The Energetics of Winter: Keeping Warm and Nurtured in the Colder Months (Part 2: Herbal Medicine)

I initially thought I would simply write out a couple of herbal ideas for this next part of these winter posts, you know, gather some of this, crush some of that, brew it up and sing “banish the flu” incantations into the wafting spirals of steam and meditate on all the magical healing the botanicals would be doing.  After doing some reading into old notes, considering some subtleties and really thinking about what I reach for when I’m sick and why, I found myself in a self induced immune herbal master-class, alas this is what these next couple of blog posts will continue on the winter spirit with.  

Herbalism is built on the perception of  energetic subtleties relating to the elements and seasons and how they are expressed in people and plants .  We each have our own unique constitutions, and within that, our unique expression of dis-ease when we become sick.  During the winter months we naturally become more susceptible to infections, most commonly colds and flus.  Not only are we spending more time inside and not being as active, but as I mentioned in my last post, it is the season that most strongly expresses the yin element; the time to go within, rest, reflect, re-organise and re-prioritize.  Nothing makes you stop and rest as effectively as a nasty dose of the flu does!  

When it comes to supporting the body with herbs throughout these winter bouts of sickness, we can get specific with our herb choice, depending on our individual susceptibilities and the energetic nature of our symptoms.  There is a lot of marketing hype that goes with the territory with immune enhancing herbs in the commercial world.  Certain plants are touted as cure-alls for everyone.  Many of these plants are invaluable and effective, however the beauty of herbalism is that each of these plants are recognised to have their own personalities and can be selected to best fit each individual person and illness.  Here is an illustration of how different cold and flu symptoms relate to different elements and energetics...

Taking these into consideration, I'll start with cooling botanicals in this post for the "hotter" expressions of colds and flus, and then explore warming botanicals in the next post.  So to begin with we have...


Echinacea 

For symptoms of heat and acute inflammation.  

This is probably the best known and widely used immune enhancing herb in the western world.  It is a member of the daisy family and is native to Northern America.  We owe its popularity to the Eclectic physicians, who adopted the plant into their materia medica from the native Americans.  The native Americans also called echinacea “snakeroot” as it was used as a poison antidote due to its impressive alterative (blood cleansing) abilities, Ellingwood (an influential Eclectic physician) names it as the “drug in the first rank among all alteratives” .  It was produced by pharmaceutical companies until the 1940s when it fell out of favor during the advent of antibiotics.  Whilst it has always remained a favorite amongst herbalists, echinacea has made a comeback in mainstream healthcare as the limitations of antibiotics is becoming more and more recognised.  Today, we consider it primarily an immune enhancing herb both internally and externally as it shown to stimulate the body’s production of white blood cells thereby improving resistance to and recovery from a broad spectrum of infections; viral, fungal and bacterial.  


Energetically, it is cooling and detoxifying with stimulating, restoring and dissolving actions making it useful for clearing heat and toxins. It is best suited for “hot infections”, where there is heat, inflammation, fever and sweating.  Ellingwood outlines its action:  

“The physiological effects are manifested by its action upon the blood, and upon the mucous surfaces. The natural secretions are at first augmented, the temperature is then lowered, the pulse is slowed, and the capillary circulation restored. It exerts a peculiar affinity over local debilitated inflammatory conditions, attended with blood dyscrasias. It has its greatest field in adynamic fevers, reducing the pulse and temperature and subduing delirium.” - Ellingwood 

Andrographis

For symptoms of heat and used in recovery.  

This herb is taken from Ayurveda’s materia medica and is sometimes also called “Indian echinacea” or “king of bitters”.  Like echinacea, andrographis is a broad spectrum anti-microbial that powerfully supports and assists the immune system in acute infection, but it is colder, more drying in nature and is incredibly bitter.  This bitterness give andrographis a very grounding, "sinking" energy, making it particularly useful when there is anxiety or fear present.  

Andrographis was traditionally given as a restorative and tonic in convalescence, helping to restore appetite and liver function, both of which can be depressed after a heavy bouts of illness.    It is also an expectorant (helping the lungs expel phelgm) making it particularly useful when lung infections are present.  Think of this herb when there are signs of heat with lack of appetite, feelings of sluggishness, anxiety or flightiness .  Due to the cooling bitter nature of this herb, it should not be taken for extended periods of time.  It is often used in combination with aromatic and soothing herbs, such as peppermint and meadowsweet, to help increase its digestive effects and to prevent stomach discomfort due to its bitterness.  


