Your monthly recipe round up includes tulsi chocolate syrup, tea, and more
For a while, I’ve been sporadically sharing recipes a couple times a month in my weekly newsletters, but I’ve decided to shift to this monthly recipe round up format so you have the bulk of them in one place.
I may still share recipes in other issues too, especially when I’m talking about the history or preservation uses of a specific food, but look forward to getting monthly round ups rooted in simple techniques for utilizing what’s growing right now.
These round ups are meant to be practical, and give you techniques and ideas you can start using right away with your garden bounty and farmers’ market hauls, and I love to hear your suggestions for what you want more recipes for.
Do you love this new format (or not love it?) Do you have a kind of recipe or an ingredient you want to see more of?
Let me know in the comments!
Your August recipe round up is all about using fresh herbs and foraged berries, and includes the following recipes:
Heart soother tea:
A simple herbal + black tea recipe I like to sip in the mornings when I’m feeling tender and need a little extra support.
I use this with dried herbs that I process using the technique I share below, and it gives me a way to enjoy the herbs from my garden and my foraging walks well into the winter (you can also use store-bought herbs, too).
Lemon balm syrup:
A simple herbal syrup that’s good for the nerves and delicious in summer drinks. You can add in or swap out other herbs you like, but when my garden has a profusion of lemon balm, this is what I make.
Tips: How to dry herbs without a dehydrator
If your garden is like mine, everything is bursting forth at once, and if you don’t have a dehydrator or don’t want to run it constantly, processing your herbs can feel like a chore. Here’s the simple technique I use to evenly dry them by hanging up without risking mold or discoloration for the herbs at the center.
Tulsi chocolate syrup:
New, improved version of my favorite chocolate syrup. This one is thick, rich, and deep rather than overly sweet, and the depth of the chocolate really compliments the sweet, floral brightness of the tulsi. If you’ve never made this before I highly recommend it!
Elderberry cough syrup:
Does just what it says on the label. This works more gently with my body than store-bought syrups when I have wintertime colds, and actually tastes good too. It’s deeply comforting and easy to make with foraged elderberries.
Heart soother tea
This tea is gentle and delicious, and great for when you want something floral and soothing that also feels decadent. It also offers some gentle nervous system support for when you’re feeling grief or like things are just too much. If you don’t do caffeine, you can omit the black tea or swap in another herbal tea you enjoy (peppermint or lemon balm are a nice choice here).
Makes about a quart
2/3 c black tea
1/3 c dried hibiscus flowers
1/2 c dried mullein
3/4 c dried rose petals
-Add all ingredients to a bowl and gently mix to evenly combine.
-Pour into a foodsafe, airtight container and seal the lid. Store out of direct sunlight at room temperature, where it will last for months (but for best flavor and aroma, try to use it in months, not years).
(As with any recipe for herbal preparations I share, this isn’t medical advice: listen to your body, common sense, and talk with your healthcare provider when you have health questions).
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