Nature's Coolest Helpers: Beating the Heat with Herbs

When the temperatures climb like they are this week in Illinois and surrounding areas, it's tempting to retreat indoors with the air conditioner running full blast. But herbs have been helping people stay cool, hydrated, and refreshed for centuries and are worth a try. Whether you're sipping a glass of herbal iced tea, adding cooling herbs to your meals, or harvesting from your garden in the early morning, herbs can make even the hottest summer days more enjoyable.

Cool from the Inside Out

Many herbs have naturally refreshing flavors that make them perfect for summer drinks.

Mint

Perhaps the king of cooling herbs, mint creates a refreshing sensation thanks to its natural menthol. Add fresh sprigs to water, lemonade, iced tea, or fruit salads. Mint also makes an excellent herbal tea that's just as delicious served over ice.

Lemon Balm

With its gentle lemon aroma and calming qualities, lemon balm is wonderful for stressful, hot afternoons. Brew it into an iced tea or combine it with mint for a refreshing summer blend.

Hibiscus

If you're looking for something colorful, hibiscus makes a beautiful ruby-red iced tea. Its tart, cranberry-like flavor pairs well with honey, citrus, or berries and is wonderfully thirst-quenching.

Lavender

A small amount of lavender adds a floral touch to lemonade or iced tea. Just a little goes a long way, creating an elegant summer beverage perfect for entertaining.

Add Herbs to Summer Meals

Heavy meals can feel overwhelming in hot weather. Fresh herbs brighten lighter dishes and add plenty of flavor without extra salt.

Try adding:

• 
  Basil to tomato salads and pasta. We love to slice tomato and cucumber and spread them on a plate.  Sprinkle them with our Greek Blend and drizzle with olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar.  Cool, refreshing and filled with summer goodness.
  
• Dill to cucumber salads and yogurt dips.
• Parsley to grain bowls and potato salad, perfect with our Summer only Potato Salad Seasoning.
• Chives over grilled vegetables.
• Cilantro in fresh salsa and tacos.

Herbs allow simple seasonal produce to shine.

Make Your Own Cooling Infused Water

Skip sugary drinks and make a naturally flavored herbal water.

Some favorite combinations include:

• Mint + cucumber
• Lemon balm + lemon slices
• Basil + strawberries
• Lavender + blueberries
• Rosemary + orange slices
• Borage + cucumber

Let the mixture steep in the refrigerator for several hours before serving over ice.

Zesty Citrus Cooler (Made with Zesty Lemon Tea)

• 2 Tbsp Backyard Patch Zesty Lemon Tea
• 2 cups hot water
• 4 cups cold water
• Lime slices
• Lemon slices
• Cucumber ribbons
• Mint

Brew tea in two cups water and allow to steep 15 minutes.  Add cold water along with lemon, lime and cucumber and allow to chill several hours.  Then serve with ice and a sprig of mint. Perfect after gardening or spending time outdoors.

Harvest Smart During Hot Weather

Summer heat can be tough on herbs too.

For the best flavor:

• Harvest early in the morning.
• Water deeply rather than frequently.
• Mulch around plants to keep roots cool.
• Pinch flowers on leafy herbs like basil and mint to encourage fresh growth.
• Dry herbs indoors where temperatures are moderate.

A little care keeps your herb garden productive throughout the hottest months.

Herbs Beyond the Kitchen

Cooling herbs aren't limited to food and drinks.

Fresh herbs can also be used to make:

• Herbal facial mists
• Cooling foot soaks
• Bath sachets
• Refreshing linen sprays
• Homemade herbal ice cubes for beverages

These simple projects help you enjoy your harvest in new ways while making hot summer days feel a bit more comfortable.

Stay Cool Naturally

Summer doesn't have to mean simply enduring the heat. Herbs bring fresh flavors, beautiful aromas, and cooling refreshment to everyday life. Whether you're harvesting from your own garden or picking up a bundle at the market, there's always another delicious way to let herbs help you beat the heat.

So pour yourself a glass of iced herbal tea, head outside in the early morning to gather a few sprigs from the garden, and enjoy one of the season's greatest gifts—fresh herbs at their peak.

