This month, I invite you to check out some foods and herbs that warm the soul and energize the body as we thank winter for its long embrace and welcome spring with arms wide-open. Some herbs and plant energies to look at include rosehips, turmeric, citrus, berries, cinnamon, cloves, and cacao. We also look to all kinds of dairy from our generous livestock and abundant mamas. These foods can highlight the seasonal energies of any dish or celebration, give clarity and joy to crafts and charms that will draw spring closer, and give power and stamina to those remedies that will strengthen immunity and resiliency in good health and balanced well-being.
Freshen the air and awaken the energy of your space with a potpourri of cloves, cinnamon, and citrus peels. Alternatively, you can take one or two citrus fruits – like an orange or grapefruit – and stick whole cloves into them in designs and patterns to make a clove-pomander. This can be used in centerpieces, on decorated altars, as offerings, or strung & hung to freshen a space for a few days. They are especially wonderful to clear the air in a sickroom or give a boost of energy to one recovering from illness or injury.
Infuse honey with rosehips and garlic for a cough syrup and supplement during a cold. Take a teaspoon daily as a supplement, or twice a day for sore throat & dry cough. Add up to a tablespoon in your tea likewise as a supplement to good health. Add Turmeric (fresh root or dried & ground powder) to stocks, soups, and rice dishes to aid circulation and to sort-of “grease up” cold-stiffened joints that are overcompensating with fluid retention and inflammation. Indeed, as a supplement, up to a tablespoon of turmeric may be added to the honey mix above for further immune support and easing of inflammatory illness.
Try some mental flexibility while inhaling some aromatherapeutic orange or vanilla. Pleasing thoughts, changing our minds about distressing situations and our stories around them, and creating the energy of movement and clarity within ourselves (hearts & minds) will open us to the inspired decisions and inspired actions that embrace opportunities and growth.
Serve up some fruit pies or tarts made from berry preserves or frozen berries with homemade whipped cream, ice cream, crème fresh, cottage cheese, or yoghurt – if, that is, you can tolerate dairy. Dairy dishes in many cultures are popular this time of year because one of the old-time agrarian holidays in the first week of February was called “Milking of the Ewes” – the mama sheep heralding spring with the birth of lambs and giving an abundance of milk which also helped folks making cheese, butters, creams, and all manner of baked goods which could get them through the last of winter and into spring planting season. Seasonal fruits include citrus of all kinds and the berries leftover from autumn in some preserved fashion – blackberries, elderberries, and cranberries – which all go great with citrus. Strawberries followed by blueberries are also coming to season in certain parts of the world and lend themselves deliciously to creams & cakes.
And, if there is still the bite of frost in the air, some hot cocoa spiced with red chilis and/or cinnamon makes a great addition to a chilly night or a rich desert. Plus, if it makes your soul feel good, then that will help the rest of your body’s cells feel good… and when they feel good because you feel good… THAT is good health!
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