Elder

For symptoms of heat and excess moisture.  

Argh, magical elder.  My chest expands just thinking about this beautiful tree.  This botanical has so many uses, but in the realm of colds and flus, the berries help prevent illness (far more pleasant tasting than echinacea and andrographis!) and both berries and flowers are used for when there is too much mucous being produced.  It is cooling and drying in nature and has dispersing, decongesting, softening and dissolving actions.  Think of elder when there are sinus aches, heavy heads, widespread congestion, sore throats, fever, and irritability.  It promotes sweating, thus lowering fever,  resolves mucus dampness and opens the sinuses. 

Cooling, light elderflowers

Like andrographis, it resolves lung mucous and relieves wheezing, making it useful for when colds and flus settle in the lungs or in bronchial asthma, bronchitis (acute or chronic) and pneumonia.  The flowers have more of an affinity for cleansing the blood (like echinacea) whereas the berries are more strongly anti-viral (due to the delicious cocktail of bioflavanoids and anti-oxidants).  Both the berries and flowers tonify the mucous membranes and the lungs.  

Elderberry syrup is one of the most delicious additions to a wintry morning and can be continued throughout spring if you suffer from seasonal allergies.  Because it is so pleasant in taste, it is an easy herb to get kids to take during the cold and flu season.  It also makes a nice spritzy drink when added to sparkling mineral water.  This is Rosemary Gladstar’s recipe, which I like a lot as it uses honey instead of sugar and you can use either fresh or dried berries:

Elderberry Syrup 

1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried elderberries

2 sticks of cinnamon (if you display signs of coldness)

3 cups water

1 cup honey

1. Heat the berries, cinnamon (if using) and water to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 30-45 minuets.

2. Mash the berries, strain, and add 1 cup of honey. I add a half cup of the purple liquid to a measuring cup, then pour in honey until the total volume is 1 1/2 cups. Then stir to mix well, and add to the rest of the reserved liquid.

3. Bottle and store, refrigerated. for 2-3 months.

Enjoy a tablespoon daily to keep the immune system strong, use more often when afflicted with the flu.

Some cooling tea blends....


The gyspy YEP combination tea, yarrow, elderflower and peppermint is timeless, very pleasant to drink and incredibly effective!  It helps bring down a fever, clear and decongest.  To step it up a notch when you have more flu like symptoms with muscle and bone aches, add 1 part boneset to 3 parts YEP.  

Yarrow Blossoms

Vervain, linden, catnip and peppermint make a mind and soul calming cold relief tea.  Vervain and linden bring the soothing quality of a mother , whilst catnip and peppermint set to work at relieving congestion and heat.  Again, if there are aches and pains, incorporate boneset.  

Catnip

Child Friendly Blends:  catnip, chamomile and lemon balm is a simple blend that is very pleasant tasting, especially when honey is added.  If there are swollen glands, add red clover blossoms.   A Chinese medicine cooling tea blend that is also very pleasant tasting and clears heat is honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, violet leaves and licorice.  To increase the cooling effects of these teas, serve cold as an ice tea (but not ice cold), complete with straw. 

Warming botanicals to come!  

The Energetics of Winter: Keeping Warm and Nurtured in the Colder Months (Part 1: Food)

“Begin to search for a new direction, but first keep the warm air trapped under the comforter for a few more sleepy minutes.  Eyes open and close and open.  Branches slowly come into focus and a list is made of all the things to make and do for the next 1,000 years.... The tea kettle is on and the griddle heats up.  the eggbeater whirs to a stop with egg white risen high.  Pour the batter of the entire griddle, why flip more than one?  Sprinkle frozen blueberries all over and out an extra handful in a bowl to be shared by all.  With each berry, sweet sunshine summer is remembered.”

