ButtonWillowCottage

Late Autumn in the Stillroom

"If - on an Autumn or early Winter's night - you quietly opened the heavy, oaken door leading to a Still Room such as our own within the Ypres Tower, you would immediately smell that special scent of the season shortly to unfold, for this would be the magical, mysterious space where garden linked with house or castle to provide all manner of seasonal treats, as well as the more usual healing lotions and ointments regularly prepared within it's walls.

Honey-rich syrups were made by infusing herbs previously bruised in a mortar and pestle or by making a strong decoction - both methods requiring heating to reduce the liquid, then strained through muslin and honey added to sweeten.  Colds and sore throats were often relieved by a rose-hip and lemon balm decoction with honey added to soothe and heal."

 

Creating an Herbal Tea Pantry

All throughout history herbs have been used to refresh and soothe the spirit, to heal our bodies, and clear our minds. Herbs grown in our cottage gardens can easily be dried to be used throughout the year even in the darkest days of winter.  A refreshing herbal tea mix like lavender, chamomile and the like can be a tasty reminder of warmer days to come, or recall memories of days past when they were tended to and gathered.

 To create an herbal tea pantry set aside a cool dark pantry or cupboard shelf.  Gather various pretty lidded jars in which to store your dried herbs of choice.  Even the plainest of canning jars can be prettified by adding a touch of fabric or ribbon.  Be sure to adorn your jars with sweet little housekeeper labels also.  A lovely winter's afternoon can be spent creating new blends.  Be sure to keep a small notebook within your pantry in which to jot down your favorite creations.  Make sure to keep various tea balls, infusers, and strainers. Various pretty tea cups and mugs and perhaps teapots can also be kept here.  Honey always lends a nice compliment to herbal teas, so a variety of these can also be stored. 

Remembrance of Spring Herbal Tea Mix

1 Part Dried:

Lavender Buds

Peppermint

Rose Petals

2 Parts Dried:

Chamomile Flower 

Lemon Balm

 

Pomanders

By definition a pomander is a ball made of perfumes. In past times they were worn or carried in a vase as a protection against infection or pestilence or merely to enhance the "odors" of the wearer! They were usually hung from a chain and worn around the neck or waistband and made of precious metals into which the perfume of choice was inserted.

Nowadays, simple pomanders can be made from food items readily found in most cottages. Redolent of autumn or winter spices they invite coziness with each sniff and will continue to emit odors for some time as they age and dry.   However to revive them to their full potency they can be re-rolled in the spice mixture as desired. 

~Choose a variety of fruits for your pomanders. Apples, lemons, tangerines and oranges work best.

~Use a toothpick or a wooden or metal skewer to pierce the skin of the fruit. Insert cloves into the fruit so that cloves form close, vertical rows. Make patterns with the cloves, if you desire. The goal is to cover the fruit with cloves as completely as possible.

~Combine the powdered orrisroot, ground cinnamon, ground allspice and ground nutmeg in a large zipper-lock bag. (This mixture will cover approximately two pieces of fruit.)

~Place the fruit in the bag, and roll the fruit around in the spice mixture. Cover the entire fruit with spices.

~Remove the fruit from the bag and shake off excess spice powder.

~Wrap the fruit in tissue paper and store in a cool, dry place for three to four weeks.

~Unwrap the pomander and display as desired.

(An easier and equally beautiful--though slightly less fragrant-- variation is pictured above)

Recipes For A Summer's Potpourri

Late Summer Mix

10 marigold blossoms

6 Lemon Scented Geranium leaves

5 rose blossoms

2 tsp dried lavender

2 tsp orrisroot

2 drops Rosewood essential oil

2 drops Lemon essential oil

Autumn Mix

1/4 cup dried apple slices (see note)

1/2 cup pink and red carnation petals

1/4 cup dried sweet woodruff leaves

2 tbsp crumbled cinnamon or one 3" cinnamon stick

1 whole nutmeg, grated (1 1/2 tsp.)

1 tbsp whole cloves

1 tbsp julienne orange peel

2 tsp orrisroot

3 drops of cinnamon or vanilla scented oil

Note: To dry apples, slice paper thin and place slices in a single layer on a baking sheet in 150 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Winter Mix

1/2 cup bayberry leaves

1/2 cup snipped balsam needles

1/2 cup miniature pine cones

1/2 cup rose hips

2 tsp orrisroot

2 drops pine essential oil

Of course all of these recipes can be doubled, tripled...whatever your needs or desires. And have fun coming up with your own mixes! Oh, and by the way, wouldn't it be delicious to spend a rainy summer afternoon (for those of you who are fortunate enough to have rain in summer!) mixing up the Autumn or Winter recipes and then tucking them away in anticipation of bringing them out once those cozy seasons are upon us? Sounds positively lovely to us!

Have fun and have a beautiful weekend!

Mixing A Summer's Potpourri

Just as in gathering your flowers, mixing your potpourri should be a sensory pleasure. Enjoyed when you can linger over the process, fragrances and tactile sensations. While mixing, remember your garden, the sunny days, it's sights and sounds. The enjoyment of growing and harvesting. Put on some music, gather your children to help mix or just to observe with wide eyes, and you have more than just a recipe for potpourri... you have the makings of a lovely summer afternoon.

When you're sure that all your plant material is very dry combine them in a large bowl or other suitable container as long as it's not metal. Be aware, that due to the essential oils, the container you mix in will be fairly permanently scented. Choose wisely! At ButtonWillow we've chosen a pretty bowl that is forever the Cottage Potpourri Mixing Bowl! Add your spices, fixatives and essential oils to this (trying to get as much of the oils on the fixative as possible), then mix gently until well blended. (Note: Some may wish to wear a dust mask during this blending process so as not to aggravate fragile sinuses or allergies).

Seal and store in a cool, dark place for three to six weeks. You can cover your bowl with plastic wrap, or you can store it in jars, paper sacks, or ziplock bags. Shake or stir it every day. After this time, display in your choice of basket or bowl. Some store in an airtight container which they only open when they want to perfume the room. This method allows the potpourri to last much longer. Sunlight and dust will shorten its life. But, of course, then it allows you the pleasure to create more!

*A word about fixatives-- Most common is Orris root which is from the root of the Florentine Iris and has a very light fragrance. Other fixative choices are Oak Moss, Cellulose, or gum benzoin. Ask at your herbalist or craft store.

Drying A Summer's Potpourri

The drying process usually takes up to 2 weeks in general. There are two main methods for drying flowers and herbs, air drying and hanging. However, for both, complete the chosen process in a warm dark place that has good air circulation. Some choose to dry flowers via microwave--but I have never had success with that, so it's the 'tried and true' methods for ButtonWillow Cottage.

AIR DRYING: Using a window screen works quite well. It allows air circulation around the plant material. Place the flowers and or herbs on a single layer. Do not pack them tightly together or on top of each other or they will rot and brown.

HANGING: Fasten together several small bunches, tie the stems off with elastics or string. Hang them upside down to dry out. But again, be aware that sometimes, where the flowers touch each other, they have a tendency to brown.

Spring Colds at ButtonWillow...

These help rid the respiratory system of bacteria and mucus. Make a cup of lemon tea by grating 1 teaspoon lemon rind and adding it to 1 cup boiling water. Steep for five minutes. Or, you can boil a lemon wedge. Strain into a cup and drink. For a sore throat that comes from coughing, add 1 teaspoon lemon juice to 1 cup warm water and gargle.