Super Tonic

"The Super Tonic is made with herbs and vegetables that boost the immune system, help to regulate healthy blood sugar levels, assist with digestion and are anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and rich in antioxidants; the apple cider vinegar helps to balance the body’s pH,” says Rhonda Larson. “For general wellness, I take 2 Tbsp daily of the Super Tonic in water or put it over food that needs some spice. If I feel like I may have been exposed to something, I take 1 to 2 Tbsp three to four times per day. I love to make a salad dressing with it. The salad dressing is a powerhouse in itself.”

Garlic 

Habanero pepper 

Ginger root 

Turmeric root 

Bragg’s apple cider vinegar 

Grind all of the herbs and vegetables in a food processor and place into a large glass jar. The jar should be about ½ to ¾ full with raw vegetable/herb pulp. Fill and top with Bragg’s apple cider vinegar. Shake or stir and close lid. Store in a dark cupboard for two weeks, or more if desired. Shake or stir the mixture daily. After two weeks, use cheesecloth in a strainer to strain the solids. Bottle the strained liquid in tightly-capped glass containers or bottles; store away from direct sunlight.

Salad Dressing with Super Tonic

½ cup Super Tonic

1 cup olive oil

1 tsp coconut palm sugar, rapadura or sucanat

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp turmeric powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Fill a small glass jar with all the ingredients. Close lid and gently shake to incorporate all ingredients. Pour desired amount on salad.

Recipes courtesy of Rhonda Larson, BeautifulHealingJourney.com.

Chickweed Pesto

“I love this beautiful, bright-green pesto,” enthuses Sarah Preston. “I use walnuts instead of pine nuts; walnuts are less fatty, and give a healthy boost to the immune system. Refrigerate or freeze shelled nuts. The oils in nuts oxidize and quickly go rancid unless they are kept very cool, and you can’t necessarily taste it if they are bad. If you have other wild foods growing nearby, they can be used in addition to chickweed. Recently, I made pesto using a combination of young nettle leaves, chickweed and garlic chives (instead of garlic cloves). A little bit of early spring dead nettle would add a nice bitter bite to the taste; bittercress, watercress, garlic mustard and wild mustards are also great additions. Remember to give thanks to the wild foods that have come to your door.”

2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil (possibly more)

Chickweed (approximately the amount that fills a 2-gallon-size food storage bag)

¼ cup parmesan cheese

¼ to ½ cup dulse flakes to taste

Cut the chickweed into 2-to-3-inch lengths before putting it in the food processor so that it doesn’t wrap itself around the blade attachment.

In a food processor, chop the cloves of garlic. Add shelled walnuts and chop. Add olive oil, and then in batches, add the chickweed. Add more olive oil if needed to achieve desired texture.

Add parmesan cheese and dulse flakes to taste. Serve as a dip with vegetables or crackers, or as a delicious addition to other recipes.

Recipe courtesy of Sarah Preston, HerbsFromTheLabyrinth.com

Simple Recipe for Hand Soap

"Add essential oils that you like; my personal favorites are the Lemon-Rosemary combination and the Blue Tansy,” enthuses Tiffany Davies. “They both smell heavenly.”

Yields: (1) 16 oz jar

16 oz distilled water

2 Tbsp castile soap

½ tsp carrier oil, such as grapeseed oil

24 drops of an anti-viral essential oil, such as tea tree, cinnamon, peppermint or eucalyptus

Fill a 16 oz glass jar with most of the water, leaving room for the other ingredients. Add the other ingredients, top off with water, put on the lid and shake. Squirt 1 to 2 pumps on hands and wash hands for 20 seconds––the first 15 seconds without water, then rinsing off for the last 5 seconds under water.  

Recipe courtesy of Tiffany Davies, EmbarkHerbals.com