Nurturing the Wild Heart

Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album) Lamb's Quarters was one of the first wild weeds I ever tried. I was attending Appalachia School of Holistic Herbalism in the lovely mountains of NC. We had all met for class at the home of our school's director that she lovingly named Soulflower Botanical Sanctuary. As we were harvesting herbs in her garden she pointed out that we should gather a good basket of the young tops of the Lamb's Quarters. She had the regular kind and the most beautiful magenta colored  ones too! It is super fairy fun to take the magenta or light green powder from the young leaves and rub it on your cheeks. Instant natural glitter!! They tasted like Spinach and Sweet Peas all rolled together. Needless to say, it was the trigger for a love affair with weeds I never knew I could have.  The light color on the top leaves is the powdery "fairy dust" Lamb's Quarters is also called Pigweed and is in the Goosefoot family. That is a who...

Misty's Fiery Cider This is one of my most favorite recipes for staying warm in the winter time. It can boost your immune system  too, as well as it tastes kinda like Heaven. I call my version fiery cider at least for now. It has been a recipe herbalist have been tweaking for a very long time. Everyone has their own spin on it. I have seen some of the most interesting fiery ciders recipes! This is definitely a recipe to make your own and have fun with.  I first learned about this delicious recipe from Rosemary Gladstar. I am currently attending her home study course, Art and Science of Herbalism . Her book, Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health , was my very first medicinal herb book and it is a sight to see now. With all of its dog eared pages and worn edges you can tell it has been my favorite for a long time. There are recipes in the book called Fire Cider Zest and Hair Raising Cider. I made the Fire Cider Zest and fell in love! There are also tons of recipes onli...