- Nikki McClure

O winter you are a secret love!  Even though I am currently living in a sub-tropical area of Australia, the temperature drops down enough to warrant cups of tea with books in warm beds, woolens, tights and a heartier fare of food.    It has not been a bitterly cold winter so far but it’s been a killer of a flu season, so I thought I’d have a chat about keeping in balance with winter’s energy, supporting the immune system, bask in the reverie of warm delights coming from the kitchen and look at what gems the herbal chest has to offer during the colder months.  It’s a warming comfort just writing about it!

Winter is the season that embodies the yin principle; that is, to become more receptive, introspective and gentle.  It supports us going deeper within ourselves and really listening to what our souls need, where we are going, what our dreams are and affords us the time to think up ways to bring them forth into reality.  Then when spring comes with its expansive energy, we have our carefully selected and nourished seeds ready to sprout.  Winter requires us to warm the body’s core and store energy to nurture both these subtler aspects as well as our physical bodies.  It is normal to gain a kilo or two over winter as this is what the body is programed to do.  If you are living by nature’s seasonal rhythms, come spring and summer it will be effortlessly lost again. Winter is also the time for rugging up and going for rigorous walks in the morning or delving into that yoga/tai chi/pilates practice.  Pop a scarf of, a warm cardigan and launch yourself into the cold morning air!

It is the season to cook foods longer, at lower temperatures, to release nutrients with warming spices and rich stocks. The farmers markets are teeming with citrus, dark leafy greens and root vegetables of all varieties and it is the perfect time for eating good quality, pasture reared meats as they are so densely packed with nutrients and protein.  Nature’s grand design to offer our bodies what we need.  Here are a couple of  wintery wholefood ideas:  

Morning Grains

Steaming bowls of porridge in the quiet meditative hours of the early morning is poetry unto itself.  Grains that have been soaked over night and slowly cooked the next morning helps to break down the starches and provides us with a slow burning fuel for the day.  Although oats is the classic porridge staple, it doesn’t start and end there.  You can also find barley, rye and spelt flakes or if you have an intolerance to gluten, grains such as polenta, millet, rice and quinoa flakes (or left over brown rice/quinoa from the night before) make an equally nourishing fare.  Cook with warming spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, milk and/or fruit juice for a creamier and tastier concoction.  Polenta in particular is beautiful cooked with some lemon zest and juice.  

The toppings are endless...  

• Fruits: Frozen berries mixed in at the beginning, stewed fruits, griddled banana, orange peel, dried fruits such as figs, cranberry, dates, pears etc.  
• Something sweet: Maple syrup is particularly lush, however in Australia it is like gold dust and very expensive, other less extravagant options are honey, apple or pear fruit juice concentrates, jaggery or muscavado sugar.  
• Nuts and seeds: This is the perfect time for the nutty richness of hazlenuts and pecans.  Almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds are always a standby.  To boost your insoluble fibre quota for the day, flax and chia seeds do a mighty job.  
• Spice: you can stir these through your grains as they are cooking and add some on top.  Warming spices have the action of stimulating the circulation and warming the blood.  This is important in winter to keep those sluggish, heavy feelings at bay.  If the circulation is smoothly flowing, blood is bringing heat and nutrients to our organs and tissues, and encouraging effective removal of waste products. Warming our core, quite literally.  These spices include cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamon and ginger.  

Old fashion boiled eggs with dark bread toast fingers and omelets are also a good way to start the cold mornings, offering good quality protein (go organic with your eggs!) that is equally sustaining. 

Stews and Soups

This is the time to swap your summer salads for chunky, wholesome soups and stews.  Cook big pots and invite friends over to share the warmth, have extra to fill a thermos for the next day or freeze the remainder in portions so you have nourishing dinners at your fingertips when you’re too busy to cook.  

Slow cookers are my new favorite kitchen appliance.  My mum always had one in our kitchen, but I haven’t appreciated the full range of their usage and practicality until I moved out of home.  There is something quite special about filling the cooker with roughly chopped vegetables, grains, some stock, herbs and meat on the bone in the morning, have it cook away all day whilst I’m at uni, then returning home to a kitchen filled with aroma, and a stew awaiting.  It’s quite the welcoming.    

