Elderberry Ginger Simple Syrup and Mocktail Recipe
Fruity fizzy drinks are a staple in my household. As much as we love water, there is something extra satisfying about a fizzy beverage— the sound and sensation of carbonation bring a kind of magic and celebration to the very mundane act of imbibing. My partner and I have even taken to adding agave nectar to flavored sparkling water to satisfy both our craving for effervescence and our sweet tooth. This simple method of creating a bare-bones mocktail inspired me to try my hand at crafting an herbal variation to bring a bit more glamour and some seasonal wellness to our fizzy drink routine.
Herbal simple syrups are incredibly easy to make, and once you have some on hand you can use it with the same ease that you would agave or maple syrup. My favorite thing about herbal simple syrups is the vast array of different flavor combinations and actions that can be utilized. It is a decidedly whimsical way of incorporating beloved herbal allies into daily life. For this recipe, I wanted to use herbs that will help support my loved ones and I as we venture into the damp and chilly months ahead. Elderberries and ginger both offer health-supporting qualities for the immune system and are a delicious and warming flavor combination. If chilled drinks during the cooler months aren’t your thing, try adding this syrup to teas, mulled ciders, or toddies!
Sprouts: Grow Sustainable Food on Your Countertop
Eating sprouted seeds is an easy, delicious way to capture a botanical’s nutrients, minerals, and vitamins at their peak. Depending on the sprouts you choose, they can be an excellent source of potassium, magnesium, folate, beta-carotene, calcium, vitamin C, and also vitamin K, which is a key vitamin for bone growth and blood clotting. They add flavor and texture to a wide variety of foods: salads, sandwiches, bagels, stir-fries, soups, frittatas, scrambled eggs, and more! These days they’re easy to find at farmers markets, natural foods stores, and in the produce section of many grocery stores, but did you know they are remarkably simple to grow right on your kitchen countertop? All you need is a jar, a sprouting screen or cheesecloth, seeds, and water.
Plant Stories | Featuring Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz
This week’s guest on Herbal Radio is the wise-spirited author and curandera (ku·ran·de·ra), Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz. We recorded our interview with Felicia prior to her keynote presentation for the 2023 Fall Virtual Free Herbalism Project, so be sure to check out her recorded presentation after listening to this episode!
In Felicia’s words, Curanderismo (ku·ran·de·ris·mo) is a 500-year-old traditional healing practice that is still in existence today. It is influenced by Spanish, Indigenous Mexican, the Moors, West African, and Native American traditional healing practices, and is a result of the blending of these cultures during colonization.
Irish Sea Moss Gel Recipe
Perhaps you’ve noticed that sea moss gel has been trending for a few years now in wellness circles. Made from red algae, sea moss gel is rich in nutrients like iodine, magnesium, iron, folate, vitamin K, and calcium. Bonus: it’s simple to make at home with just three ingredients and provides countless ways to up the nutrient value of your favorite recipes. Sea moss gel doesn’t have a lot of flavor on its own, so while you can certainly dip in a spoon and eat it as-is, its add-in potential is where it really shines! Try adding this easy ocean superfood to a winter soup or a stir-fry, or blend a frozen cube into your morning smoothie for a nutrient-packed start to your day.
Pickled Burdock Recipe for Gut Health
Inulin is a popular supplement right now, and for good reason. It is an impressive prebiotic that provides support for gut and bowel health, and absorption of key minerals, amongst other wonderful things.
As herbalists, we often prefer to take our constituents in whole plant form, and we’re happy to say that there are a lot of delicious foods and herbs that contain inulin. Excited to learn more?
Check out blog.mountainroseherbs.com for the full recipe!
Homemade Elderberry Gummies (Vegan)
We love elderberries for their nutritious immune benefits and delicious flavor, so we’re always excited for new recipes, and right now we’re all about elderberry gummies. Unfortunately, gummies are usually made with gelatin, which is a hard no for our vegan friends. We wanted to create an elderberry gummy that anyone can enjoy, but how do you get a gelatin-like gummy without the gelatin? The key is agar-agar powder! Agar-agar comes from the structure of cell walls in certain kinds of red algea, so this wonder of nature is vegan-friendly and makes a beautiful, shiny, delicious gummy that has a nice “squish” and works especially well in candy molds. If you’ve ever had a Japanese fruit jelly, you’ll recognize the consistency of agar gummies. What a fun way to get a little boost of immune-supporting elderberries!
Homemade Lotion Recipe: Warming Fall Spice Blend
It’s the season for everyone’s favorite autumnal spices. Crisp fall scents and flavors are in our lattes, our pastries, our diffusers, our perfumes, and more. They’re also in one of my favorite Mountain Rose Herbs lotion recipes! Although I love thicker creams and body butters for everyday moisturizing, I like to keep lotion in a pump bottle by the sink to use after hand-washing. This DIY lotion recipe is so easy to make, which means it’s simple to switch up the scent to match the seasons or my current mood. This time of year, it’s all about the satisfying aromas of autumn.
Let’s talk for a moment about shelf life. Although this is a fun and easy way to make lotion, it does not have a preservative and includes water in the form of chamomile hydrosol. This means it’s going to have a shorter shelf life than a product that includes preservatives. Water breeds life, including microbial life, so mold and other bacterial spoilage can become an issue with any formulation that includes water, hydrosols, witch hazel, aloe vera juice, flower waters, milk, etc. Without a broad-spectrum preservative, water-containing emulsions like lotions, hair rinses, room and linen sprays, and cleaning products all need to be made and stored properly to achieve their longest shelf life.
Chia Seed Pudding Recipe With Pumpkin Spice
I will admit that I was a latecomer to the pumpkin pie spice trend. I still have not had a pumpkin spice latte, for instance. I have been starting to come around though. My turning point came after I tried one of our very own blog recipes, pumpkin pie spice roasted mixed nuts. Ever since that day, I have felt the undeniable pull towards this seasonal favorite. As the days grow shorter and cooler, the warming spices seem to offer the perfect comfort and sense of wellbeing. Naturally, I wanted to celebrate the arrival of pumpkin spice season this year with a recipe variation!
We have sung praises for chia seed pudding before. It resides in that oh-so-special territory where it is tasty enough to be a dessert and healthy enough to be a fueling breakfast or snack. Chia seeds are high in fiber and rich in brain- and body-loving nutrients like omegas, proteins, and antioxidants; the fact that they naturally create a pudding-like texture is what makes them pure magic. Chia seed pudding is also highly versatile and customizable, and thus, it felt like the perfect canvas to spread a little pumpkin spice joy on.
Typically, pumpkin spice just refers to the spice blend used in pumpkin pie, for this recipe I decided to throw myself fully into the season by adding a bit of pumpkin as well. Happy Autumn!
The Sacred Copal Tree + Ceremonial Uses for Día de Muertos
Copalli—the Nahuatl word for Copal—is a resin extracted from the Copal tree and has been used in Indigenous practices for thousands of years. In honor of Dia de Muertos, our friend Patricia Cortez has written a beautiful blog about her memories of how her Mamá Trini trained her in El Salvador to work with Copalli. We love the story of how she learned to befriend and honor the Protium Copal tree and the traditional way of using maguey cactus to harvest the copal. And did you know that in 2016 the Mexican government designated Dia de Muertos as a Cultural Heritage to the world? We all have Ancestors to honor and celebrate regardless of where we are from. What do you recall about your ancestors and how do you honor them?
Voiceover graciously provided by Patricia Cortez.
Patricia Cortez is a bilingual-bicultural holistic practitioner at Eugene Reiki Healing in Eugene, Oregon. Visit her here: www.eugenereikihealing.com.
