digital (ebook) edition for only $15 and it comes with the All About Chamomile bonus booklet free!
Or purchase the print edition via Amazon or Lulu, and email your proof of purchase to plantwondercollective@gmail.com to get your free digital All About Chamomile booklet!
June is here! For my family that means trips to nearby and faraway lakes, balmy-breezy backyard days, jar after jar of fresh herbal sun tea, and strawberries galore. Summer is here in spirit, even before the solstice has occurred, and we feel it on our sun-warmed shoulders.
To that end, here are some of my favorite June plants!
Linden: the herb of the month with the Plant Wonder Collective this June, my local linden trees aren’t in bloom yet but I have some lovely, high quality dried linden leaf and blossom to work with. This gentle, soothing herb is perfect for refreshing and calming with its moist, cooling action, making it perfect for summer. I plan to make the most of working more closely with this herb in tension-taming recipes, inside and out! Whether applied to sunburn, added to cooking baths, or dipped in chilled herbal concoctions, I have a feeling linden will become a summertime staple for me and my rambunctious kiddos. Stay tuned to see how I work with it throughout the month!
Chamomile: these joyful, sunny blooms begin to really take off in my garden in June! I love sipping soothing chamomile on summer evenings to wind down, pairing it with strawberries in fresh and baked treats, and even just burying my nose in their little delicate blooms as I harvest them. I always make sure to dry at least one jar’s worth despite feeling greedy to enjoy it all fresh—because there is nothing like the honey-sweet scent of freshly dried chamomile when you open the jar and stick your nose in. It is true garden magic!
Mint: mint is so easy to grow, it thrives in June, and my kiddos love tending their own pots of it. I love making skin-soothing fresh hydrosols on my stovetop with mint! It’s easy to do and when stored in the fridge in a little mister bottle, it is the best thing ever to spritz onto sunburned skin or even just your overheated face after toiling away in the garden under the summer sun. I also adore adding mint to every cold drink I make in the summer, be it tea, lemonade, mocktail, or cocktail.
Tulsi: it is my first year to grow tulsi in my garden, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! This amazing herb is beloved by plant nerds, and for good reason. Also called holy basil, and sacred in Ayurveda, it is the queen of herbs and a boon to mind, heart, body, and spirit. Though energetically it is gently warming and drying, it is still lovely in the summertime (perhaps I’m a good candidate as I can feel so soggy and wrung out in the hot weather). I plan to brew many jars of fresh tulsi chai to enjoy on ice this summer—here’s to that extra tulsi pep in my step!
Echinacea: I have recently fallen in love with this native species which begins to fan out its showy blooms in June where I live. It is more than just a cold remedy! Echinacea attracts pollinators to the garden, and planting it is a small act of giving back to the earth as the species has suffered from over-harvesting. Echinacea represents inner strength, healing, and prosperity.
Strawberry: ripe for the picking, sweet strawberries are a June staple! So much so, that June’s full moon is often called the Strawberry Moon. These berries’ sweetness is the perfect pairing with many other herbs: with chamomile in shortbread, popsicles, or cakes; with lavender in delicious cocktails; with lemon balm and lemons for a super relaxing lemonade drink; with thyme, in a surprising savory-and-sweet combo; and the list goes on.
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!
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*.
Lammas / Lughnasadh / the First Harvest festival is almost here, coming up on August 1!
In years past, I was very much NOT a fan of the month of August. Where I live it tends to be incredibly hot, buggy, and like a dragging obstacle between me and my favorite season: autumn.
But recently, I came to see August in a new light. I’ve learned about the sabbat of Lughnasadh / Lammas (they tend to be used interchangeably) on the wheel of the year. Lammas marks the first harvest festival—the first of three, including Mabon and Samhain. The connections with Lammas tend to be the late summer veg and herb harvests, grain, bread making, beer, wine, fruits and vegetables, abundance, and gratitude. This opens the doorway for our descent toward autumn. Nights begin to gradually get cooler, and sunflowers bloom at the flower farm near my home. I can get behind this imagery, this spirit of anticipating autumn and gratitude for the end of summer’s abundance!
Lammas and Calendula
When I first learned about Lammas, I immediately, intuitively connected it with calendula. This may not resonate for you—you may have another plant you feel called to at this time. But for me, it’s all about this gorgeous, sunny orange flower.
Medicinally, calendula offers immune boosting, gut healing, inflammation modulating, stagnation clearing, and liver supporting properties when used internally. Externally, it supports skin healing and treats bug bites, rashes, burns, wound healing, and overall skin health support.
Spiritually, calendula is connected to the sun, Leo and Cancer—giving fiery yet nurturing qualities, warmth, comfort, healing, protection, happiness, peace, abundance, hard work, and responsibility. I find that ingesting, and even just seeing this plant on my home altar spaces, helps bolster and nourish me during this industrious time! I tend to add calendula into most of my teas and baked goods during the Lammas season.