Pasture reared, organic meat on the bone not only imparts great flavor, but is filled with easily absorbable minerals and vitamins, stomach soothing gelatins, the marrow and cartilage breaks down into a host of compounds that help maintain mucosal integrity and support white blood cell (immunity cells) formation - all highly important factors in keeping the immune system strong.  For vegetarians, include heavier, chewier foods like legumes, brown rice, pearled barley, quinoa and buckwheat.

Orange colored vegetables, such as sweet potato, carrot and pumpkin, are worth a particular mention.  The compounds that make these vegetable appear orange are called carotenoids.  When these compounds are absorbed into the body, they are converted to vitamin A.  Vitamin A maintains the health of epithelial cells in the body, which form an important barrier to infection, and the function of the immune system.

Some other ideas: 

• Baked fish and roasted root vegetables.  
• Immune enhancing chicken soup
• Tagines and curries with spices and dried fruits.  
• Maggie Beer is one of my favorite cooks.  Her recipes are homestyle, seasonal and she always gives an interesting twist to flavor.  Have a peruse.  
• The season of the risotto!  Being able to cook a good risotto is as important as knowing how to boil a perfect egg in my opinion.  One of those kitchen basics that can be as dressed up on as down as you like.  Jamie Oliver’s basic risotto recipe is fail-proof. 

Fruit

If we are eating seasonally (which is oftentimes confusing, as strawberries and pineapples still grace the shelves of the supermarket), winter is the time for citrus fruits, apples, pears and quinces.  Get them into your slow cooker as well!  Stewed apples and pears can become a wintery standby; you can include them on your breakfast, as a snack with yogurt, or the base of a dessert crumble.  Baked quinces or pears poached in red wine, spices and orange peel make a simple, elegant dessert with a dollop of vanilla bean infused thick yogurt or cream.  

Tea 

I won’t go too much into tea here, as I’ll be writing about all the wonderful various herbs in my next post.  But here a couple of extra little things I like to do to add a touch of warmth...

• Add a couple of fresh slices of ginger to your tea (normal black, green or herbal)
• Grind your coffee beans with cardamon (1 pod per serving) for an aromatic undertone and warm your milk with powdered cinnamon.  Not your usual cafe fare, but I believe home made coffee should be made as homely as possible.  This is a really fabulous combination.  
• Melbourne naturopath, Gill Stannard’s “kitchen cupboard spice tea” has always stuck with me from her radio program she used to host on triple R.  A few slices of oranges or lemons, a generous chunk of finely chopped or grated root ginger, a cinnamon or cassia stick and a pinch of star anise brewed up in the pot for a makes a warming mix. For an extra delight that will put a blush in your checks, add hibiscus.  (Check out Gill’s website for some other great winter ideas) 

I’ll be back in a couple of days with some herbal bits and pieces.  Hope all you southern hemisphere dwellers are keeping your toes warm!  And for the rest of you, may summer be trilling her sweet ways through your days.  

All pictures are from A Well Traveled Woman.  

A return to school, an ode to herbalism...

A return from a long break.  There has been traveling to new lands, mountains higher than I have ever seen, new faces with stories effortlessly shared, new ideas, philosophies and food, there has been incubating, experimenting, flying, coming back and sinking roots back down into the ground and stitching all those beautiful new threads into the tapestry of home whilst still maintaining the soulfulness of feeling completely free.  

Falling in love with the plant world oftentimes make university harder, as they do not fit neatly within the lines nor linear definitions.  Yet it's what brings the books to life and keeps the curiosity burning.  I took a break from university for a year with Rumi's words casting a haze over me, and now on return the words still deeply resonate yet they are now summoning the linear to rise up and dance me through the remainder of the degree...

Love lit a fire in my chest, and anything

that wasn’t love left: intellectual

subtlety, philosophy

books, school.

All I want now

to do or hear

is poetry.

- Rumi

I'm looking forward to coming back and sharing the poetry as it comes.

Simple Beginnings

Photo credit A Well Travelled Woman

I am continually impressed by Nigella Lawson.  I’m not an avid fan of her style of food; cream, butter, endless cakes and more cream would leave me in a coma.  But I am an avid fan of her self-possession, the strong femininity she oozes, her ability to turn the kitchen into a place of worship where the most mundane cooking exploits are transformed into a gastronomical ritual...as well as having a very impressive vocabulary.  Hearing her say things like this...