 

Eight Summer Green Sauces

Nearly every culture has a version of herb sauce — pesto, chimichurri, salsa verde, zhug. The formula is forgiving:

Fresh herbs + oil + acid + salt.

Blend whatever is abundant. The garden decides dinner.

Green sauces are one of the easiest ways to add fresh herb flavor to meals. They can be used as dips, sandwich spreads, marinades, salad dressings, or toppings for grilled vegetables, meats, fish, pasta and grains. 

Classic Herb Chimichurri

A bright Argentine sauce perfect for grilled vegetables, steak, chicken, or roasted potatoes.

• 1 cup parsley, finely chopped
• ¼ cup oregano leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Garden Herb Green Goddess

Creamy and packed with fresh herbs.

• 
  ½ cup mayonnaise
  
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup chives
• ¼ cup parsley
• 2 Tbsp tarragon
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Blend until smooth. Serve as a dressing, dip, or sandwich spread.

Basil Parsley Pesto

Not just for pasta!

• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1 cup parsley
• ⅓ cup walnuts or sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Uses

• Toss with pasta
• Spread on sandwiches
• Stir into soups
• Top grilled vegetables

Lemon Balm Herb Sauce

A refreshing sauce that pairs well with fish and chicken.

• 1 cup lemon balm leaves
• ½ cup parsley
• 2 Tbsp chives
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Blend until smooth.

Herb Salsa Verde

A zesty Italian-style green sauce.

• 1 cup parsley
• 2 Tbsp fresh oregano
• 1 Tbsp capers
• 2 anchovy fillets (optional)
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• ⅓ cup olive oil

Directions

Pulse ingredients together until finely chopped but not completely smooth.

Mint & Cilantro Green Sauce

Excellent with grilled vegetables, lamb, or grain bowls.

• 1 cup cilantro
• ½ cup mint
• 1 jalapeño, seeded
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt to taste

Directions

Blend until smooth.

Dill Cucumber Sauce

Fresh and cooling for summer meals.

• 1 cup cucumber, chopped
• ¼ cup dill
• 2 Tbsp parsley
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic

Directions

Blend until creamy.

Uses

• Fish
• Salmon burgers
• Vegetable platters
• Potato salad dressing

Backyard Patch Garden Green Sauce

A "use what you've got" herb garden sauce.

• 2 cups mixed herbs (parsley, basil, lemon balm, chives, oregano, mint, or dill)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp honey
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Blend until smooth. Adjust thickness with more oil or a splash of water.

Tip

This is a great recipe for using small harvests from several herbs at once. The flavor changes throughout the season depending on what's growing in the garden.

Green sauces are proof that a handful of fresh herbs can transform everyday meals into something special. Whether you prefer the bright tang of chimichurri, the creamy richness of Green Goddess dressing, or a simple garden herb blend made from whatever is thriving in your backyard, these versatile sauces offer endless ways to enjoy the flavors of the season. They’re a delicious solution for using up abundant herb harvests while adding color, nutrition, and fresh flavor to everything from grilled vegetables and meats to salads, sandwiches, and grain bowls. So grab a handful of herbs, fire up the blender, and discover just how easy it is to bring a little green goodness to your table.

Summer Flower Tea - Tea of the Month

Here is a great tea that is sunny, floral and easy going.  You can serve it hot or cold on the porch.  It has a lovely golden color that is great for gatherings or individual sipping.  It has a slightly sweet and nostalgic flavor.

Summer Flower Tea Blend

• 2 parts lemon balm
• 1 part anise hyssop
• 1 part calendula petals
• 1 part pineapple sage (or common sage for more robust herbal tone)
• ½ part lavender

Instructions:

• Combine all ingredients in glass jar with a tight fitting lid and shake to mix.
• TO USE: add 1 Tbsp per quart water for sun tea, or 1 tsp of blend per cup of hot water. Steep 10 minutes. Sweeten lightly with honey if desired

Anise Hyssop

Creating Herbal Fun Via Recycling - How Tuesday

We recently did a Green Gifts with Herbs program for which I created a whole new selection of gift ideas.  I wanted to be creative and I wanted to use up a number of items that I was collecting in a stash.  

