blackbirdsbackyard

Sugar Cookie Lotion Bars (yarrow)

I was invited to participate in a holiday fair to raise money for a local non-profit. While I had a lot of stock on hand for my crisis care packages, there were no items with a clear Christmas theme. Adapting my go to recipe to create these really cute lotion bars proved very easy toContinue reading “Sugar Cookie Lotion Bars (yarrow)”

Fig Jam With Anise Hyssop Flowers

I come across dried fig jam being sold in many places where I live. It is a popular item on a cheese board. Orange is a common”flavor”in many recipes. When I was harvesting hyssop in October I was inspired to create this variation. Anise hyssop adds both floral and subtle anise notes. This jam isContinue reading “Fig Jam With Anise Hyssop Flowers”

Herbal Cough Drops (horehound)

I have made cough syrup with horehound in years past. This is the first year I attempted cough drops. This is a pretty standard recipe for making the traditional horehound candies that have been sold in American candy stores for decades. Horehound grows all around me as an invasive weed on land that has beenContinue reading “Herbal Cough Drops (horehound)”

Whipped Body Butter (calendula)

It is mid November. Shortly before Halloween autumn arrived suddenly and left. Winter is officially here, bringing snow, ice, and cold temperatures. My perennial chrysanthemums never managed to fully bloom. Many herbs did hang on through our brief fall. I still had small harvests of motherwort, oregano, mint, comfrey and plantain. The herbal year lengthenedContinue reading “Whipped Body Butter (calendula)”

Pasta with Shrimp and Yarrow

Internally yarrow is well known for treating a fever. Externally I like to use it in a styptic powder and in my favorite cold cream. It is probably not an herb that comes to mind when an herbalist goes to cook a meal. Yarrow is bitter, pungent and sweet. It is balanced by the sourContinue reading “Pasta with Shrimp and Yarrow”