“The trouble with much modern cooking is not that the food it produces isn’t good, but that the mood it induces in the cook is one of skin-of-the-teeth efficiency, all briskness and little pleasure. Sometimes that’s the best we can manage, but at other times we don’t want to feel like a postmodern, postfeminist, overstretched woman but, rather, a domestic goddess, trailing nutmeggy fumes of baking pie in our languorous wake.”  - Nigella Lawson, How to Be a Domestic Goddess

...I just have to nod my head and grin.  Forth wave feminism I think they call it (or is it third?) where women are embracing domesticity and handcrafte in all its guises as a form of creative expression, meditation, nourishment, wisdom and even wildness.  It has also got me thinking about food as a ritual and how this frame of mind adds a very nourishing whisper to our otherwise fast, loud lives.  

Through all my nutrition studies, I have firmly concluded that good nutrition is far from the clutches of the health food store.  There is a time and place for those sorts of "health" products, but too often simple acts of nourishment are forgotten and overlooked, which really is the backbone of good nutrition...of good health.  The simple things done well coupled with the beauty of ritual will do your body, mind and soul magnitudes more than the most elaborate vitamin and mineral routine.  

Last week on a late night babysitting job I was watching old Nigella episodes on the food channel.  I was captivated for a good three or so minutes of her going through her morning routine of boiling eggs.  I’m either easily entertained, or the woman’s got skill.  I couldn't track down the clip but found the "recipe" which is more like internal dialogue than a formal recipe.  

Inspired, I filled my Sunday morning with a touch of Nigella ritual.  A cup of tea, my favorite radio station (Melbourne's triple R community radio by the way), the Sunday paper and boiled eggs cooked to perfection with purple sage and an autumnal addition: roasted celeriac fingers.  I know if I could start the mornings more or less like this on a regular basis, I would have a lot more smooth flowing days!

Boiled eggs with purple sage and roasted celeriac fingers.

If you wish to include celeriac fingers (which I highly recommend) peel and slice one celeriac cover with a touch of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.  Roast in a 190C oven for 20 - 30 minutes.  Good sourdough bread toasted, and sliced into fingers is of coarse the traditional option.  Or grilled asparagus if you feel so inclined.  

Boil your eggs just how you like them (4-5 minutes in boiling water for a runny yolk 6 - 7 for a firm one), added some fresh chopped herbs and a decent pinch of the best quality sea salt you can get your mitts on. 

Get your morning ritual on!  I would love to know what other people consider a perfect, nourishing morning breakfast....

Soothe, Nourish, Restore

The tunnel of Elms slowly changing colour for autumn's calling

I know it’s been done time and time again, nevertheless I am writing a health minded blog and my collection of posts would be incomplete without a healing chicken soup recipe.  The seasons are shifting down in Victoria and I have been working in a kindergarten the last few weeks...which translates to being immersed in a cocktail of snotty noses, sore ears, coughs, colds and flus.  It’s a good thing kids are so darn cute.  However, despite their cuteness, I have managed to catch a horrible virus-y thing that has left me wondering what it was like to be healthy.  Ridiculous thinking I know, but I do have a certain amount of anxiety as I’m off adventuring to India next week, and I simply must get better and be in vibrant, sparkly, health to withstand the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual bombardment that is sure to ensue.   

It’s funny, I’m continuously immersed in the world of natural health, yet when I get thumped on the head with a sickness like this, I don’t know where to start.  All that knowledge seems to fade away into a blurry recess of my mind.  Which perhaps is not a bad thing, as the simple things come to the forefront and make themselves known.  Health and healing after-all are not complicated matters at all.  They are in fact exceedingly simple...too often it is expected that they are complicated, which makes only for a self fulfilling prophesy.  The mantra: sleep-water-rest-after those are taken care of chicken soup.  Which is usually when my brain kicks back into gear and can think of some other nourishing naturopathic things to do.  

A couple of my favorite bloggers have put together some really great material on the subject of keeping your immune system strong and healthy, which are always nice to visit when in need of some inspiration.  It’s kind of like listening to advice/healing orders from your mum or one of your friends.  Here, here, here and here. 

