Hi Amethyst
Thank you for keeping me in the loop with your latest recipes I will have a good read of all of them lots to try and enjoy 
All have Baileyâs in
Blessings be 
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Youâre welcome! I hope you find a few that you can enjoy! With or without the Baileyâs!
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Strawberry-Green Tea Smoothie
Total: 2 hr 10 min
Prep: 10 min
Inactive: 2 hr
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients:
1 green tea bag
3/4 cup very hot water
1 cup fresh strawberries, halved, plus 1 sliced strawberry for garnish
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon honey
6 fresh mint leaves
Directions:
Steep the tea bag for 2 minutes in the water. Remove the bag and allow the tea to cool. Pour the tea into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid, at least 2 hours.
Put the strawberries, milk, lime juice, honey and mint into a blender and blend until almost smooth. Add the green tea ice cubes and continue to blend until very smooth. Garnish with the sliced strawberry
Recipe courtesy of Food Network.com
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Foraged Wild Violet Tea Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Additional: Time 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (3 or 4 tablespoons when chopped) fresh wild violets
or 1 tablespoon dried crumbled violet leaf and/or flowers
1 cup of boiling water
1 lemon sliced (optional)
Directions:
Gather 1/2 cup (3 or 4 tablespoons when chopped) fresh wild violet leaves and/or flowers. The pollen is the carrier of taste, so I prefer not to wash it. Mechanically remove all bugs and place the purple flowers in the tea ball.
Pour one cup of boiling water over it and allow it to steep overnight
Strain the herbal material using a fine mesh or colander and enjoy. You can use a sweetener of your choice, like stevia or honey.
Notes:
Violet tea, which is best to drink cold by the wineglass every 2 hours.
To be effective, the infusion should be made fresh daily.
Drink one cup every two hours.
Foraging violets for brewing tea:
Native to Europe, the Viola genus contains around 550 species, most with similar uses to the common blue violet. Except for African violets (Saintpaulia), which are not edible. They are difficult to find in the wild and have 6-petalled flowers and leaves in the shape of an oval. As compared to edible violet species, which all have irregular flowers with five petals and heart-shaped leaves.
To avoid misidentifying, only harvest violets when the flowers are blooming. When foraging for violet flowers, pinch off the flower at the top of the stem.
The leaves and flowers are edible, but the roots can cause nausea and vomiting, so they should be avoided.
While leaves are best harvested from early spring to summer, the flowers are best harvested in spring. When harvesting, think of plinators and never take more than half of the available blooms and leaves from one plant (generally just one or two), and only harvest from plants that are well-established and abundant.
Health Benefits of Wild Violets:
Wild violet flowers are medicinal herbs that offer numerous health benefits for the skin when applied topically. These include moisturizing and anti-inflammatory properties that not only alleviate rheumatic aches and pains but also may alleviate skin issues such as acne and eczema.
When consumed internally in tea, these herbs act as blood cleansers and soothers, gently encouraging the flow and movement of internal fluids. They effectively ease coughs and aid in respiratory ailments. Violets contain mucilage, which aids in loosening and expelling mucus from the lungs during a dry cough.
Their demulcent and lymphatic properties make them particularly useful for addressing hot, dry conditions of the throat, often accompanied by hard, painful lymph glands under the jaw. I personally used violets to make sore throat spray, cough drops, or tinctures that naturally relieve coughs and sore throats.
Moreover, violets contain a significant amount of rutin, which helps maintain the integrity of capillary walls. This property may aid in the prevention or treatment of varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Crafting a violet bath from violet tea can alleviate the discomfort of hemorrhoids.
Furthermore, violets act as lymphatic stimulants and can relieve the tonsils when swollen and tender.
Finally, violets possess calming properties that can effectively ease stress.
Fresh or Dried herbs:
To make an herbal tea from wild violets, you can use fresh flowers and leaves or a combination of them. Dried violets are also fine.
In fact, drying the blossoms adds additional floral flavor.
Just spread them evenly on parchment paper or a tray and set them to dry out of direct light. Ensure they are completely dry and crumbly before transferring them to a closed glass jar. You can also use a dehydrator to avoid mold.
Violet Flowers or leaves?
Violet Leaves contain mucilage and rutin; thus, when making tea for a cough or for blood thinning (hemorrhoids and varicose veins), use violet leaves to make the tea.
Violet flower tea, on the other hand, is calming and mildly diuretic.
Rico Cech says that stems, along with leaves and flowers, are safe to consume. However, avoid the roots and seeds as they cause vomiting.
Variations:
Combine fresh violet tea with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a touch of honey for a refreshing lemonade.
Prepare a strong cup of black tea and add a splash of violet tea for a subtle floral note.
