Triple Happiness Tea - Tea Blend of the Month

(adapted from Kathleen Kips of the Village Herb Shop)

This tea is refreshing and great both as a hot or iced tea.  The medicinal properties of the ingredients include increased happiness, comfort and emotional balance.

• ½ cup loose black tea
• 1 Tbls. Rose buds
• 1 Tbls. Rosemary
• 1 Tbls crushed, dried Rose Geranium leaves
• 1 Tbls. Hibiscus
• 1 Tbls. Seedless rose hips
• 1 tsp. whole cloves

Combine ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well to combine.

To Use:  Add 1 level tsp. per cup of hot water and steep 3 to 4 minutes.  

Seven Herbal Gift Ideas for Mom - to make and buy

There are many gift ideas for Mom that incorporate herbs. Here are a few perfect examples, several of which you can make yourself:

1. Herbal Tea Set: Give your mom a collection of her favorite herbal teas, along with a beautiful teapot and a set of tea cups. This gift is perfect for mothers who love to relax with a cup of tea after a long day. Teapot Gifts and Tea Gifts.

2. Herbal Bath Salts: Herbal bath salts are a great way to provide relaxation and rejuvenation. You can make your own bath salts using dried herbs such as lavender, rose petals, and chamomile, or you can purchase pre-made herbal bath salts.

We shared this recipe on the blog back in May 2023, but here is a quick blend of salts to pamper skin.

Pampering Bath Salts

• 1 1/2 cups Epsom salts
•  3/4 cup baking soda
• 3/4 cup herbs (finely ground)

Combine everything in a jar and shake well.  Add 2 to 4 Tablespoons directly to the bath or place in a mesh or organza bag and swish to dissolve the salts.

3. Herbal Soaps: Another great gift for mom is herbal soaps. Especially soaps made from natural ingredients and infused with essential oils and dried herbs, providing a pleasant aroma and gentle cleansing.  I get my herbal soaps from Soapy Roads here in Lombard and you can order online too!

4. Herbal Body Oils: Herbal body oils are a great way to nourish the skin and provide a relaxing massage. You can make your own body oils by infusing carrier oils with dried herbs such as lavender, rose petals, and chamomile or you can just use essential oils in a carrier oil.

Essential oils like lavender, lemon, and eucalyptus come with benefits. But other oils—like black pepper, clove, and peppermint—can irritate the skin, so choose carefully. To make a safe, DIY bath oil blend five to 20 drops of an essential oil with one tablespoon of a carrier oil (like grapeseed, jojoba, almond, or argan oil). Add the oil right before you're about to get into the bath to keep it from evaporating.

5. Herbal Sachets: Herbal sachets are small bags filled with dried herbs, which can be placed in drawers or closets to provide a pleasant aroma and natural pest control. You can make your own sachets using herbs such as lavender, rose petals, and chamomile. RECipe

Romantic Evening Dreams

• 1/2 cup rose petals
• 1/2 cup rosemary
• 1/4 cup lavender flowers
• 2 lemon verbena leaves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon mint
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 small piece of cinnamon stick, 1 inch long, broken up

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine.  Allow to meld for at least 2 days before placing in a sachet.

For a simple pillow, fill a 3- to 5-inch drawstring bag with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chosen herbs; draw strings and tie closed.

TO USE: place the sachet inside the pillowcase or under the pillow and inhale deeply as you fall asleep.  Enjoy the dreams!

6. Herb Garden: Giving an herb garden can be a great gift for a mom who likes gardening, cooking or both. You can give her a small indoor herb garden or a larger outdoor one.  Try these seed papers or these plant seedlings.

7. Herbal Candles : Herbal candles are a great way to provide a pleasant aroma and relaxation. You can make your own candles using beeswax and essential oils, or purchase pre-made herbal candles or those with pressed flowers.

All these gifts are thoughtful and can be personalized to your mom's preferences and interests, and can be a great way to show her how much you care.

Rose and Lemon Verbena Bathroom Potpourri - Bath Blend of the Month

As we get into the entertaining season we may want to bolster the scents in the bathroom with something refreshing and yet not cloying.  This blend of herbs and flowers with seasonal spices will give off a pleasant scent.  You can place it in a quart jar with a string of lights or just place in a lidded jar with openings to let the scent cloak the room in fresh herbal smells.

Rose and Lemon Verbena Jar Potpourri

3 broken cinnamon sticks

1/4 cup statice flowers

1/4 cup rose petals

1/4 cup lemon verbena leaves

1/4 cup whole cloves

1/4 cup orchid flowers (optional or substitute lavender buds)

5 to 10 drop rose geranium or rose absolute oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Pour into a quart canning jar allowing lots of air space.  If you want added fun place a string of white lights in the jar first and pour the potpourri around it.  Plug the lights in and this will accelerate the release of scent.  Or just place an open lid on the jar or a circle of fabric at the top and allow to infuse with the air naturally. Place on the back of the toilet or on a shelf in the bathroom for colorful scented decor.