Lammas Tea Meditation Download
To celebrate this occasion, I am sharing with you a special Lammas Tea Meditation journaling page that you can download, print, and perhaps pair with a mug of calendula tea. Quiet your mind, breathe deeply, and allow your impressions of the herb to wash over you and impart its gifts.
Download, print, and use this mediation journal page along with any other Lammas / Lughnasadh / First Harvest celebrations and reflections!
I am so excited that June’s full moon (the Strawberry Moon) and Litha (the summer solstice) fall together this year. It is a convergence that doesn’t happen often—in fact, the last time it did was 1985! All that bright energy of both the longest day and the full moon combined—so magical!
For me, I think the order of the day is celebration, gratitude, and soaking up every bit of that energy I can. I feel like too often, we see these astrological occasions as calls to act in grandiose ways, to manifest changes and new directions, to enact grand gestures. But this pressure is not necessary, and most likely you have many plates spinning already at this busy cusp of summer! Instead, it is perfectly okay to give yourself permission to rest, recharge from the added light, lean into the sensation of lightness, and simply enjoy and give thanks. Mindfulness can be your act of devotion.
To this end, I am going to brew a Sun and Moon Tea!
I am calling the tea such because I’ve chosen a blend of herbs and botanicals that includes affinities for both the sun and the moon to reflect the meaning of the occasion. There are also botanicals chosen for their ties to Litha, fire, water, and Venus, all of which I am feeling strong influences of during this time.
Here are the ingredients, and a few of their astrological ties:
•Linden (sun, Litha)
•Chamomile (sun, Litha)
•Jasmine (moon, water)
•Rosemary (sun, moon, fire)
•Strawberry (strawberry moon, Venus, water)
•Hibiscus (fire, water, Venus)
•Lavender (Litha)
And here is the recipe! It’s simple, so you can concentrate on enjoying your mindful moments under the solstice sun and Strawberry Moon.
Ingredients
32 oz mason jar
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 Tbsp hibiscus
1 Tbsp rosemary
1 Tbsp linden
1 Tbsp chamomile
1 Tbsp jasmine
½ Tbsp lavender
Honey to taste, optional
Directions
Add ingredients to mason jar and fill with cold, fresh water. (If using dried herbs, you might choose to place them in a large eco-friendly tea bag or linen reusable tea bag.)
Cap tightly and place in a sunny location (free of disturbance by kids or pets!) for 2-3 hours.
If not using a tea bag or strainer, strain tea into a fresh jar or a pitcher over ice if drinking immediately. You can stir in honey while it is still warm if you’d like! Refrigerate and drink cold.
Note—
You can substitute fresh herbs for dried ones if you have access to them! You don’t necessarily have to go by the measurements in that case—just add sprigs of each.
For a printable Litha Tea Meditation journaling page and a printable version of this recipe, join my Patreon at Patreon.com/theherbologyfaerie!
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!
It’s here! The launch of theSummer 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!
In these dog days of summer, your skin can easily become overheated and stressed out! That’s where raspberry leaf comes in. Raspberry leaf is well known for its tissue tightening and toning properties, and in a gentle face mist, this action can help to prevent moisture loss and provide soothing.
This recipe isn’t for a witch hazel or alcohol based toner—I didn’t want it to be that strongly astringent. So, instead, I’ve made a strong tea with the raspberry leaf and combined that with a cooling mint hydrosol—which you can easily make on your stovetop with some fresh mint, or you can purchase ready-made mint (or rose, lavender, or chamomile) hydrosol if you prefer.
Because this is an entirely water-based recipe, it has a shorter shelf life so you’ll want to make it in small batches and store it in the fridge. But it’s totally worth it for a very gentle, refreshing, soothing summer face mist that even the kids can use after a sweaty day of playing out in the hot sun! (It makes a great after-sun spray, too!)
This recipe comes in two parts: the mint hydrosol recipe and the raspberry tea / face mist recipe. Let’s start with the mint hydrosol!
Mint Hydrosol
Materials: Large stock pot with lid Small heat-safe bowl (ceramic or glass) Heat-safe glass measuring cup Distilled water Fresh mint leaves Ice
Method: Place the heat-safe bowl upside down in the stock pot and fill the bottom of the pot with enough water that it covers the bowl. Place the glass measuring cup right-side up on top of the bowl. Place a good amount of mint leaves in the water around the bowl—a couple big handfuls of plant material. Place the pot lid upside-down on the pot and place ice cubes on top. Simmer on medium heat until a sufficient amount of steam has condensed and dripped into the measuring cup—that’s your hydrosol! Store this in the fridge.
Raspberry Leaf Facial Mist
Materials: 3 tablespoons dried raspberry leaf Large tea mug Plate to cover the mug with Distilled water Tea kettle Strainer Glass bowl or measuring cup Small misting bottle (4-8 oz)
Method: Place raspberry leaf in the tea mug and cover with water freshly boiled in a tea kettle; cover with plate and allow to steep for 10-15 minutes. Strain into a glass bowl or measuring cup and allow to cool or refrigerate.
