Hot Summer Tips & Cool Herbs
~ August Newsletter ~
We're at the height of summer as we crest into late summer. The fields and forests shift to a duller green with flecks of gold. Wildflowers wane, with Queen Anne's lace slowly transitioning to goldenrods and aster-family blooms
and jewelweed.
The Herb Garden Overflows with Abundance In late summer, the garden is at its peak. Heavy and lush with greenery and pops of color - calendula, basil, tulsi, fennel, dill, two-toned shiso leaves, bolting cilantro, and lush green planters of lemongrass, gotu kola, and bacopa. It's amazing how much they've grown
in just a few weeks. Plumped by heat, rain, and stellar soil. Here on the new property, I'm still learning the land and honestly don't have time for gardening, so I'm focused on deck planters. My students were raving about it, asking my secret to lush container plants: I borrowed my mom's extra "City Pickers" self watering planters (affiliate link) and following the planter recommendations with organic Black Gold and Coast of Maine potting mix from the local feed stores plus ProGro fertilizer. They're working out great! Life's been chaotic, and the magical deck oasis has been a welcome respite with table and purple umbrella, chairs, fairy lights, and the herbs to hang out with. I love being able to grab my favorite herbs mere feet from the
kitchen.
Find herbal drying and remedy making tips can be found further below in this email. :) It's hot and steamy! I have no idea how you folks in even hotter states cope with this... likely you have better air condition situations than I do, haha!
Tips for keeping
cool(ER) with herbs and favorite recipes below. New & Seasonal in This Email- Favorite Cooling Herbal Recipes & Tips for Summer Heat
- Beyond the Home Herbalist Series Starts in September, register now!
- Last two Sleep Mini Course Classes coming up!
- Upcoming Event: Misty Meadows New England Women's Herbal Conference
On a Personal
NoteI can't lie - this has been a high-stress past year with house, book, biz stuff, travel (lots of "too much" though mostly good things) and then especially the last month which included a burst pipe here that destroyed my classroom floors and my in-laws' just finished renovated space below - that will be months to fix. Then in the midst of that, we got
COVID - a sneaky variant + our sky-high stress levels and sleepless nights caught the immune system off guard and knocked me back for 3 weeks. Not so good. On the plus side, Shannon and I just took our summer vaca, a weeklong paddle/camp trip in Maine which was less paddling and more reading and napping in hammocks = much needed. Now my energy is back, and I'm working to catch up on
all the stuff (a mountain of work, make up classes, managing the insurance claims/renovation). It's back to basics - pulling out the herbal iced teas for stress and keeping cool and calm, getting sleep back in order (I hear there's a good book on that!), working yoga classes back in, enjoying culinary herbs from the deck in fresh meals and drinks, reclaiming our lives and
taking care of ourselves. :) Life throws us curveballs, but we can reboot and refocus.
But please know, my capacity for answering everyone's random questions and requests via email and social media is very low right now - sorry! |
What to Do With All Those Herbs?The garden overflows with delicious, amazing, useful herbs... now, what the heck to do with all of them?? To preserve herbs, generally you just chop and shove herbs in a jar, cover them with some sort of liquid, let them sit for 2-4 weeks, then strain them out. Really,
it's that easy. - Dry Them for tea and as a culinary spice - favorites include lemon balm, mint, lemongrass tops, basil, Korean licorice mint, oregano, savory, bee balm, holy basil
- Infuse in Vinegar for salad dressings, marinades, dipping sauces, with or without a touch of honey (which technically makes it an oxymel) - favorites include chive blossoms, stevia, purple
basil, fennel (especially bronze), tarragon, hot peppers
- Infuse in Honey for a sweet treat to add to tea, dressings, marinades, enjoy by the spoonful - favorites include Korean licorice mint, bee balm, holy basil
- Infuse Fresh in Water or Seltzer for a summertime beverage - favorites include Korean licorice mint + vanilla extract, mint, lemongrass, fennel fronds, rose
blossoms
- Infuse in Alcohol to make a medicinal tincture - favorites include holy basil, lemon balm, bee balm, and many more
- Infuse in Oil for topical remedies like cream and salve - favorites include St. John's wort, calendula, plantain, comfrey, gotu kola
For more inspiration, check out my Kitchen Apothecary 101 blog post and Here's a playlist of free YouTube videos of me showing you how to make herb-infused oils, salves, honey, sleep tea, and tincture (the blog articles also link to specific pertinent
