My Favourite Recipes  

 

Dandelion (or Nettle) Pesto

Recipe from Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies That Heal by Rosalee de la
Forêt (Hay House, 2017)  

 

 

What you’ll need…

·       1/2 cup shelled pine nuts

·       3 garlic cloves, minced

·       2 cups chopped fresh herbs (dandelion leaves, nettle, basil) loosely packed 

·       1 tablespoon lemon juice

·       1 tablespoon lemon zest

·       1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

·       1/2 teaspoon sea salt

·       1 teaspoon turmeric powder

·       1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·       1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions:

1.     Place all the ingredients except the Parmesan into a blender or food
processor. Process until smooth. If it’s too thick, slowly add a bit more olive
oil.

2.     Add the Parmesan and continue to blend until the mixture has a smooth
consistency.

3.     Refrigerate, and eat within 3 days.

 

Yield: 2 cups

 

Violet Syrup

Instructions:

·       Collect 1 cup of gently packed violet flowers.

·       Place the flowers in a glass bowl and cover them with 1.5 cups of
boiling water.

·       Let this mixture steep overnight, or at least 6 hours so that the
violets are completely drained of their color. The resulting liquid should be a
purplish-blue color.

·       Strain out the flowers.

·       Pour the violet liquid into a small saucepan, turn the heat to medium
and add 1.5 to 3 cups of sugar. (The more sugar you add the more of a
“syrup-y” consistency it will have, but I generally err on the side
of less sugar.)

·      Stir as the sugar dissolves. Heat and stir for 5-10 minutes, making sure
it never boils.

·       Remove from the heat and pour the resulting syrup in a clean, glass jar.
Label, store in the fridge, and use within 6 months.

Optional:  To increase the vibrant colour, add some lemon juice after the final step.

Breast Massage oil:

28ml Violet infused oil
2ml vitamin E oil

• 2 drops each geranium and rose essential oils
• Combine all the ingredients in a 30ml bottle and use to massage the breasts regularly.

Geranium essential oil is one of the best oils for balancing the endocrine system so is lovely for sore breasts due to fluctuating hormone
levels. It also has a very balancing effect on the mind and emotions too.

Recipe from “Whispering Earth” blog 

Note:  This blog entry is an excerpt from 2017 Wild Plant Walk “SPRING TONICS FROM THE WILDISH SIDE