Lavender & Lovage Oatmeal Digestive Biscuits: A Calming & Relaxing Treat

The great thing about digestive biscuits is their simple, gentle nature doesn’t make overt demands on the palate or the stomach, yet they make a sweet and satisfying snack. And the good news is, giving ourselves a pleasurable treat actually encourages a physiological relaxation response. And what better ingredient to enhance pleasure and digestion but […]

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Pineapple Weed Comfort Cookies: A Wildly Loving Treat

Everyone knows comfort foods are a great coping mechanism for soothing negative feelings – which is why these Pineapple Cookies will be served at my Herbal Yoga Workshop for Anxiety & Depression.  Their sweet gentle aroma and flavour (a cross between zingy pineapple and soothing chamomile) make a perfect treat for when we’re feeling down […]

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Herbalicious Lammas Loaf Biscuits: Celebrating The Tradition of Common Ground

This herbaceous and cheesy biscuit loaf is my tribute to the traditional start of the harvest calendar, Lammas Day or Lughnasa. And it features the cornucopia of savoury and aromatic herbs growing right now in the heart of Victoria’s neighbourhood “common ground” gardens.

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Nettle Seed & Dandelion Blossom Bars: Superfood!

My sister-in-law Gloria is an avid rower who races frequently with her Dragon Boat Team. Last year as a special request, she asked for a wildcrafted energy bar. I knew I wanted to make something with nettle seeds (tell you why shortly) but I could never find enough seeds on hand without decimating entire nettle […]

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Calming, Cleansing And Rejuvenating Herbal Treats For Yoga (or just anytime!)

This Lemon Balm & Wild Rose Tea and Chocolate Rose & Dandelion Root Energy Bites are just a couple of the herbal treats I’ll be serving for Cultivate Your Calm.  In this upcoming workshop we’ll be marrying calming and grounding herbs with gentle restorative yoga postures to empower our body to do what it’s been designed to do […]

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Winter Woodland Medicine: Delicious & Warming Tonic Syrups

When dark, winter days challenge our bodies as well as our spirits, nothing makes a better remedy than old-fashioned tonic syrups. Time-tested & true, these potent preventatives and remedial healers call on the nourishing, medicinal powers of conifers, wild berries, tonic plants, and adaptogenic herbs, honey, and warming spices. Not only will they help fortify […]

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Reclaiming The Radical Legacy Of The Witch

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about witches. Not just because top ten lists of hot tv witches and sexy Halloween selfies currently swamp my social media feeds, but because my tables and shelves are currently so laden with herbs, plants, berries, phials and bottles that if an inquisitor of old were to […]

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Fudgey Burdock & Rose Brownie Cake

Last spring, I tested out a batch of Burdock & Rose Brownies at Gather’s “Botanical Sweet Treat” bar. And they were the first to go. Their dark fudgey icing drew peoples eyes like a magnet – and no one cared a whit about warnings that these brownies were a little more “earthy” in flavour than […]

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Sweet Magic: Summer Solstice Honey Cookies

Then followed that beautiful season… Summer… Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape Lay as if newly created in all the freshness of childhood. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Looking for a festive way to celebrate the upcoming summer solstice? Well, these aromatic sunny cookies may be just the ticket.  Made with […]

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Savory Sage Blossom Pesto: A Culinary Spell for Youth, Beauty and Wisdom

“Why should a man die who has sage in his garden? ” Medieval Proverb There is an old English saying that eating sage every day in May will grant immortality. So it’s not too late to partake in this sage pesto and enjoy the many medicinal, age-defying properties of this magical herb. And while it […]

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