Lemon Spice Tea - Tea Blend of the Month

Lemon Balm needs to be harvested again and if you grow it in is often hard to find different ways to use it, but I have many, so check out this link to a search of all the recipes I have posted using Lemon Balm. But for now try this great tea blend with lemon flavors and a hint of clove for a seasonal twist.

Lemon Spice Tea

• 1 cup lemon balm
• 1/2 cup lemongrass, chopped
• 1/2 cup peppermint
• 1/4 cup whole cloves
• 3 teaspoons slivered lemon peel

Combine herbs and lemon peel in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well.  Enjoy 1 tsp per cup of hot water and steep 5 to 7 minutes.  Color will be light.

If using fresh herbs chop the herbs evenly to a uniform size and use 1 Tablespoon per cup of hot water. Steeping 5 to 7 minutes.  Don't make this as a sun tea, but it is good cold.

Romantic Dreams Sleep Sachet - Bath Blend of the Month

When the days are still too short and the nights too long and the weather still too cold or snowy, I start to lose sleep.  I just don’t stay asleep as well.  I try to increase my exercise in hopes of encouraging sleep and drink more tea with Holy Basil, like my Holy Basil Relaxing tea.  And I also add a scented sachet to my pillowcase.  Since it is February, I am sharing a recipe designed to increase your dreams of that special someone.  The evocative and spicy blend will increase thoughts of roses and warm nights.

Romantic Evening Dreams

1/2 cup rose petals
1/2 cup rosemary
1/4 cup lavender flowers
2 Tablespoons lemon verbena leaves, crushed or chopped
1 teaspoon mint
4 whole cloves
1 small piece of cinnamon stick, 1 inch long, broken up

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to combine.  Allow to meld for at least 2 days before placing in a sachet.

For a simple pillow, fill a 3- to 5-inch drawstring bag with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chosen herbs; draw strings and tie closed.

For a more decorative bag, fold a 5-inch-by-12-inch cloth in half on the long side and stitch up one long and one short side (the folded side does not need to be stitched). Launder with no fragrance or fabric softener. Place a cotton ball-sized amount of cotton or fiberfill material in the bottom of the pocket. Add about 1/2 cup of herbs, fold over the remaining open side and stitch shut.

TO USE: place the sachet inside the pillowcase or under the pillow and inhale deeply as you fall asleep.  Enjoy the dreams!

Making a cocktail or root beer with Anise and Licorice December recipe theme

The theme for December is Celebration!

I want to celebrate making fun decorations, handmade gifts, and celebrating with friends.  The recipe theme this month is Mocktails, so I will share several fun drinks you can enjoy without worrying about driving.

I chose this as the first Mocktail, because the ingredients are so perfectly seasonal.  Star anise, licorice root and vanilla bean are combined to create the perfect root beer in this Anise Licorice Root Beer recipe. To make a root beer from this simple syrup recipe you need to carbonate the syrup.  You accomplish that one of three ways.  Add the syrup to seltzer water, use the syrup in your “soda stream” or allow it to naturally carbonate by adding yeast to the syrup.  Depending on your skill level, you can try one or all three of these methods.

But first you need to create the simple syrup. This recipe is excerpted from Homemade Soda (Storey Publishing, 2011) by Andrew Schloss.

Anise Licorice Root Beer 

Star anise, the dried star-shaped fruit of an Asian evergreen, is pungent with the aroma of licorice and hints of clove and cinnamon. Together, star anise and licorice root create a flavor so full-bodied and powerful that just a few ounces will flavor a whole barrel of root beer. According to Andrew Schloss “In this aromatic soda I have amended the licorice-anise partnership with vanilla bean for its floral top notes, clove for depth, and brown sugar for mellowness.”

Anise Licorice Syrup

Enough for 1 gallon brewed root beer 

4 1/2 cups water 
4 ounces dried licorice root, chopped
4 star anise
3 cloves
1 vanilla bean, cut into three pieces 

4 cups dark brown sugar 

Combine the water, licorice, star anise, cloves, and vanilla bean in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally; let simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Gradually add the brown sugar to the simmering syrup, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then remove from the heat, let cool, and strain.  This syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. 

TO MIX WITH SELTZER (1 serving) 

1/2 cup anise licorice syrup 
1 1/2 cups seltzer 

Pour the syrup into a tall glass. Add the seltzer and stir just until blended. Add ice and serve. 