We are going to be adding this program to our Workshop Programs this year and have presented it as part of the Garden and Green Living Expo in Madison, Wisconsin for 2026 (Feb 13 to 15).  This allowed me to have fun with pressed flowers and also try a new technique for flower pounding.  Here is what I mean:

Previously I used grass and flowers to make napkins and table cloths, as well as a few cards.

Now I am making more cards and using a clear cover so I can be more accurate with my designs.

The clear material is salvaged from plastic berry boxes, spinach containers and other thin plastics.  Type 2 recyclable plastic is not accepted in my municipality, so this is a great way  to reuse those items, so less goes into the landfill.

Flower Pounding

• Recycled item: card stock, plastic fruit containers

• How to create: trim card stock to the size of a note card envelope or post card size.  Trim the fruit container plastic to give you small or large flat areas to use for pounding. Take fresh flowers, herbs and plant leaves. Lay the plant materials out on the card stock, cover with a  clear piece of plastic and lightly pound with a hammer.  Remove the plastic and peel off the now pounded plant material. Allow the card to dry.

• How to Use: Send a note to friends or family. Or use as a gift tag on another hand created gift.

I love to press flowers.  I especially love to press pansies.  This year I obtained a lovely pansy locally that is purple and yellow with the purple an  outline around the petals and the yellow on the face.  They are stunning in the containers on the porch. And to my great surprise, when pounded all the color transfers giving great images.

I also created bookmarks, pressed flower cards, and these great pressed flower stickers with these and other flowers.

Leaf Stickers

• Recycled item: dry pressed leaves or herbs, clear tape, wax paper

• How to create: Gather pressed flowers, herbs and leaves.  Place a sheet or wax paper shiny side up on a flat surface.  Cover the wax paper with clear packing tape, sticky side down.  Add pressed items to the packing tape, holding them in place with a dot of glue. Cover the items with more strips of packing tape and press down well to fuse the layers and work out wrinkles or air bubbles with a smooth-edged tool or finger tips.  Trim the individuals leaves / items from the sheet. 

• How to use: When ready to use, peel the wax paper from the tape revealing a clear sticker with the leaf, flower or herb that can be used in planners or scrapbooks. 

Keep your eye out for more of these as a How to, as I sort through the videos and photos from my Expo presentation.

Citrus Dry Perfume - Bath Blend of the Month

Summer fresh scent to use instead of perfume to scent skin and hair.

Citrus Dry Perfume

• 1 teaspoon orris root powder
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon finely powdered dry orange peel
• 1 teaspoon finely powdered dry lemon peel
• 2 drops lemon essential oil
• 2 drops begamot essential oil

Mix together all the ingredients.  Place items in a food processor, blender or coffee grinder and process until you havve a smooth, fine powder.  Place the perfume in a clean container with a tight fitting lid.

TO USE: Rub a small amount of this scented powder on your skin where you would apply perfume or cologne.

Celebrate National Garden Week with Presentations, Events and Roses

Hello and welcome to National Garden Week. It starts June 7 and runs through June 13. This year we are celebrating with a couple of special events. June 14 you will find us at Garden Gait, the garden walk and boutique of the Lisle Women's Club.  A few years back I developed a special tea for them which I sell as a fund raiser for their scholarship fund. You can get GARDEN GAIT TEA as both a sun tea and a loose tea throughout the month of June.  The proceeds will be donated to the Lisle Women's Club.

Garden Gait Tea

On June 9 we will be doing the program Edible Flowers at the Wood Dale Public Library, Wood Dale, IL at 7 pm. We will discuss a variety of edible plants and flowers and sample a few items made with these delicious flowers.

 

Then on June 11 we are at the Winfield Public Library with Crafting Herbal Blends that includes our new Blending Bar where participants can create their own blend to take home using the information learned during the presentation.

 

June is also (among many other things) National Rose Month.  So are two lovely recipes using Roses for you to enjoy.

 

Happy Garden Week!

 

The classic Collins took a trip through the garden with this twist by bartending vet Charlotte Voisey, I love that it uses Rose Water as an additive.  A couple drops of red food coloring and this Gin drink will be perfect served as a holiday cocktail.

