Author: Sandy Evans

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Classic Cold Care Tea

Classic Cold Care Tea… Yarrow, Elderflower, Peppermint. Also known as YEP Tea or Gypsy Tea, is a traditional herbal blend that goes back centuries in folk medicine. This Tea is drank as a hot infusion at the first signs of cold or flu.
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Yarrow, Elderflower & Peppermint are all diaphoretic herbs, which means that they open the pores of the skin, allowing Excess Heat to leave the body via perspiration or sweat. (When sick, Excess Heat in the body can manifest as sore throat or fever or thick mucous or yellow mucous or feeling hot and achey).
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When drinking this tea you’ll quickly feel the heat in your body come to the surface of your skin, and then you will start to sweat a bit. This activates your immune system and will help to support the fever process as well as help break a prolonged fever. An elevated body temperature helps to kill viruses in the body, so fever & sweating is one way that the body fights off viruses.
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Yarrow is antiseptic & anodyne which means that she helps inhibit the grpwth of harmful micro-organisms, helps prevent infection & helps reduce pain.
Elderflower is expectorant, assisting in expelling mucous from the body. Elderflower is also a soothing nervine, helping you to relax and rest.
Peppermint is antispasmodic & decongestant, and so beneficial for a spastic cough or sinus headache.
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The combination of these 3 herbs has a quite pleasant taste! Sipping this tea while its hot, throughout the day, at the first signs of feeling sick will usually have me feeling better in 1-2 days. Of course its also important to rest, drink plenty of water and eat warm soup.
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Enjoy & Be Well.

Yarrow flowers
Classic Cold Care Tea
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Yellow Dock Seed Vinegar & Yellow Dock Root Tea

Yellow Dock, Poimuhierakka, Rumux crispus… A bitter, cooling, classic herb for Building Blood & Clearing Heat. Yellow Dock is nutritive, her roots attract iron & minerals from the soil and she helps your body to better absorb iron & nutrients from your food. She is an ally for those with anemia. But unlike iron pills which cause constipation, Yellow Dock is mildly laxative and treats constipation. Her laxative effect is partly due to the small amounts of anthriquinone glycosides that she contains. And unlike other herbs used for constipation (such as Senna or Cascara Sagrada), she will not cause cramping or dependency. She cools the intestines & helps clear out heat and inflammation that accumulates in the intestines. She is an effective ally for SIBO, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. Yellow Dock also treats chronic constipation & bloating by toning & strengthening intestines that are tired & weak. Do not use if pregnant, unless Dr says its ok. Also, use cautiously if you have a history of oxalate kidney stones because Yellow Dock does contain small amounts of oxalic acid.
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Yellow Dock is also beneficial for Clearing Heat from the Blood that manifests as chronic hot dry skin disorders. Heat in the Blood can cause your skin to be dry, itchy, red or form boils, skin cysts, acne, shingles.
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Yellow Dock is an Alterative. Alteratives assist organs of elimination (kidneys, bowels, liver, gallbladder, lungs, skin) to eliminate more efficiently so that you can absorb nutrients better.
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Yellow Dock helps you to literally release & let go of waste, so that you are better able to receive nourishment. She works deeply at the Blood level. She clears out toxic heat, she is Cool like that. She is a common weed, over-looked, and under appreciated. She is an Amazing Ally.
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Her roots and seeds are collected in the Autumn. Yellow Dock Root tea is my favorite way to give her. 1-2 teaspoons root per cup of water. You can decoct (boil) or simply steep for 15 minutes or longer. Tincture works ok, but tea works better. 1 or 2 cups of tea per day. Feel free to sweeten your Yellow Dock Root Tea with blackstrap molasses for an added boost of iron.
Yellow Dock seeds can be made into vinegar. The seeds have a similar yet much more mild effect as the root. Fill a jar 3/4 full with brown seeds, chaff & all. Fill jar with apple cider vinegar. Cap the jar with a glass or plastic lid. If your lid is metal then put a piece of plastic wrap in between the lid and jar. (Vinegar will cause metal lids to rust.) Store in a dark cabinet. Shake periodically. Wait 6 weeks, strain into a lovely glass bottle. Enjoy on cooked veggies, salads, or take a teaspoon a few times a day as a nutritional blood-building supplement. Tastes Delicious!

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Smokey Cottage Tea

Deep in the heart of the forests of Finlandia are treasured sanctuaries built from trees felled by the ax of ancestors sweat & love. The clock doesn’t tick here. Time is measured by the rolling of the sun across the sky, the rise & fall of shadows, the waxing waning moon. The Finnish cottage is a place where the veil is thin, and dreams come alive into the waking world.
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In honor of my husbands family cottage, I crafted Smokey Cottage Tea. Finlands treasured flavors of Birch, Meadowsweet, Goldenrod, Linden, Fireweed & Angelica meld together in a tea whose flavor is reminiscent of sitting by the fire in a cozy cottage.
I chose herbs that are anti-inflammatory, contain natural pain-relieving salicylates & have a traditional use for reducing muscular body aches & arthritic pain. A tea to settle your bones and soothe your muscles, a tea whose flavor may carry you to the cottage of your own imagination.
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All herb ingredients are Finnish and I wildcrafted most of the herbs myself. A percentage of sales proceeds are donated to Finnish Nature Conservation groups to help protect and give back to the forest.