Combine violet flowers and leaves with dried chamomile blossoms to create a calming and fragrant herbal infusion. Enhance the flavor with a few sprigs of fresh mint
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. This is for informational purposes only; this is not a diagnosis or treatment, and always check with your medical professional of choice before using anything medicinally.
Nutritional Facts:
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 24Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 11mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g
Recipe courtesy of Simply Beyond Herbs.com
1 Like
Honey Coco-Cold Brew
Yield: Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
3 oz. - cold brew coffee
1 oz. - buckwheat honey water (recipe below)
2 oz. - coconut water
a splash of club soda
4 - mint leaves
mint sprig, for garnish
For Buckwheat Honey Water:
2 cups - buckwheat honey
1 cup - hot water
Directions:
Combine the cold brew coffee, buckwheat honey water, coconut water, and mint leaves in a cocktail shaker with ice.
Shake vigorously.
Strain into a glass filled with ice and top with a splash of club soda.
Garnish with a mint sprig and serve.
For Buckwheat Honey Water:
Combine buckwheat honey and hot water and stir until dissolved. Bottle and refrigerate until needed.
Notes:
Mixologistâs Note: If you donât have a cocktail shaker, or for a âwhippedâ version, add all the ingredients to a blender cup with 2 cubes of ice. Blend on high for 10 seconds and strain into an iced glass.
Recipe courtesy of National Honey Board.com
2 Likes
Lilac Gin Lemonade
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
Lilac Simple Syrup:
2 cups (64 grams) fresh lilac flowers packed
1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
1 ½ cups (355 milliliters) cold water
Lilac Lemonade:
6 large lemons (about 1 ½ cups (355 ml)lemon juice)
2 cups (473 milliliters) cold water
lilac simple syrup
Lilac Gin Lemonade Cocktail:
Ice cubes
5 Âź cups (1.24 liters) lilac lemonade
9 ounces (255 milliliters) gin (I recommend Empress 1908 Indigo Gin)
lemon slices for garnish
lilac blossoms for garnish
Directions:
Make the lilac simple syrup:
Rinse lilac blossoms to remove any dirt or bugs. Pluck the flowers from their stems and measure the flowers for the recipe. Set aside.
Add sugar and water to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Add the lilac blossoms to the pot of simple syrup and let the flowers infuse the syrup as it cools, at least 1 hour.
Once the syrup is completely cool, strain the syrup to remove the flowers. Store the syrup in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to make the lemonade.
Make the lilac lemonade:
Juice the lemons and add the juice to a pitcher. You can strain the juice to remove the pulp and any small bits of seeds, if you wish.
Add the strained lilac simple syrup to the pitcher with the lemon juice.
Add water to the pitcher and stir to combine.
Make the lilac gin lemonade cocktails:
To make one cocktail, add ice cubes to a glass and top with 7 ounces (207 ml) of the lilac lemonade.
Top the lemonade with 1 ½ ounces (44 ml) of gin. Stir to combine (for the best taste) or leave the gin layered on the top of the drink (for the most visual appeal).
Garnish with lemon slices and lilac blossoms and serve!
Notes:
Itâs important to use lilacs that have not been treated with pesticides. Use untreated lilacs from your own garden or ask a friend or neighbor if you can have a bunch from their bush. Do not use lilacs from public spaces where you canât confirm that theyâre safe to eat.
If you want to substitute the lilacs, you can use elderflower blossoms for a similarly delicate floral flavor. Or you can add ½ ounce (15 ml) St. Germain elderflower liqueur to each cocktail.
I recommend using Empress 1908 Indigo Gin for this recipe. The gin is naturally colored with butterfly pea blossoms, giving it a deep purple-blue color that pairs beautifully with the lemonade and lilacs. However, you can use any type of gin that you like best.
Lilac simple syrup can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Lemonade can be stored in an airtight container or a covered pitcher in the fridge for up to 2 days.
If you want to mix a pitcher of gin lemonade, the batched cocktail can be stored in a covered pitcher in the fridge for up to 4 hours. Wait to add the ice until just before serving.
Thereâs no arguing that freshly squeezed lemon juice makes the best-tasting lemonade, so squeeze your own lemons for the most fresh-tasting lemonade.
Taste the lemonade before you mix the cocktails. If you want it a bit sweeter, add more simple syrup. If you want it more tart, add more lemon juice and water.
Recipe courtesy of Always Eat Dessert.com
Banana Bread Latte
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients:
1 large very ripe banana mashed
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup water
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
2 shots of espresso
2 cups milk of choice
Directions:
To make the syrup, add the banana, brown sugar, and water to a small saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to a simmer, and let it cook for 7-8 minutes until thickened and bubbly.
