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Parc Lafontaine, Montreal.
Fleurbain Truffles
3/4 c old fashioned oats (pulverized in a food processor)
3/4 c macadamia and cashew nut-butter (or a nut-butter of your choice)
1/4 c cocoa
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp amaretto
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c chopped dried cherries
1/4 mini chocolate chips
Mix together and form into truffles. Store in the fridge.
Damiana Joy+Love Liqueur
I brought this to a winter party a few years ago. People found this drink both intriguing and fun. Damiana is quite aromatic due to volatile oils. The flavour of damiana can be subdued or enhanced with other foods associated with joy and warmth; cardamom, almond, vanilla, cherry, cinnamon and chocolate. In terms of medicinal properties, one of my favourite summaries is from Rosemary Gladstar. In her Family Herbal she states, “…it is completely restorative; it restores exhausted nerves, exhausted dreams and exhausted spirit.” Though there is a folk history of use as an aphrodisiac, herbalists generally qualify this herb as a mild anti-depressant, particularly useful in what David Winston calls a stagnant depression. The volatile oils act as carminatives that aid in digestion.
1/2 c damiana tincture
1/2 c amaretto
1/4 c chocolate sauce (I made my own from unsweetened chocolate, water, maple syrup, sugar and vanilla)
rosewater and vanilla to taste
Pour together and store in the fridge. Could it be any easier? Enjoy a small shot when desired.
Cheers!
These photos were taken during the LAB Series which runs on Thursdays between 3-6pm. Next week, February 21st, Tammy Schmidt will continue in a similar vein demonstrating herbs used to lighten our spirits in the dark of winter. We hope you are able to join us!
Fleurbain is at 460 St Catherine West, Unit 917, Montreal.
This summer I have been all about the mini-vacation. My vacations have included extremely short visits to Maine, New York, Vermont, Ottawa and of course, rural Quebec. The advantages to the mini-vaca include both minimal cost and time commitment. If you have a general idea on where you are going and you have a somewhat natural sense of direction/ability to read a map to get where you are going, the mini-vaca can be extremely energizing.
Do you have photos from your 2012 mini-vacation? Please send them our way, we would love to see them. Our email address is: fleurbain@gmail.com
Here are some trés amateur photos from my shortest and cheapest vacation yet; the three hour tour.
I arrived at my destination by bicycle. 🙂
the Biosphere, up close.
Some ducks. It is not always easy to show you my love of ducks through photography.
Out of Focus Ducks. Is it just me or is this a bad name for a band/bad photo for an album cover? Haha. I have included this photo because there is something appealing in the form of the grass and soil retention mesh (or whatever you might call that…)
Surprise woodpecker sighting.
The tree stretches as the bird bops about.
Join me at Fleurbain for the LAB Series.
On August 30th and 31st we are all about Lemon balm, otherwise known as Melissa officinalis.
What you might like to know about this herb ahead of time:
Lemon balm:
* is a great tasting herb, so lemony, but it is actually a part of the mint family.
* improves mood, and helps with the less glamorous moments of irritability and forgetfulness.
* can work to relieve stress headaches, heartache, aids digestion, helps you sleep and diminishes seasonal depression.
* is a famous antiviral that is effective against cold sores and shingles.
* can be used by folks of all ages.
* and to top it off, it is a beautiful perennial in Quebec!
At Fleurbain I will share with you the winning, synergistic combinations of lemon balm with other herbs. We will discuss who should not be taking it in large quantities. And we will experiment with a plethora of recipes used for refreshment and cosmetic purposes.
There are three opportunities to come to the Lemon balm LAB. Preregistration is appreciated.
Please send me an email at: fleurbain@gmail.com.
Thursday, August 30th 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. or 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Or
Friday, August 31st 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Cost: $20.00 This includes notes, recipes and delicious samples.
fresh lemon balm tincture, made with alcohol and glycerin
Happy birthday, Natasha!
Wishing you a beautiful and relaxing day. 🙂
nettle, hibiscus, rose and cinnamon
Combine 2 tablespoons nettles (Urtica dioica), 2 tablespoons hibiscus, 1 tablespoon rose petals and half a cinnamon stick in a teapot.
Pour boiling water over the herbs, put the lid on and let it steep at least 10 minutes. This jewel-toned tea tastes divine if you allow it to cool over an hour or more.
Replenish the teapot with room temperature water as required and enjoy this refreshing beverage throughout the day.
Flavour is another reason for using weeds in food.
Herbalists like myself love to talk about the wonderful nutritional benefits to be discovered in common garden weeds such as lambs quarters, stinging nettles, dandelion, chickweed and many, many more. The above link introduces you to how weeds make food more enticing in terms of taste. If herbalists are not so convincing when we go on and on about nutritious weeds, perhaps this article can convince you to try them for the flavour. I still remember the first time I tried a weed as a gourmet food. My neighbour, Eleanor, invited me over for lunch and she added chickweed to the salad. This weed tasted fresh, cool and sweet. The flavour reminded me of corn on the cob and it was simply delicious.
Do you cook with common weeds? I would love to hear about it.
(A note to the nature newbies! If you do not know how to identify plants, you should seek out experts who can introduce these plants to you.)
Thanks to Sarka, my good friend and the author of Wellness Intel, for passing along this article to me. I do love it!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica)
Related articles
- In The Garden: Finding Flavor in the Weeds (nytimes.com)
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