Enjoy this wonderful sweet lemonade treat!

DANDE-ADE Tea

Bright and early, head out to enjoy the warmth of the rising sun (ok, so I was out at around 10:30…I missed it actually rising…but it had rose!) and gather some beautiful yellow dandelion flowers. Just make sure they are free from pesticides…guess that goes without saying. Pick about 2 quarts of flowers to make about a gallon of dandeade.

Place the flowers in a gallon jar and add distilled or purified water at room temperature along with the juice of 4 lemons or 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Add agave, stevia or fresh honey to taste and then chill the whole concoction.

You can also speed up the process and just add ice and pour the DandeAde into a glass. Leave the flower particles to add a nice and tasty touch to your drink - or strain - whichever you prefer.

It is said that dandelion blossoms can help relieve cramps, backaches, stomach aches and headaches - and of course, anything this fresh will give you a nice heady lift!

From the healing porch of Pam……

Herbal Steam Facial

2 handfuls herbs or flowers
6 cups boiling water

Coarsely chop the herbs or flower and place them in a bowl. Slowly add boiling water to herbs or flowers.As you lean your head over the bowl, cover your head and the bowl with a thick towel. Now, simply close your eyes and dream of your favorite quiet place for about 10-15 minutes. Afterwards, just splash your face with lukewarm, then cool water. Herbs and flowers that are great to use include lemon balm, spearmint, chamomile, parsley, violets, rose petals, peppermint, sage, lavender. Always use caution when using hot water, and if you have any allergies to the flowers/herbs, use common sense.

You could also use a drop or two of Essential Oils of the above herbs/flowers. Pure Essential Oils can be found at TLC NATURALLY - just click on the name and browse all the essential oils and the homemade soaps that are made at TLC NATURALLY.

From Susan Wittig Albert’s All About Thyme Newsletter

There’s Nothing Nicer

flower pot …than hot herb bread, just out of the oven. To make your bread even more interesting, bake it in clay flowerpots, which produce that lovely crispy crust you never get from a metal baking pan. You can purchase culinary pots, or you can use regular four- to eight-inch flowerpots. Scrub well, or wash them in the dishwasher. To season, spray with cooking spray and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Cool and repeat the washing and seasoning process. If your pots have holes in the bottom, don’t worry—you can fill them with a wad of aluminum foil. And if you don’t have time to make this start-from-scratch bread, begin with a prepared bread dough and add the herbs. Good both ways!

Flowerpot Herb Bread
2 packages dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
¼ cup sugar
1½ cups scalded milk, cooled
½ cup shortening, melted, cooled
2 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons salt
6-7 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, sifted
½ teaspoon basil
¾ teaspoon thyme
¾ teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley

Soften yeast in warm water, with 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Mix milk, shortening, and beaten eggs. Stir in the remaining sugar, salt, eggs, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix well and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until bubbly (about 1 hour). Stir well, and add herbs. Mix in the rest of the flour to make a stiff dough. Knead on floured board until satiny and elastic. Place in greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and return to the warm place to rise until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). Punch dough down, let rest for 10 minutes, and
divide into four-6 pieces (depending on the size of your pots). Place each piece in a pot, filling only half full. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until the dough has filled the pots (about 45-50 minutes). Bake in 425° oven for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°. Bake small pots an additional 5-10 minutes, larger pots 15-30. Turn out of the pot, return to the oven for a few minutes, then cool on a rack.

Adapted from China Bayles’ Book of Days, entry for November 17. To read this e-letter on our website, click here: abouthyme.com/dayletters/071112.html  This newsletter is a publication of Susan Wittig Albert and it is provided free, via e-mail, to anyone, worldwide. ©2007 Susan Wittig Albert. Do not quote without specific permission. Feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues with appropriate credit to Susan Albert. This newsletter is designed, written, and edited by Susan Wittig Albert & Peggy Moody.

Just thought I’d get this going - this is a good place to just get to know each other.

Just a few comments about me - I’m a great nana (at least that’s what my 6 grand daughters say!), a good wife (well, most of the time…been working on it for 37 years) and a great pet owner (my hubby says he wants to come back as one of my pets!). I love gardening, learning about herbs and holistic ways of nature, studying the biblical roots (instead of man’s doctrine/tradition), and networking with others that enjoy the same things.

This blog was created because I’d like to meet other crafters in the state of Missouri and couldn’t find any other way to do it. So I’m hoping that a LOT of Missouri Crafters will find our blog, our yahoogroup and our home page - Missouri Crafters!

My favorite craft is soap making, herbal tinctures and making herb vinegars - what’s yours?

Pam

Missouri Crafters
TLC Naturally
E Web Express