Nature really is amazing. Right when cold and flu season starts to hit everyone, nature offers up plants that we can use to help keep us well! Elderberries are a great example of this. I've talked before about the health benefits of the elder tree, but in a nutshell elderberries have long been known as an immunity booster, rich in vitamins A, B and C. They are also used to lower blood sugar in diabetics and they help to reduce inflammation. Overall, these little black berries

Summer solstice is one of my favorite days of the year. It marks the official beginning of summer, and is the longest day of the year (as opposed to the longest night of the year during winter solstice). Because of the long daylight hours, this solstice lends itself to amazing outdoor parties, and serves a great time to reflect on the power of the sun. I think it's a perfect time to have gratitude for all the energy that has gone into growing food, not only because the sun pr

Elderberry season is here! If you read my post on elderflowers, you will remember that we have 3 bushes around where we live. I've been eagerly waiting for the little berries to turn from green to purple, and when we got back from our vacation this summer, just that had happened! I quickly went out and gathered the ripe berries. A refresher on elderberries: They have long been known as an immunity booster, rich in vitamins A, B and C. They are also used to lower blood sugar i

Do you remember the scene in the film Amelie that talks about her love of dipping her fingers into sacks of grain? If you've never seen it, you can watch a clip here. That's how I felt when I was working up these recipes. Because elderflowers. They are so beautiful and delicate! I've been eyeing a couple elderflower trees (also called sambucus) around our condo complex, waiting for the flowers to bloom so I could do something fun with them. When they finally started to bloom

Those of you that follow me on Instagram have probably noticed that I'm a bit obsessed with lilacs at the moment. To me, lilacs not only announce the arrival of spring with a big burst of color and scent, but also mean that it's time to try fun things with them around the kitchen! I had never made anything from or even tasted something made of lilacs before trying the recipes below, but the more I saw them blooming around our town, the more I felt inspired to try to figure ou

Warning: this post contains lots of photos. Because: herbs. They make me so happy! So much so that my husband even bought me a bumper sticker that says "I <3 Herbs!". They are so beautiful and have so many uses. Every time I pull out my jars of herbs, I automatically feel like I'm about to do something amazing for my body's health. Here in Boulder, we are really lucky have an herbal apothecary that I stop by from time to time and splurge on a small bag of new-to-me herbs. I l