Herbs that speak. Bring Magik into your kitchen......

This morning I already knew it would be an interesting day :). I am on a learning journey, and my first lessons are about letting go of what does not work in order to let in the new. But that is another post....or posts...that will go under "Journey" at the Goddess's Daily Groove :). Becoming more "aware".....

Back to my kitchen.

Two sick kids, who came back from camp with something that is a cross between a serious head/chest cold and allergies (which we don't have.). I went to the pantry to get herbs for tea, and the first thing that called me was Hibiscus. Then Rosehips, both of them fabulous for Vitamin C, and a general "feel good pick me up". Another plus is that their taste is attracting to kids. As I placed them in the pot, Nettles called me. I did not hesitate, though the combination of the fresh, tangy taste of the first two, and green taste of Nettles seemed a bit strange. As I walked by a cabinet with my standard herbs, the Cassia chips (cinnamon) called sweetly: "Add me for the grounding taste, I will take care of their blood". The magic is happening, the tea is delicious. With a dollop of raw honey, I am sure it will attack those little bacteria sweetly, but with a strong hand. The first batch is warm, but the rest will be on ice and administered for the rest of the day :).

Open your kitchen to magic and healing food. There are lots of books & courses, but I invite you to go into your kitchen at night, when it is quiet & you are alone and uninhibited. Clean it, dance with it, sing to it...be happy in there. Turn on some candles while you work. Hang gathered herbs to dry. Only bring in food that are healthy and authentic, if possible. Kitchens are the hub of life of our houses. They nourish us, not just with food. If you don't have on yet, invite a Kitchen Witch into your home (some shameless advertising there, but my Witches truly bring laughter & good magik into your kitchen :)..).

Now you are ready to "hear" your kitchen, and its' inhabitants :). When you nourish, when you need healing; you will know which foods & herbs to choose. Be open, they may seem strange, but you can trust that your kitchen will take care of you.

Today's Healing Tea:
A big pot, filled with water that has boiled.
1 handful of Hibiscus flowers
1 smaller handful of Rosehips
1 handful of Nettle leaves
1/4 handful :)...of Cinnamon chips (or a stick if you have one, not powder)
Sweeten with local honey, raw is good.
The tea will be thick, and should be drank warm. Then you can thin out with a bit of filtered water and drink it over ice :).

Let the magik begin!
Much love,
Heike

Sweet Good Bye.....Happy Hello.

Last year, I planted a thornless boysenberry in my back yard. My past attempts at any kind of berry failed, either they died of water deprivation, or because our soil is just to clay heavy. This little boysenberry that could actually almost got axed, as the thornless branches had thorns :(. I decided to let it live, and am I happy I did!

This little bush has given us bowls and bowls of succulent berries! Not to mention the pleasure of picking berries and popping them in our mouth while we worked outside. This bush has graced us without the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and honestly, not alot of water that was not supplied by rain fall. Yes, we had to blow off a spider web or two....

Last night I picked what looked like the last batch of berries, saying "goodbye" to this wonderful gift. This morning, like magic, there were more :). Thankfully, I left the majority of the "shoots" to grow along the fence, next year we will be swimming in delicious boysenberries!

I love the satisfaction of growing my food, especially since I am not a great gardener. My herbs grow wild for me with not much care (but lots of love) from me, and now I have food growing in the same manner. I love going to the market and being able to pass up the little $7(!!!!) baskets of berries, knowing mine are ready at home (and organic!).

I did not have much luck with tomatoes last year, so we built a "lasagne garden" box for the tomatoes. Look at the before & now pics! If the heat does not get the blooms, we will soon be graced with all kinds of tomatoes and cucs. The first tomatoes are setting, and I can't wait for sun ripened, weirdly shaped, warm, delicious tomatoes! My favorite memory is from Greece, where the kids ran in the garden, fetched me a giant, ugly heirloom tomato and some cucumbers. We sliced them, sprinkled salt, pepper & olive oil, and ate them by the tons. Mmmmmmmm. Coming from Germany (where much of our tomatoes & cucs came from Holland and were uniform), this was a treat I now reintroduce every summer.




Send me your favorite summer tomato & cucumber recipes, as that is what we will be eating most of the summer :). Preserving recipes too :).

Hope you are enjoying the summer.
Much love,
Heike