videos) Cooling Herbs & Recipes for Summer HeatHerb Infused Cold Waters & SeltzerAdd a few sprigs to cold water or seltzer and let infuse for 15 minutes or longer. Drink within 12-24 hours. Best refrigerated but ok if not refrigerated for a few hours. Favorites ~ • Rose Blossoms (long steep) • Lemongrass • Meadowsweet, Violet, or Salad Burnet leaf added to other blends for fresh, crisp, sweet flavor • Apple Mint or Spearmint • Holy Basil/Tulsi • Korean Licorice Mint (Agastache
rugosa): “Root Beer” when combined w/2-5 ml vanilla extract (I love Simply Organic) • Fennel Fronds, especially bronze fennel Iced Herbal Drinks & Popsicle CombosI fill my stainless steel popsicle molds (this is my favorite style/affiliate link) with easy things like pure tart cherry juice, pomegranite juice, Concord grape juice, or Pure Indian Foods alphonso mango puree, but if I'm feeling extra fancy for popsicles as well as iced herbal teas and seltzer-herb combos for summer nights on the deck... • hibiscus
+ berries • lemongrass + pineapple + coconut milk • mint + lime or lemon • basil + berries • lemon balm or lavender + lemonade • green tea + lemon balm or lemon verbena • watermelon + mint or basil • peach fruit + peach twig or leaf tea • holy basil + mint or green tea + honey For those of us who are peri or post-menopausal, the heat can be particularly overwhelming, triggering "thermonuclear" hot flashes and
agitation. I'm so glad that my own menopause symptoms are fading vs a few years ago and grateful to shatavari caps, which have really taken the edge off the hot flashes and insomnia, and I've also learned how important stress management also is (not always easy during as stressful of a year and summer as this one, admittedly) - yoga, holy basil, lemon balm are some of my favorites. OPEN FOR REGISTRATION
BEYOND the Home Herbalist Series
Tuesdays September 10- November 19, 6-9 pm EST
Limited Remedy Kits Available Deepen your understanding of herbalism and the human body past the fundamentals with this beginner/intermediate course. Each class covers a body system and at least one remedy. For each body system or health concern, you'll learn how the body should work, how things get out of balance, and how to use herbs, diet, and lifestyle changes to bring it back
into balance.
9 CLASSES Live Streamed TUESDAY NIGHTS 6-9 pm Eastern Time
And all are also recorded and available for replay at your own pace with no deadline.
 Continue and deepen your education beyond the basics. In the nine classes, we cover a body system and a remedy making technique (building on new topics not covered in the beginner Home Herbalist Series). Each 3-hour live class is accompanied by detailed class notes, full-color slides, and access to all the class recordings.
Prior attendance of the Home Herbalist series is encouraged but
not
essential nor required.
Develop core skills as a home herbalist ~
also a great launching point for future clinical study Live Streamed (& Recorded) Class Topics
Class 1: Backyard Medicine | Tea Blending
Class 2: Herbal Safety | Herb-Infused Broths
Class 3: Longevity & Vitality | Cordials, Elixirs & Oxymels
Class 4: Brain-Boosting Herbs | Brainiac Bonbons
Class 5:
Strong Bones | Nourishing Infusions & Seaweed Snacks
Class 6: Managing Chronic Pain | Gin Raisins or Topical Pain Oil
Class 7: Strong Lungs | Herbal Cough Syrup
Class 8: Healthy Skin with Herbs | Flower Water & Herbal Exfoliant
Class 9: Autoimmune Support | Electuaries Student perks include… Lifetime access to online course materials Bonus on-demand class and herb walk video recordings 1 year American Herbalists Guild student membership Exclusive discounts to local and national herb farms, shops, and books Certificate upon completion of the series/homework Limited $100 value optional remedy
kits available (USA only) Sleep Mini-Course Continues!Join us for the second half of the Sleep Mini-Course (free with book purchase)! There is no deadline to watch and access the
replay videos after registration! Class 3, Aug 7: Herbs that Support Sleep Part 1 Class 4, Sep 4: Herbs that Support Sleep Part 2 + Formulation and Recipe Tips |
Upcoming EventsCome see me at the Misty Meadows
New England Women's Herbal Conference August 23-25 in Lee, NH I'll be teaching two
sleep-related classes and selling my books. The HUGE lineup of speakers is AH-MAZING - I am very honored to be part of it. Details and register HERE Lots of fun classes and conferences coming up this fall, too. September Community Classes: Rockingham Herb Society in Chester, Bedrock Gardens in Lee, and Loudon NH Library teaching classes and selling books. Autumn Conferences: October
American Herbalists Guild Symposium in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and in the November NHAND (NH naturopathic doctor) conference at Wentworth by the Sea in NH. |
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