This page will feature recipes and "extra" recipes or handouts from recent programs I have presented. My most recent programs will be at the top, but do not be afraid to scroll down for other programs and different recipes and handouts. For information on programs available, check out My Program Listing page.
NATIVE AMERICAN HEALING HERBS
Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and we make no medical claims, nor intend to diagnose, treat, or heal medical conditions. Women who are pregnant or nursing, or persons with known medical conditions should consult their physician before taking any herbal products.
Making Teas
When brewing a tea (tisane) you need to realize that unlike black tea a brewing time of 2 minutes is not long enough. If you use a root, like Echinacea, you may need to steep as long as 15 minutes to extract the medicinal properties and flavors. Generally 5 to 7 minutes is needed but up to 10 may be required. Different palates also demand different strengths so when trying a new herb, sample it after just a few minutes of steeping. It can always be diluted if it gets too strong. The standard formula is one teaspoon of herbs for each eight ounces of water.
Soothing Throat herbal tea
Linden flowers
Linden flowers
elder flowers
rose hips
plantain
marsh mallow flowers
Combine herbs in equal amounts in an airtight container. Use 1 to 2 tsp. per cup pf hot water and steep for 7 to 10 minutes. This blend is perfect for sore throats and as a boost in immunity.
Plantain tea
2 cups water
2 Tbls. fresh cut up plantain leaves
Bring water to a boil and then add cut-up, fresh plantain leaves. Cover and steep for five minutes. Sweeten with honey if needed. Sip tea throughout the day to fight congestion and other symptoms of cold and flu.
Plantain Salve
If you would like to use plantain year-round, your best bet is to make a salve.
1 lb. plantain leaves, fresh, cut up
1 cup olive oil or coconut oil
Place one pound of fresh cut-up plantain leaves in a large non-metallic pan. Add olive oil or raw coconut oil. Put the lid on the pot and cook on low until all the leaves are soft and mushy and the oil looks green.
Then strain the leaves out of the mixture while the oil is still warm. The salve will form as the oil cools. Store the store it in an airtight container. Add a drop or two of essential oil after the mixture has cooled, if you wish to have some scent. You can use the salve on bug bites, skin conditions, burns and wounds. You also can use it as a moisturizer cream.
Medicinal Tea Mixture for Cold Prevention & Relief
1 1/2 ounces rose hips
3/4 ounce marshmallow root
3/4 ounce mullein flowers and leaves
This tea stimulates the immune system, loosens bronchial mucus and makes coughs more productive. For a cup of tea, use 1 cup of water and 2 teaspoons of the tea blend.
Medicinal Tea to Relieve Gout & Kidney Gravel
1 1/2 ounces rose hips
3/4 ounce nettle leaves
3/4 ounce goldenrod leaves
3/4 ounce horsetail leaves
This tea flushes gravel from the kidneys, combats chronic urinary-tract infections and helps eliminate uric acid assisting gout patients. For each cup of tea use 1 cup of boiling water and 2 teaspoons of the tea mixture. Strain and enjoy!
Native American Herbs with healing properties for the bath:
To craft an herbal bath, use 3 to 4 ounces of herbs per tub. Use the herbs to make an extra strong herbal tea; strain and add the tea to the bathwater. Or you can bundle the mixed herbs in a swatch of cotton fabric and tie it directly onto the nozzle of the tub. Run hot water through the herbal bundle until the tub is half-filled, then toss the bundle in the tub and adjust the temperature with cold water. Soak in the bath for 20 to 30 minutes to enjoy the full benefits of the herbs.
Native American herbs for the Bath:
Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)- a building immune system herb especially through the rebuilding of bone marrow. It has been used for preventing and treating long-term infections including colds and flu. Because it helps regulate metabolism and circulation it is good with dietary sugars and may be used by some to treat diabetes.
Black cohosh - has many estrogen-like qualities and is used often by menopausal women. It is especially good at relieving the stress and nervous tension that often accompanies the menstrual cycle. Black Cohosh should not be used during pregnancy.
Burdock - is used often in tea and tinctures. In the bath it is great for itchy, irritated skin.
Dandelion – this herb is bitter and not always the best tasting, however it has restorative and rejuvenating properties that you can use in the bath and avoid the bitter taste.
Mullein – known for its ability to speed healing and ease pain from bruising this can be useful in a bath blend.
Rose petals - are soothing both for the skin and for the nervous system.Edible Flowers
For the full 7 page flowers and flavors handout click here: Flower flavors and use chart
Mocktails
If you want the recipes used at the Farmer's Market Demo check this out - Farmer's Market Recipes. Here are some extra Mocktail Recipes to try with your new skills from the program. If you are looking for the Garden Expo handout - you will find it here: Madison Mocktails 2024. Previous year's recipes are here: Mocktails Wisconsin Expo
Infusion
Would you like the handout with the extra recipes for each infusion? Try this Wisconsin Garden Expo "extras" handout
Blending Herbs
This popular Fall program discusses how to blend herbs and here are some recipes as well as a handout with "extra" recipes using the blending rules.
All-Purpose Vegetable Seasoning
Use this blend to take advantage of all your dried herbs!
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1/2 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
Mix all ingredients together and store in airtight glass container. Makes about one half cup.
Suggested Uses; Sprinkle seasoning on cooked and steamed vegetables. Add to a dab of butter with onion and/or garlic powder, and lemon zest to place on cooked vegetables or baked or boiled potatoes. Add seasoning to casseroles and cream cheese (about 1 tsp per 8 ounces.)