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Yarrow & Suopursu Tick-Mosquito Repellant

This summer I experimented with a tick-mosquito repellant that I made from tinctures of Suopursu (Rhododendron tomentosum, old genus name: Ledum) & Yarrow. It was put to the test because I was in the forest for weeks & biting insects up here are no joke. I’ve heard that mosquitos are referred to as Finlands Airforce? I can say that this spray worked pretty good. No ticks. And the mosquitos mostly stay away for about 1 hour. Then its time to re-apply. I sprayed this on top of my shoes, clothes, hat. I also sprayed it in the air when I was outside washing dishes or sitting on the porch. Careful not to get into eyes or on sensitive skin. Definitely do Not use on children or pregnant women or those who have a weakened constitution. Suopurso contains ledol, a volatile compound that is toxic in large doses when ingested internally. The amount of ledol in each plant varies greatly depending on the region where it grows. There are even related species growing in other parts of the world that are safely consumed as medicinal tea & spice. But I recommend that its better to be safe, and Not take Suopurso internally. The amount of ledol may be at a low safe level in one region, and at a toxic level in another region. Suopursu’s volatile oil has a narcotic effect that gives some a headache, and for others feels euphoric. Personally I love the heavy musky scents of Suopursu & Yarrow and I even spray it to clear the energy of a room. Yarrow is an ancient protector & healer of wounds. Suopursu dances between the seen & unseen worlds. An interesting alliance. To make: combine equal parts tinctures of Suopursu & Yarrow. Tinctures are made the folk method: fill a jar with fresh herb, cover in vodka, put a lid on, let sit for 6 weeks or more in the cupboard, shake the jar occasionally, strain. My tinctures were made last summer & infused for 10 month so they were extra potent! And the potency of these 2 herbs definitely helped keep the ticks & mosquitos away. If you do not have access to Suopursu then a spray bottle of a simple tincture of yarrow is a great tick repellant.

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Midnight Sun

And in the blink of an eye, the birches were all covered in leaves. Upon each days awakening, new flowers appeared. Bee’s bumbled and butterflies fluttered. Blue lakes reflecting blue sky. As the Sun shines brightly into the midnight hours, her rays summon up Finlandia’s subterranean slumberers who have been asleep under the frozen ground for 6 months. Come up! Come out! Time to Shine!

The scent of birch fills the air, dappled sunlight shines through her green leaves hanging elegantly over cool blue waters. The little ones appear on the forest floor, mustikkalehti (bilberry leaf), mansikka (strawberry), siankärsämö (yarrow). Pupu (bunny rabbits) nibble and Fasaani (forest pheasants) honk, as we dive blissfully into the cold pure lake waters.

Finlandia is fully awake, in full bloom, fed by the Midnight Sun.

Midnight Sun is a tea that I blended in honor of Finnish Summer. I wanted to try and convey the flavor and feeling of my favorite time of year when the sun always shines. Midnight Sun Tea contains herbs that I wildcraft during summer for teas and cooking. Plants such as young birch leaf, blueberry and raspberry leaf, meadowsweet and heather. So anytime of year I can drink this tea and taste the flavors and memories of summer. I hope that you Enjoy this tea too.

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Backyard Herbal Vinegar

Backyard Herbal Vinegar.. Plants and ‘weeds’ that grow around your home are often the friends you need most. One way I love to bring these plants inside is by infusing them in apple cider vinegar. Vinegar is one of the best ways to absorb minerals in plants, better than alcohol tinctures. According to Herbalist Henriette Kress, just 1-3 tsp of mineral-rich herbal vinegar will meet your mineral requirements for the day. Plus you taste the flavors of the local plants that grow around you!
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Different plants produce different colors & flavors, and every batch is unique & special in its own way. I add herb infused vinegars to cooked vegetables because vinegar helps to digest food better, especially if you have low stomach acid or sluggish digestion. And I also mix them with oil for salads. So your food tastes better, is easier to digest, and you are getting that days mineral requirements met by the local plants instead of buying vitamin pills. Herbs that are especially high in minerals include nettles, raspberry leaf, horsetail & ladys mantle. The herbs in this particular batch featured here in this photo include: violet leaf & flower, strawberry leaf & flower, maple leaf & flower, black currant leaf & flower, dandelion leaf & flower, birch leaf, wood sorrel, yarrow, lemmikki flower, ground ivy, nettles.
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Directions: Firstly, always make 100% certain of proper plant identification & only pick plants that grow in a clean area with no chemicals sprayed. Rinse any dirt off the herbs, pat them dry with a clean paper towel, and let them wilt for several hours to let some of their water content evaporate. Then chop the herbs to release their scent & flavor. Loosely fill your clean jar with the herbs. Do not over-stuff or cram the jar with herbs because you don’t want the vinegar to become too dilute from the water content of fresh herbs. Fill the jar with apple cider vinegar. Tightly cap the jar, label it with the date and names of herbs. The lid of the jar should be glass or plastic because vinegar will corrode a metal lid. Put in the refrigerator for 2-4 weeks. Shake daily. Then strain into a clean bottle with a tight lid. Label it. Keep refrigerated and use within 6 months. Enjoy! ..