TO CARBONATE WITH A SIPHON (Soda Stream) (3 servings) 

3 cups water 
1 cup anise licorice syrup 

Combine the water and syrup in a 1-quart soda siphon. Charge with CO₂ according to the manufacturer’s directions. Siphon-charged sodas can be stored in the siphon in a refrigerator for up to 5 days. Disperse as desired into tall glasses filled with ice and serve. 

TO BREW ROOTBEER (1 gallon) 

3 quarts lukewarm (80–90 degrees) water 
1 batch anise licorice syrup
1/8 teaspoon champagne yeast (Saccharomyces bayanus) 

Combine the water and syrup in a large container. Test the temperature; the mixture should be at a warm room temperature, from 75 to 80 degrees. (If it is too hot, let it sit until it cools a bit. If it is too cold, warm it over low heat.) Add the yeast and stir until it is completely dissolved. 

Pour the mixture into sanitized plastic bottles using a sanitized kitchen funnel, leaving 1 1/4 inches of air space at the top of each bottle. Seal the bottles. Store for 2 to 4 days at room temperature. When the bottles feel rock hard, the soda is fully carbonated. 

Refrigerate for at least 1 week before serving; drink within 3 weeks to avoid over carbonation. 

Anise Syrup Cocktail - Black Licorice  

Prepare the anise licorice syrup as described, then carbonate as desired. 

Add 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) Pernod, Sambuca, or other anise-flavored liqueur to 8 ounces (1 cup) Anise Licorice Root Beer (Carbonated Anise Licorice Syrup) and serve over ice. 

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)

September 2019 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals (CrockOct)

November 2019 - Pies (PieNov)

December 2019 - Mocktails (MockDec)

How Tuesday - Lighted Potpourri Jar

This is such a great item to make quickly and place in the bathroom.  It is festive, holiday themed and leaves a great scent when you have guests in the delicate room!

How to -

Step one - Gather your supplies.  You will need:

• 1 wide mouth 1 quart canning jar
• 1 string of 20 to 30 christmas lights (I got mine from the dollar store)
• potpourri
• two rubber bands
• a paper or cloth doily

Step two - Potpourri

       I suggest making your potpourri rather than buying it, but in the essence of time, you can get some store-made at your local hobby center.  Here is recipe for seasonal potpourri if you want to try your hand at homemade.

Potpourri for the Holiday

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks, crushed
• 1 to 3 star anise, broken is fine
• 1 tablespoon cardamom pods, crushed
• 2 teaspoons whole cloves
• 1/4 cup candied ginger or 1/8 cup dried ginger root pieces
• Needles from a pine branch, or from one sprig of rosemary (about 1 tsp. dried rosemary)
• 5 to 7 slices of dried orange
• 1 to 2 tsp dried mint leaves
• 1 Tbls. dried bay leaves

Combine ingredients in a jar and shake to blend.  Store in the jar for a few days to meld the scents.

Use as the potpourri in this project or add 1 cup mixture to a medium saucepan and fill 3/4 full with water and use as a potpourri simmer on the stove.

Step three - Fill the jar with lights and potpourri

Place a layer (about 1 inch deep) of potpourri in the bottom of the quart jar.  Thread in the lights and arrange on top of the potpourri.  Plug them in while you are working so you can see your progress. 

Add more potpourri as you thread in the lights and arrange the lights and potpourri artfully so you can enjoy the lights and the colors of the potpourri together.

Top off the jar with potpourri, leaving the tail end of the light cord outside the jar.

Step four - top the jar

Place a rubberband around the top of the jar to hold the string of lights in place over the rim.  Add the doily to the top and, using the second rubber band, secure the doily in place.   Now you have a scent opening.  Tie a bit of ribbon around the rubber band to cover it.

Step five - plug in to final resting place and enjoy!

We also had the one with the multi-color lights on the book shelf in the livingroom.

Iced Green Tea Chai - Weekend Recipe

There are many herbs that are cooling and cinnamon and ginger are two of them, so enjoy this Chai iced tea on a hot day to experience the cooling effects.

Iced Green Tea Chai

Serves 4

4 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

1 Tbls. green cardamom pods

1 tsp. whole cloves

2 Tbls. sliced ginger root

4 tsp. green tea leaves

milk or non-dairy milk to taste

Sweetener to taste

Bring water to boil.  Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and ginger root.  Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add green tea.  Cover and steep for 10 minutes.  Strain and chill tea mixture.  Serve in chilled glasses with cold milk and sweetener to taste.

