Forsythia Twist Bread

Forsythia Flowers It’s mid-April and the Forsythia is blooming here in New Hampshire. These cheery, yellow flowers are one of the first plants to add a pop of color to the landscape. Forsythia bushes are deciduous shrubs that can grow 3-9 feet in height and, rarely, up to 20 feet. Their drooping branches grow yellow…

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Vanilla Rose Shortbread

Vanilla Rose Shortbread is certainly an involved dessert but the end result is worth it! The beauty of these cookies and the delightful taste of rose petals bring pure magic to this dessert. When identifying rose, note that all wild species are edible. There are many different species of rose in North America but they…

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Red Clover Lemonade

Looking for a refreshing beverage this summer? This super tasty drink is it! Made with red clover, lemon, and raw honey, it’s the perfect combination to cool you off during the warmer months. Curious about the taste? Think Arnold Palmer. Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) is a nutritive herb containing many phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals. The…

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Fairy Gingerbread

Fairy Gingerbread Squares   This sweet treat is so delightful and SPICY! A perfect blend of ginger, black pepper, and pine needles. Pair this sweet treat with a cup of hot joe or strong tea and you’ll be glad you did.  The best part about these cookie squares is that no rolling, no cookie cutting,…

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Chive Blossom Pasta

Chive Blossom Pasta Homemade pasta can be such a fun way to explore various herbs, flowers, and tastes! Once you have a basic pasta recipe handy, the sky is the limit. Last year, I found myself making some stinging nettle pasta. It was fun to play around with the green color of nettle.  However it…

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Stinging Nettle Soup

Stinging Nettle Soup This is a perfect summer soup made with fresh nettles and roasted vegetables. Today was cool and rainy, the best kind of day to make summer soup. The day before, when it was warm and sunny, I had gathered some fresh nettle tips. The tender young leaves at the top are delicious…

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Pickled Spruce Tips

Pickled Spruce Tips  Right now all the evergreens are speckled bright green as they reach further out and extend their branches. During the middle to end of May all the evergreens begin to grow and display an inch or so of soft new needles. Typically munching on spruce needles isn’t all that pleasant but this…

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Valentine’s Day Roses

What to do with Valentine’s Day roses? Their beauty may be fading but these flowers can certainly bring more joy into your life! Most commercially purchased roses are sprayed with chemicals, so it’s advised not to consume them. Rose petal honey, ice cream, and cookies are absolutely delicious but best organic or wild (given you…

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Stinging Nettle Crepes

Stinging Nettle Crepes Crepes are very nostalgic to me! My grandmother taught me how to make them when I was young and I continued making them for many years after. I made them every father’s day for years. Since then, I have strayed from the basic recipe by adding spinach, stinging nettle, and turmeric to…

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Garlic (Allium sativum)

Garlic (Allium sativum) Family: Amaryllidaceae Genus: Allium Energetics: warming, drying Taste: pungent Plant Properties: circulatory stimulant, diaphoretic, expectorant, antimicrobial, carminative, immune modulating, vermifuge (parasites) Plant Uses: Hypertension, fungal & bacterial infections, colds, influenza, bronchial congestion, small intestinal bacteria growth, digestion, asthma, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance Garlic has been approved by the Commission E as…

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