Why is chicken soup so revered?  I had previously thought that is was some kind of placebo, born out of collective nostalgia for “Grandma’s Chicken Soup”.  But there really is more to it than that.  Quality organic chicken on the bone, slowly and gently cooked in nutrient dense stock and vegetables,  infused with immune boosting herbs and spices is herbal potion, vitamin pill and nourishing meal in one.  The slow, gentle cooking helps extract deeper flavor and nutrients from the bones and vegetables.    

This chicken soup is based on Jude Blereau’s recipe from her first book “Wholefoods”.  She is a marvelous cook, each of her recipes teeming with goodness and layered with flavor. 

Healing Chicken Soup

Chicken soup and fresh roses are mighty healing partners...

Begin by placing a large saucepan on low heat and add a splash of olive oil and  3 - 4 pieces of organic, free range, pasture fed chicken thigh on the bone.  If your butcher doesn’t have thigh meat on the bone, pick up the thigh meat plus bones, which they should have. The bones give the soup its therapeutic edge with an array of readily absorbable minerals.  Once you have browned the chicken lightly on both sides, add 1 diced leek or onion, and 3 sliced celery stalks.  Allow them to gently sizzle away for a couple of minutes, until the onion is translucent.  

Then add 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, 8 sage leaves, 2 sprigs of rosemary and 100g sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms or 8 dried shiitakes. Shiitakes boost the immune system, and are particularly useful in viral infections as they contain compounds that support the body’s interferon system (a protein released by the body in response to viral infection that inhibits replication).  Continue to cook for another 3 - 4 minutes.  

Now add the kernels from 1 corn cob, added with the cob (which will be removed in the end),1 medium sweet potato diced, 2 finely sliced carrots , 4 - 5 cloves of garlic minced and freshly grated ginger to taste.  The sweet potato and carrots both contain beta carotene, which gets converted to vitamin A in the body, an anti-oxidant and immune boosting vitamin. Cook for a further two minutes, and then add 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (used to help extract mineral content from the chicken bones), 2 bay leaves, freshly ground pepper to taste,  2 tablespoons of pearled barley and 8 - 10 cups of vegetable stock, the stock should only just cover the contents of the pot by an inch. 

Homemade stock is choice, but a good organic variety makes a second best.  Another thing I love to do is omit 2 cups of the stock and replace with 2 cups of strong immune boosting herbal tea, such as echinacea, burdock and/or astragalus, 4 tablespoons of herb in total to 2 cups of  water, brought to the boil for 15 minutes, then strained and added to the soup.   Astragalus is much better suited if you are recovering from an illness rather than in the height of it.  

 If you’re a fan of seaweed add 1 - 2 tablespoons dulse, wakame or arame, these will give the soup a dose of trace minerals and offer a further soothing quality.  1 tablespoon will hardly leave any “seaweedy” taste, so it’s a good way to sneak it in!  Cook covered, still on low heat, for 1 hour.  

After this hour, remove the chicken pieces with tongs, and remove and shred the meat with a fork.  Set the meat aside covered, and return the bones to the soup pot and simmer for a further 30 minutes.  After this time, remove the bones and cobs form the soup.  Have a taste and adjust the flavorings as desired, such as fresh herbs, pepper, sea salt/tamari.  

Return the shredded meat to the pot, stir in a large handful of fresh chopped parsley and a large handful of kale chopped. The kale is optional, but I love the feeling of adding green to the bowl.  Ladle into serving bowls and top with extra fresh parsley and raw minced garlic if you really want to give your cold/flu and punch.  Jude adds that if you find your soup gels as it cools, you know you have a good powerful soup.  

Recovery is much sweeter when you have a furry companion around...

Persian Love Cake with Cardamon Poached Plums

Melbourne is not behaving at all today.  Summer?  Try rain, cold winds and grey skies.  I actually don't mind all too much as I am far too much of a lover of autumn and this changing weather is that little sign that the falling season isn't too far off.  As I was walking Poppy - my loyal canine - through the tunnels of elms and oaks of my park (with a scarf on I must add!), I caught my breath when I saw the yellowing leaves.  The trees beginning to bring their energy back into their bellies.  Summer has come and is almost gone.  