Use this blend to take advantage of all your dried herbs!
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
1/2 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
Mix all ingredients together and store in airtight glass container. Makes about one half cup.
Suggested Uses; Sprinkle seasoning on cooked and steamed vegetables. Add to a dab of butter with onion and/or garlic powder, and lemon zest to place on cooked vegetables or baked or boiled potatoes. Add seasoning to casseroles and cream cheese (about 1 tsp per 8 ounces.)
Blending Rule Recipes
Herbal Gourmet
The blending rules are cool, and here are some recipes to go with those blending rules as well as instructions for making and using herb pastes. If you attended the Garden Expo and want the full handout try this: Wisconsin PBS Expo.
1 cup ketchup
½ cup brewed herbal tea (we recommend something earthy and sweet)
¼ cup apple cider
vinegar
1
tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon
salt
¼ teaspoons black
pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all the
ingredients and mix together well. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Let
cool. Taste it to see if the sweetness
matches your desire and add honey or sugar as needed, then slather on your
cookout favorites!
Unusual, Exotic and Medical
Here is a detailed plant list as covered in the program. Full Plant list part 1 and Full Plant list part 2
Growing and Using Lavender
For District 214 and District 128 we have a special program that goes over what lavenders to grow in Illinois as well as how to use them once you grow them. I share a number of recipes, but here are a couple I ran out of room to share:
Lavender Hand Cream
- 3 tablespoons grated beeswax
- ½ cup dark sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 tablespoons spring water
- 2 to 3 drops lavender essential oil
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Combine all ingredients in a heat-resistant container or double boiler. Gently heat (do not boil) the mixture in a microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring often, until wax and oils melt completely. Pour the mixture into a container or jar and allow it to cool. After it has cooled completely, give it a final stir before capping. Always make this in small batches as it has no preservatives and you do not want it to go bad before you use it. I think a 6 to 12-month shelf life is about all you can hope for.
To use: massage the cream into clean hands.
We always serve these brownies when we talk about lavender flowers so here it is again so you never lose it:
Lavender Infused
Brownies
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup grass fed unsalted butter
- 3 tsp lavender flowers (dried)
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups herbal or regular sugar (lavender sugar is amazing in this!)
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Optional 1 cup chopped nuts
Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Either line bottom and sides of 8x8 baking pan with parchment or Grease small muffin tins with coconut oil or a little butter. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in a small pot over very low heat. When melted, add the lavender flowers. Stir gently to cover all flowers. On very low heat, allow the flowers to impart their flavor into the butter. After about 8 minutes, remove the pot from the heat. Strain the butter into a medium sized bowl, removing the lavender. Stir in the cocoa. Blend in the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients (and nuts if you decide to use.) Blend all together and spoon into the muffin tins (or the 8x8 pan) Bake in the oven for 20 minutes for the small bites (or 30-35 for larger pan.) I suggest allowing to completely cool before removing from the small muffin tins. I put mine in the fridge after cooled to room temperature to ensure that they came out easily.
Decorating with Herbs
Here is the handout from the program for those who did not get one: Decorating with Herbs
Here are some bonus ideas for other times of the year: Herb Decorating
Body Beautiful
This is a list of the Oils to use in making beauty items as well as a list of the best herbs for beauty.
Beauty Oils and Herbs
Herbology 101
Here are a few more recipes to make with herb sugar just in time for fall holidays.
Herbed Butter Thins
These light, delicate cookies are a family favorite.
- ½ cup butter, 1 stick
- 2/3 cup herb-flavored sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- Pecan halves or candied cherries for tops (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter, sugar, and VANILLA together. Add
the egg and beat until the batter is light and fluffy. Gently mix in the
flour, salt, and baking powder to make a soft dough. Drop by the scant (barely
full) teaspoon, 2 inches apart, on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for about 8
minutes at 350°. Use a thin, flexible spatula to remove the cookies from the
pans, as they do not rise much and can be a tad difficult to remove from the
pan. Using parchment paper or a cookie sheet that has no rim makes it easier.
Remove the cookies right away, or they will stick. Top with pecan halves or
candied cherries immediately after removing the cookies from the pan.
Prep. time: 10 minutes ,Baking time: 8 minutes per batch, Yield: about
30 cookies
Plan an Herbal Tea Garden
Here are some tea recipes to enjoy
Lavender and Lemon tea
Lavender and Lemon tea
1 part Lemon verbena, chopped
1 part Lavender buds
Nerve Soothing Tea
This was among my first 6 blends when I started the Backyard Patch back in 1996 it has chamomile for reducing or handling anxiety, thyme for its medical cold overpowering properties and digestive help, marjoram for the cough and cold fighting abilities and sage to cool illness, anxiety and stomach issues so you can just relax.
1 part chamomile
1 part thyme
1 part marjoram
1 part sage
Headache Tea
This was my first headache blend, crafted with only three herbs so the flavor of each shines through it has Lavender for stress headaches, rosemary of digestive issues and anxiety and thyme for cold related headaches.
1 part lavender
1 part thyme
1 part rosemary
Mint Merriment
This blend contains apple mint for anti-inflammatory attributes and wonderful appley flavor, catnip to help with sleep and anxiety and rosehip for vitamin C, coughs and inflammation control.
4 parts apple mint (or peppermint)
2 parts catnip
1 part rose hips
If you want details on Sweet, Savory and Pungent herbs, see this blog post.