Herby Rose Collins

• 1 1/2 ounces Hendrick's gin
• 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce rose simple syrup (see below)
• 1/2 ounces fresh cucumber water
• Garnish: cucumber slice, rose petals 

1.     Craft a rose simple syrup, add 2 cups sugar to ½ cup water and bring water to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar. Then stir in ½ cup rose water and reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes. Then remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to a jar and refrigerate and use up within 3 weeks.

2.      Create cucumber water by washing and chopping an English cucumber (leave the skin on) and mashing in a juicer. Use the juice within a day.

3.      Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. About 45 seconds.

4.      Strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice.

5.      Garnish with a cucumber slice and a crumble of rose petals.

Ricotta Crepe Blintzes with Roses

·         1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
·         1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
·         1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
·         2/3 cup whole milk
·         6 tablespoons water
·         3 large eggs
·    1 cup plus 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
·         1 cup plus 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
·         2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
·         1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
·         1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
·         1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
·         2 1/4 teaspoons rosewater
·         6 tablespoons unsalted butter
·         2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
·         3 tablespoons honey
·         1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
·         2 teaspoons edible dried rose petals

1.      Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the chopped walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes, until browned and fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool.

2.      In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Whisk in the milk, water and 2 eggs until a smooth batter forms. Set aside while you make the filling.

3.      In a medium bowl, combine the mascarpone, ricotta, toasted walnuts, lemon zest, cinnamon and allspice. Stir in the 1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar, 2 teaspoons of rosewater and the remaining egg until smooth. Refrigerate the filling while you make the crêpes.

4.      In a nonstick 6-inch skillet, melt 1/2 tablespoon of the butter over moderately high heat. Pour 2 tablespoons of the batter into the skillet, immediately swirling the pan to evenly cover the bottom. Cook until set, about 45 seconds. Flip the crêpe and cook until lightly browned on the bottom, about 45 seconds more. Transfer the cooked crêpe to a work surface and repeat with the remaining butter and batter to make 11 more crêpes.

5.      Brush a 12-by-8-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the filling into the center of a crêpe, fold in the sides and roll up into a tight tube. Transfer to the baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining crêpes and filling, fitting the crêpes in the baking dish snugly in a single layer. Brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and bake for 25 minutes, until the crêpes are light golden brown and the filling is warmed through.

6.      Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the honey and lemon juice with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of rosewater and warm over moderate heat. Drizzle the honey mixture evenly over the crêpes, then lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar and sprinkle with the rose petals. Serve the crêpes warm or at room temperature.

MAKE AHEAD - Refrigerate the crêpes and filling separately for up to 3 days before filling and baking the crêpes.

NOTES - Edible dried rose petals are available at specialty food shops, online or harvest from the garden if you do not treat your roses for pests or disease.

 

Love Thyself Tea – A Calming, Heart-Centered Blend for May - Herb Tea of the Month

Welcome, tea lovers! Today, we're thrilled to introduce our Tea Blend of the Month – Love Thyself Tea. This delightful blend is perfect for those calm May evenings when you just want to unwind and focus on self-care.

In this blog post, we'll walk you through the ingredients, show you how to prepare the perfect cup, and talk about the benefits of each component in the blend. We'll also discuss the importance of taking time for yourself and how a simple cup of tea can become a cherished ritual of relaxation and self-love.

Love Thyself Tea is designed to be a moment of mindful relaxation, emphasizing self-care and tranquility. The hibiscus flowers offer a rich, vibrant color and a tart flavor that awakens the senses, while the rose hips provide a subtle sweetness and a boost of Vitamin C. Chamomile, known for its calming properties, helps to ease stress and promote a sense of peace. The cinnamon adds a touch of warmth and spice, balancing the blend beautifully.  Cheers to a peaceful and heart-centered evening with Love Thyself Tea!

Love Thyself Tea

• 2 parts hibiscus flowers
• 1 part dried rose hips
• 1 part chamomile
•  ½ part cinnamon pieces

Blend ingredients and store in an airtight jar. To make:  Steep 1 tsp in hot water for 5–7 minutes.

Don't forget to leave a comment below and share your experience with Love Thyself Tea. Let us know how you enjoyed this blend and any other tea combinations you'd love to see in the future.