Spiced lemonade - Weekend Halloween Recipe

This is the perfect blend of lemon and spices to make a seasonally flavored drink with a unique twist.  You can use fresh of reconstituted lemon juice, but it will be less bitter if you squeeze fresh lemons.  I have made this with Backyard Patch Cinnful Dessert Blend by substituting 1/2 tsp of Cinnful Dessert Blend for the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.

Spiced Lemonade

1/2 cup lemon juice (the juice of 3 to 4 lemons)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
10 cups warm water

Add all ingredients to a pitcher with a lid.  Shake well.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.  Pour through a coffee filter or doubled cheese cloth into another pitcher; discard the solids.  Serve warm or cold.  Serves 8 to 10.

How Tuesday - Purple Basil Jelly

It has been some years since I made jelly and I decided that I was putting it off because of my small kitchen and for jelly that was not really an issue.  To prove that to myself (and perhaps to you if you also have a small kitchen,) I made Purple Basil Jelly.  Last week before the temps went below 40 and took out the basil crop, I needed to rescue all those herbs.  Since I had to harvest every basil plant that left me with the surplus needed to make this recipe.  I did it in an evening after harvesting the plants so you do not even need to set aside a day or something to accomplish this.

I actually shared this recipe in the newest issue (November/December) of The Essential Herbal Magazine.  Now would be the time to order your subscription to get this and other seasonal end-of-year recipes as well as other articles for the herbal minded person!

The recipe follows all the pictured steps.

First I washed and air dried the harvested stems.  I laid them out on paper towel and turned them a couple of times while I got the other materials together and grated the lemon zest.

I measured the basil leaves into the measuring cup, pressing them down to make sure I had an entire 1 1/2 cups of leaves.  Then I placed the leaves in the empty saucepan and bruised them with my fingers. 

Adding the lemon zest, spices, 1 3/4 cups orange juice orange juice and 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar to the pan after the herbs were well bruised. 

Using a medium temperature, I brought he mixture to a boil slowly.

Once it was fully boiling I took it off the stove and poured the contents into a bowl, placed a cover over it and let it steep for 30 minutes.

After the mixture steeped I poured it into my jelly colander.  using the wooden plunger to press down the herbs and extract all the liquid.  You do not normally press down on the materials when making jelly as this will make the mixture cloudy, but the dark color and use of balsamic vinegar in this recipe means it will already be dark and cloudy so you might as well extract all you can from the herbs.

Once I had at least two cups of liquid I measured that back into a saucepan, added the 4 cups of sugar, one cup at a time and brought it to a full rolling boil.  You can see how just adding the sugar started to thicken the mixture and I had not yet added the pectin.

Once it was fully boiling and foaming I added the liquid pectin.  It comes in pre-measured pouches of 3 ounces so you need to make a recipe that crafts 4 to 6 pints to use this amount of pectin.

Bring the jelly back to a full boil so that it is rolling and foaming, then set your timer for one minute.  Stir constantly or the mixture will scorch.

Once you have allowed it to boil for 1 minutes remove it from heat and  skim off the foam that collects on top.  My mom always liked to eat this while it was still warm.

Once you have skimmed off the foam, pour the hot liquid into hot sterilized jars.  I generally leave the jars in the hot water I boiled them in until just before the jelly boils then I remove them from the how water and drain them on a towel.  By the time the pectin boils for one minute I can flip the jars over and fill them right away.  When I take the jars out of the hot water I slip the metal mason jar lids into the hot water and leave them in the water until I am ready to seal each jar with a lid.

The hot lids are placed on top of each filled jar and the rings are screwed on finger tight.  Then you place the jars in a water bath and boil for 5 minutes.  Normally you water bath for 10 minutes, but herbal jelly will get runny if you go that long so only boil covered for 5 minutes.  Then remove the jars to a heat protected surface and let cool.  The lids should pop fairly quickly.  Any that do not should be kept in the refrigerator and eaten first, the others will keep for 6 to 12 months or longer.

Notice my empty jar in the middle to keep the others from falling over into the empty space while boiling.

Recipe --

Purple Basil Jelly

1 1/2 cups packed purple basil leaves, washed and air dried

zest of 1 lemon

3 whole cloves

2 allspice berries

1 3/4 cups orange juice

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

4 cups sugar

3 ounces of liquid pectin

Crush the basil leaves with your hands and place in a saucepan.  Add the lemon zest, cloves, allspice, orange juice and vinegar, then bring slowly to a boil.  Transfer to bowl and cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve pressing to extract all the juices. Measure 2 cups extracted liquid into a saucepan.  Add the sugar and bring to full rolling boil.  Stir in the pectin and boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat, skim and pour into hot sterilized jars and seal.

Stop back in a week and I will have some recipes for using the Purple Basil Jelly.