herbal recipes
Foraged Spring Picnic
Beltane is the halfway point between spring and summer. A time for renewing vitality and blossoming hope, the potency of fertility is palpable. Acts of weaving the male and female energy ensures a successful harvest.
One form of "maying" is the act of picnicking on May Day. Take your lover to a meadow (or the forest) to frolic with fairies, enjoy a seasonal meal and delight in a romp amongst nature to embody the essence of the day.
On the menu is a feast bursting with the vibrant spring energy of violet, hawthorn, dandelion and wild greens. Snack on jam, butter and pesto with crackers.
Serve Violet Mead, a honey wine kissed with blooms that strengthen and comfort the heart, or Milk + Honey Cocktail, my ode to Flora the goddess of flowers and spring.
Accompanied by a hunk of cheese and crusty bread, plus wine glasses, you have a lovely spring basket to savor the plants of the season.
Escorting little ones on this adventure? Make merry by weaving flower crowns and building fairy houses while enjoying your refreshments. Skip the mead and add violet syrup to sparkling water for their own tasty treat.
However you sojourn, be sure to leave a few bits of your fare behind as an offering to the fairies to protect your home, garden and animals.
Here are five recipes to take on your excursion:
-Hawthorn Berry + Strawberry Jam
-Dandelion Honey Butter
-Wild Greens Pesto
-Violet Mead
-Milk + Honey Flora Cocktail
Hawthorn Berry + Strawberry Jam
1 tbsp dried hawthorn berries
1 c finely chopped strawberries
1 tbsp honey or to taste
1/2 tsp gelatin, optional
Decoct the hawthorn berries in 2 cups of water by bringing the liquid almost to a boil and reducing to low-medium heat for about 20 minutes until it reduces to 1/3 cup.
Strain berries. Add decoction back to the saucepan. Add strawberries. Cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
Reduce heat and add honey.
The jam will be loose and will firm up once cooled in the refrigerator. If you before a thicker jam, add a 1/2 tsp of gelatin while the mixture is still warm and stir well.
Store in the fridge.
Dandelion Honey Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp honey
1 c dandelion petals, green parts and stems removed
1/8 tsp salt
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor.
Store in the fridge.
Wild Greens Pesto
2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly roasted
1/4 c parmesan, grated
1 small clove garlic or pinch of garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c foraged greens (such as dandelion leaves, violet leaves, chickweed, cleavers, blanched nettles)
3 tbsp or more extra virgin olive oil
In a food processor, blend pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and salt into a paste.
Add greens and blend until broken down.
Drizzle in olive oil until you reach your desired texture preference.
Violet Mead
Steeped Mead
1/2 c violet petals, fresh
3/4 c dry mead
Top herbs with mead.
Steep for 24 hours.
Strain.
Violet Syrup
1/2 c violet petals, fresh
1/2 c water
1/2 c sugar
Fill a jar with blooms and top with just boiling water. Cover and steep for 24 hours.
Strain flowers.
In a pan, heat steeped tea with sugar until sugar is melted.
Store in fridge
Violet Mead
3/4 c steeped mead
2 tsp violet syrup
Mix steeped mead and violet syrup. Taste and adjust sweetener as necessary.
Serve over ice, if desired.
Notes
For wee ones, swap mead for sparkling water to make a violet soda.
Milk and Honey Cocktail
Floral Vodka
2 tbsp rose
5 tsp chamomile
1 tbsp dandelion flowers
1 tsp lavender
If you are feeling spicy and sultry, add:
1/2 tsp ginger pieces
1/4 tsp cinnamon chips
Top herbs with 4 oz of vodka.
Steep for 24 hours.
Strain.
Cocktail
1.5 oz (3 tbsp) floral vodka
4 oz (1/2 c) whole milk
1 tbsp honey or to taste
Stir to combine all ingredients.
Notes
If you have difficulty dispersing the honey, gently warm it with some water to create a simple syrup.
For a fruity floral element, add fresh squeezed orange juice.
Comments