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Rose & Lilac Infused Honey

The taste of fresh rose & lilac infused honey is something you will never forget. Sooooo delicious, like nectar for a floral goddess. And so simple to make. Roses are edible, and different species have different scents and flavors, so feel free to experiment. Just make sure that the roses are growing in a clean place with no chemicals being sprayed on them. Do not use roses from the store as those have been sprayed. And same with lilacs, they are edible. And some species taste better than others.

Pull the petals off the rose and use only the petals. With lilacs, pull the purple flowers off the stem and just use the purple flower. You can make rose infused honey or lilac infused honey or combine them together to make rose-lilac infused honey. All taste delicious. Place the fresh picked roses petals & lilac flowers gently into a clean jar, cover with honey, and let sit for at least a few days or longer at room temperature. No need to strain as the petals are edible. Although I have also removed the petals and dried them on the lowest setting in the oven to make rose ‘candies’ and lilac ‘candies’. You can add these floral infused honeys to ice cream or desserts or teas. Sometimes you just want to taste a spoonful directly from the jar because the taste is so yummy. Floral infused honeys can also be added to oxymels & elixirs. And given as gifts to friends & family. Enjoy!

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Birch Leaf Rieska

Making Rieska has become a Springtime tradition since I discovered how simple and easy it is to make these delicious traditional Finnish potato breads. I experiment with adding different springtime herbs such as nettle, ground ivy or dandelion. Birch leaf is one of my favorites because the flavor of young birch leaves is so refreshing and just tastes very ‘Finnish’ to me.

Here is the recipe for Birch Leaf Rieska: 2 tsp young birch leaves chopped, 300g mashed potato, 1 egg, 100g flour. Mix together and form small round flat pancakes on an oiled baking sheet. Bake at 220C for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

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Spruce Sprout Pesto

Something I discovered about Finns is their history of using every part of a tree for medicine, food, shelter, clothing, shoes, dishes, hats, the list goes on & on. For example, I learned from Finns that the young spruce sprouts are edible, and they taste delicious! Fortunately Spruce grows in my yard so I made Spruce Sprout Pesto again this year. The taste is vibrant & fresh and so welcome after months of cold weather!
Recipe Spruce Pesto: 1 cup Spruce Sprouts, a few Basil leaves, 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, 1/3 cup nutritional yeast, 1/8 cup olive oil, juice of 1/4 lemon, couple pinches sea salt. Blend all ingredients in a blender. Add a little more olive oil or water to make it creamier and easier to blend. Keep refrigerated and eat within a week. But this tastes so delicious it will probably be gone within a couple days! I spread Spruce Bud Pesto on rye bread or dip chips or veggies in it.

Enjoy! ..

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Dandelion Bud Capers

I did the thing: Dandelion Bud Capers. Been seeing them on instajam and since my yard is full of dandelions I decided to give them a try. They actually taste really good! No bitterness and kinda pickle-y tasting. If you have dandelions, I suggest you do the thing too. Dandelion benefits your liver and Spring is the perfect season to support your livers ability to detox and cleanse after a long winter of eating heavy rich foods. Also dandelion capers are naturally fermented and fermentated foods benefit your gut as they help replenish friendly bacteria in your intestines. Dandelion capers are quite healthy and easy to make. When picking dandelion buds, of course you only want to pick dandelions that have not been sprayed with pesticides or chemicals and only harvest from dandelions that grow in a clean area. If you look down in the center of the rosette of dandelion leaves then you will see small round dandelion buds about the size of a hazelnut. They also taste nice just eating them raw. If you would like to make dandelion capers, here is one easy recipe that I adapted from The Elliott Homestead: 2 cups dandelion buds (remove the bottom little frills (phyllaries) and stems, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 3 juniper berries, 3/4 TBSP salt mixed into 1 cup water. Rinse buds in cold water then put into a clean jar. Add garlic & juniper berries. Cover buds with enough salt water to completely submerge buds. They will float so put a piece of plastic wrap over the jar then slowly push down another jar into the first jar. This jar will push down the buds so they stay underwater. Make sure the buds always stay under water. Let this sit on the counter for 5-7 days so it can ferment. Then its ready to eat after 5-7 days. Keep refrigerated. You can add capers to salads, stir-fries, as a side condiment or even eat them as snacks. Enjoy!