Fill the misting bottle half full with mint hydrosol and half with raspberry leaf tea. Cap tightly and shake well to mix. Store in the fridge to prolong its shelf life and so it’s nice and cool when you’re ready to mist your face!
This is an excerpt from the Summer edition of Botanical Anthology. A plant lover’s dream, it is a seasonal, plant centered quarterly publication bringing you over 45 articles from 46 contributors to incorporate herbs in your apothecary, kitchen, summer foraging and gardening, crafts, and celebrations.
This herbal magazine, featuring remedies and recipes with medicinal plants for budding herbalists, can be purchased as a digital version here and as a printed version here.
Photo by Kristine Clay
If you enjoy the classic herbal cocktail, the mint julep, then this fruity, floral rendition is sure to become a fast favorite.
Infused whiskey lends stunning color and bursts with fresh strawberry flavor, while lavender rounds out the beverage with pleasant herbaceous notes that hint of mint. Lavender can ease stress and anxiety, helping you to unwind as you sip.
Serve this boozy beverage at your next get together or enjoy with friends on a warm summer evening.
Strawberry Whiskey Materials
2 c strawberries, fresh, sliced
Whiskey
16 oz jar
Strawberry Whiskey Method
Place strawberries in a jar.
Pour whiskey over top, filling the jar.
Cap tightly with a lid and shake well. Let the strawberries steep in whiskey for at least 1-2 weeks, shaking daily or as often as you remember.
You can use the whiskey after about a week, but giving it a full 2 weeks to infuse will allow the flavor to really develop.
Note
If you won’t be using the whiskey right away, there’s no need to strain out the infusing strawberries after 2 weeks. Longer steep times allow the flavor to deepen, and can make for a very tasty liquor.
Photo by Kristine Clay
Lavender Simple Syrup Materials
¼ c lavender, dried
½ c sugar
¼ c lime juice
¼ c water
Lavender Simple Syrup Method
Add the ingredients to a small saucepan.
Bring the liquid to a rapid boil then reduce the heat and simmer lightly for about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and let the syrup cool.
Strain out the lavender pieces and bottle the syrup.
Store leftover syrup in the refrigerator.
Photo by Kristine Clay
Strawberry Lavender Julep Materials
1 ½ f. oz strawberry whiskey
½ fl oz lavender simple syrup
Ice cubes
Fresh lavender sprigs
Club soda or sparkling water, optional
Strawberry Lavender Julep Method
Pour whiskey and simple syrup into a glass and stir.
Add ice.
If desired, top with a splash of club soda or sparkling water.
Garnish with a sprig or two of fresh lavender.
Note
This recipe makes one cocktail.
Article written by Kristine Clay. Kristine is a mother, herbalist, & writer who lives on an off-grid homestead in the Ecuadorian Andes. She enjoys crafting botanical concoctions, baking, and hiking with her partner in the eco-sanctuary they steward. You can read her musings about herbs, nourishing foods, & holistic mothering on her blog: mamalibelula.com and find out more about Andean plants, regenerative land management, & raising rabbits at: SierrayCielo.org.
I am so, so very excited to share with you about this labor of love, the Summer edition of Botanical Anthology, which is launching tomorrow, June 12!
I am personally more involved than ever in the production of this publication—aside from writing articles for it, I am now its copyeditor. I’ve worked closely with the magazine’s founder/editor, my friend Harmonie, on the design and content of this edition as well as editing all the articles. I can tell you that all 46 contributors are bringing amazing articles, recipes, and other content centering around summer and how to incorporate herbs in your apothecary, kitchen, spring foraging and gardening, crafts, and summer celebrations.
Here is a sampling of what’s inside:
* Whip up an itch soothing salve, steep a California poppy tincture + infuse an evening primrose oil
* Whisk a milky oats honey mustard, make watermint chocolate chip ice cream + bake a starflower cucumber cake
* Grow amaranth, make fertilizer with comfrey + learn why you should add herbs to your garden
* Create clay mushrooms, eco print with coreopsis + make sidewalk chalk
* Form summer rituals, build a Lion’s Gate altar + discover rose family folklore
* Celebrate Summer Solstice + Lammas with simple observances
* Meet Rebecca Desnos, Susan Leopold + Tiffany Jones
From June 12th – 21st, receive the Botanical Anthology Summer edition digital download, plus our lavender bonus booklet download, for just $18. Come next week, the lavender booklet will no longer be included, and the price will increase.
And now you can purchase a printed option via Amazon!! Plus we have gift card and digital subscription options on our website!
As a thank you for being here with me as a BLOG FOLLOWER, enjoy $3 off the publication with the code: BASummer23Take$3
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this message as I share my excitement about this magazine I am so lucky to be a part of. If you’d like to learn more about the publication and what’s inside, and consider buying your own copy, follow this link:
The Herbology Faerie 