Stir in the cinnamon, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
Transfer the syrup to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Or, pour the syrup through a fine mesh sieve to strain out any lumps.
Brew the espresso. Add 3 tablespoons of syrup to the espresso and stir.
Heat the milk and pour ½ to ž cup into each glass.
Froth the remaining milk. Then, spoon a layer of frothed milk over the top of each latte.
Finish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
Notes:
Oat milk froths best for dairy-free lattes.
Syrup sweetness can be adjusted to taste. Extra syrup works well in iced coffee or cold brew.
To froth the milk: Heat the milk until warm but not boiling, then froth it using a handheld milk frother, French press, or steam wand. If you donât have a frother, you can shake the warm milk in a tightly sealed jar for 20â30 seconds, then microwave it briefly to set the foam.
Use very ripe bananas. The spottier and softer the banana, the sweeter and more banana-bread-like the syrup will taste. Under-ripe bananas wonât give the same depth of flavor.
Blend or strain the syrup. This step is key to a smooth latte. Blending creates a thicker, cafĂŠ-style syrup, while straining gives you a lighter texture with no banana bits.
Keep the syrup at a gentle simmer. Avoid a hard boil, which can scorch the sugar and give the syrup a slightly bitter taste.
Stir the syrup into the espresso first. Adding the banana syrup directly to the hot espresso helps it dissolve fully before the milk is added, so every sip is evenly flavored.
Nutritional Facts:
Serving: 1servingCalories: 418kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 9gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 119mgPotassium: 690mgFiber: 2gSugar: 73gVitamin A: 435IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 358mgIron: 1mg
Recipe courtesy of The Cookie Rookie.com
If you make this now, it might be ready by Beltane!
Strawberry Mead Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 - 3 pounds of honey (3 pounds is about 1 quart, and will yield a sweeter mead)
Champagne yeast (or other wine-making yeast)
1 cup more or less organic strawberries, fresh or frozen
10 organic raisins
filtered water
Equipment:
A one-gallon jug with a narrow neck for brewing. I prefer to use glass for this, as I donât care for plastic, but a plastic jug will work in a pinch.
An airlock with a rubber stopper. You can alternatively use a balloon with a pinhole that is attached to the top of the jug. The gases will be able to escape through the pinhole without letting any oxygen in. (You can also get the glass jug with an airlock together for a better price.
A stainless steel pot
A big spoon
A funnel, the bigger the better
A thermometer. Just a regular meat thermometer will do.
Sanitizer, I like the One Step brand as it is easy to use and nontoxic. It is very important that you sanitize everything that will be used prior to brewing.
Directions:
First and foremost, sanitize everything that will come in contact with the mead.
Put approximately 1/2 gallon of filtered water into a large stainless steel pot and heat until warm, but not boiling.
Turn off the heat, add the honey, and stir to dissolve. You can put some hot water back into the empty honey container and shake it a bit to get all of the honey out.
Use a funnel to pour the honey water mixture into the glass jug (it will not fill it completely).
Add the strawberries and raisins.
Fill the jug with cold filtered water, leaving about 3 inches of space at the top.
Cap the jug with its lid and invert once or twice to mix everything together.
Check the temperature of the liquid; if it is 90°F or less, itâs ok to add the yeast. If itâs higher, wait a bit until it cools.
Add the yeast. One yeast package will ferment up to five gallons of liquid, so you donât need to use it all. I usually use about half of one package when making a gallon.
Cap the jug again, and shake it vigorously for a minute or two. This helps to combine and aerate the yeast.
Attach the airlock to the rubber stopper, fill it with water to the line, and put it into the top of your jug.
The mead should start bubbling within a few hours, and the top will get really foamy. Sometimes it foams too much and comes up out of the airlock, but thatâs ok.
Just rinse the airlock and put it back on the jar. It will subside by the next morning. You will see millions of tiny bubbles coming up through the liquid - thatâs the yeast just doing its thing.
Notes:
Put the jug in a cool and dark corner and wait. It will take about 6-8 weeks to fully ferment, depending on the outside temperature. It will ferment faster when itâs warmer, slower when itâs cooler. Check it every few days to make sure it is still bubbling. Once it completely stops bubbling, it is ready to be bottled. The mead is ready to drink right away, but will benefit from some amount of aging, as it can be a bit harsh at first.
Small Batch Mead Recipe:
The best way to start is on a small scale, and a gallon batch of mead is the perfect size for beginners. This mead recipe features fresh strawberries, but you can easily substitute your favorite fresh fruit. Say, blackberries.
You can also use foraged items like linden flowers or blended wildflowers.
Go Here for Instructions on How to Bottle Your Gallon of Mead.
Recipe courtesy of Attainable Sustainable.net
