The following recipes are the results of years of hands-on work, learning and research, as well as many hours spent consciously attuning to herbs and flowers in my garden. They gradually and willingly release what I’m ready to know into my consciousness.
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When blending these teas I chose combinations based on the principle that herbs love people and want to connect, as well as on research into the properties of each one. The garden never seems to produce exactly the same combination of herbs more than once. That’s ok. I’m not really in charge. Each harvest is unique. I accept what the garden gives as “just right” and work with what comes forth.
After planting, I keep the garden as free of weeds and grass as I can. That allows the herbs to use the space to their best advantage and they don’t have to fight for nutrients. When each one is ready to cut I process the leaves by hand one at a time. It’s a labor of love. I pull off the leaves and set them aside to dry in baskets and bowls. Sometimes I use a small dehydrator. When the leaves are very dry I set them aside in jars until the harvest season is over. Then, on a quiet day, usually in November, I blend what I have gathered into mixtures such as you see here on my site. I follow my intuition. I look into the history, medicinal and customary uses of each one to help inform the process. For example, if I want to make a refreshing afternoon tea I’ll set that intention, select the jars that seem to want to be used for that purpose, and then I’ll check research to see if all the choices seem appropriate for the purpose. If I want to make a tea to support ease of falling asleep, I’ll do the same.
