As well as providing sustenance and habitats for wildlife, the apothecary garden also provided us with potions to support our daily lives. Chosen intuitively, these brews bring together herbal knowledge, folklore, and a bit of wild magic. Sometimes, I add spices or previously dried flowers from the cupboard too. Add the ingredients to the pot, cover with boiling water, steep, then drink throughout the day. Please note, any recipes I may put here are for my own use only and not offered in any professional or medical capacity.
Fresh nettle and raspberry leaves, dried calendula petals, starflowers, clove, cinnamon, star anise, licorice root, and a shot of pomegranate blossom
Red clover, oregano and sage
Pineapple weed, lemon balm and chocolate mint
Apothecary rose, elderflower, lavender, blackberry blossom and wild strawberries
Elderflower, daisy, yarrow, thyme, and mint
Apothecary rose, elderflower, lavender, red clover, chocolate mint, lemon balm, cinnamon and star anise
Blackbery blossom, chocolate mint, orange, dried starflower, calendula and a shot of roibos
Lime, elderflower, chocolate mint, and wild rose, brew, cool, and add ice as a long drink.
Sage, red clover, motherwort, evening primrose, blue cornflower, blackberry leaves & blossom, starflower, rose petals, angelica seed & a shot of 'Douceur de Rose' tea.
Starflower, cinnamon, star anise, orange, blackberry leaves, angelica seed, sour cherries, dried pomegranate blossom and licorice root.
Meadowsweet, mint, lemon balm, lavender, thyme, starflower, angelica seed, blackcurrants & a slice of lemon (optional)
Lemon slices, starflower, lemon balm, lots of ice and either G&T or sparkling water
Eldeflowers, mint, lemon balm and ribwort plantain
Basil, mint, rosemary, lavender, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, angelica seed, starflower and orange slices
Blackcurrants, nettle, ribwort plantain, selfheal, fennel leaf, thyme, mint, lemon balm and angelica seed
Hawthorn blossom and leaf, starflower, lavender, angelica seed and rose.
When we first moved onto the estate, the garden was a patch of newly sown grass, a thin layer of topsoil, and several metres of rock, rubble, and industrial hardcore. With no money, and only the weeds we found growing on the building site, my young son and I set out to see what we could grow. What was once a wasteland, became a haven for wildlife, and a balm for the body and soul.
UPDATE - In 2022, we made the difficult decision to leave the garden and follow a long-held dream of moving to Orkney, where we look forward to discovering what wildness will grow in this new soil.
(All images copyrighted to Victoria Bennett)
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