So cake!  Cool winds are blowing and I declare an occasion for cake.  The title sounds quite beguiling doesn't it?  Persian love cake.   I came across it when I was recently during my stay in  Tasmania.  You could call it spiced honey, yogurt, almond cake...but Persian love cake sounds much more mysterious.  First you get hit with the honey, the spices then send an overlay of their aroma and you're left with a divine texture that keeps on sending waves of flavor through.  

First of all, make a cup of tea and turn on some music.  The melodious kind.  These steps are not essential, but recommended.  Preheat your oven to 180C. Prepare a 26 cm - diameter springform pan with baking paper and grease with a little organic butter in waxed paper. 

In a mixing bowl - add 380 g/ 3 generous cups almond meal, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup honey and 1 tsp sea salt - then rub 120g softened unsalted butter into mix until course sand-like crumbs form.  Place half the mixture into pan - press down until evenly covering base. 

Returning to your mixing bowl add 2 lightly beaten eggs, 250g greek-style yoghurt, 1 tbsp freshly grated nutmeg, 1 tsp cardamom and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and mix until creamy.  Pour mix into the pan and place chopped pistachios around edge.  Bake until golden, which will be about 30 - 45 minutes, depending on your oven.   

Let cool in pan before attempting to flip it out.  Serve with yogurt and poached fruit.  I poached a dozen halved blood plums in a couple of cups of water (enough to just cover in a pan) with 6 crushed cardamon pods and a couple of tablespoons of honey, simmered over a medium flame until the fruit were tender, about 20 minutes.  Once cool, I added 2 tsp of rosewater.  These are also divine in the morning with granola and yogurt.  

Also, I thought I'd share a couple of nice things I have stumbled across in the last few days.  Lucinda Dodds always makes me smile with her simplicity and nourishing ways over in her corner.  I never really got the tumblr thing, but when I saw this one I kind of got it...a patchwork of cyber trinkets, odd bits and beauties.  This is a lot of fun to browse through, but a bit too tempting whilst I'm saving for overseas adventures.  And this is my friend Emma's blog who is also studying naturopathy and has been getting ridiculously clever and crafty whilst waiting for her little bub to arrive into the world - check out her done up nursery.    

An Ode to the Zucchini Flower

Why an ode?  Simply because the memory of this meal still makes me salivate and smile that such simplicity often echoes further than the most complicated of meals.  My traveling partner (one of my best pals whose just as crazy over food and herbs as I am) and I popped into the Salamanca markets of Hobart to replenish our stocks before setting off into Alpine country.  Now we’re an earthy duo who relish in roughing it, but when it comes to food, no compromises can be made and the market place is a temple!  So we set off with our delicious coffees in hand (which always taste that little bit more divine when you’re on the road), bought a sourdough spelt loaf to tear off morsels as breakfast and waded through the bustling crowds collecting local earthly delights.  The zucchinis and their flowers intact could not be left behind despite being a slightly impractical choice.  

To out luck, where we decided to put our hat down for the night had a couple of BBQs in a stone hut.  This is all you need to do; cut up small cubes of a cheddar style goat's cheese (feta will not be nearly as good) and pop them into the zucchini flowers.  Gently twirl the flowers in your hand so that you semi-seal it off so cheese won't go everywhere.  On a BBQ/hot plate/grill plate, drizzle extra virgin olive oil, cut a clove of garlic in half and rub in over the surface as it is warming up.  This will impart a really divine hint of flavor.  When hotplate is hot enough, lay out your zucchinis and turn every couple of minutes.  Once they start charring and you can easily poke a fork through the middle (this may take 10 - 20 minutes), they are done.  

These make a great appetizer in and of themselves, or you could make a meal out of them with a side salad and some couscous.  What we did (which I highly recommend),  chop up a couple of handfuls of kale, mince up the garlic clove you rubbed the hotplate down with and add to a bowl with a pinch of sea salt and glug of olive oil.  Then massage throughly.  This seems to tenderize the kale and distribute the flavor evenly.  Distribute between plates and top with your zucchinis.  Have a good loaf of bread and a glass of red handy too!  

You'll be in flavor country I promise.