Flower Season
There is so much aliveness and movement in the month of May.
The hills have erupted in golden arrowleaf basalmroot after the first bloom just a few days ago. I’ve already seen lupine flowering in the Bitterroot Valley. Yarrow is spreading it’s feathers all around. The lilac in the yard is starting to finally fill with green. The farmer’s market is back. Our windowsill is filled with tiny sprouts waiting for the danger of the final frost to pass.
Warm days have arrived in Western Montana even if they are still punctuated by storms, and the extremes feel like a mirror to the emotional and political pendulum swings of the current times. Here’s some sweetly calming flower-powered recipes for when you need to take some time to unwind…
Lilac Syrup
Lilac, with it’s intoxicating scent and edible flowers, is calming and uplifting— an ideal plant ally for times of stress. Make sure you are using true lilac flowers, of the genus syringa.
ingredients:
2 cups fresh lilac flowers, de-stemmed (to avoid bitterness of the green parts) and gently washed.
1 cup water
1 cup sugar (white sugar will offer the most delicate flavor and color, but I like turbinado sugar also)
method:
bring water and sugar to a boil on the stove in a small sauce pan until sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and stir in fresh flowers. Cover and steep for 4-6 hours until completely cooled. strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean jar. Store refrigerated for 1-2 weeks.
Use the syrup to flavor beverages— sparkling water, teas, and cocktails/mocktails— or drizzle over cakes.
May Herbal Soak
Chamomile is calming for the mind as well as our body’s largest organ, and can help soothe skin irritation, for chronic conditions such as eczema, as well as from too much sun exposure.
Calendula is a gentle powerhouse of a flower. It has antimicrobial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. It’s a go-to for irritated skin, and also helps promote skin regeneration and wound healing
(please remember that allergies to all plants are possible and individual. if you haven’t worked with a plant topically before, it’s best to test patch a small area of skin for irritation.)
ingredients:
2 tablespoons chamomile flower
2 tablespoons whole calendula flower (approximate measurements on both are fine.)
optional, sprigs of fresh lilac
add chamomile and calendula to a french press, or you can use a large mason jar and fine mesh sieve. steep herbs in hot water, covered, for at least 20 minutes while you run a warm bath. add optional sprigs of fresh lilac directly to the bath, or just leave them in a vase where you can soak in their intoxicating scent. relax and soak for 25 minutes.
