I started composing this before Hurricane Ida did its sweeping damage, and before it directly hit my local NYC community.

I hope you are all doing ok, wherever you are.

It’s been 7 months since my last blog, and it’s not because I don’t have stories to tell or recipes to share. I have so many, but something about the permanence of this medium has kept my posts to the more transient mode of instagram, where I am one voice in a sea of so many…(That’s upside down in marketing terms.)

Perhaps you have forgotten that you even signed up for my blog, and so, if that’s the case, hello again and I hope you stick around! I still have lots to say, and my intention is to say it about once every 4-6 weeks…We will see how it goes.

If you are new…

Welcome! I am glad you are here!

My inspiration to write now is to share an end of summer treat, reconnect, and perhaps most importantly share some thoughts that I hope will inspire, so let’s start with that…

I have been casually reconnecting to my intuition, and it’s reminding me to stay in wonder. It’s casual because I am not actively doing anything to make it happen.

These intuitive or psychic moments show up when I am in a non thinking, playful state, and particularly when I am not attached to an outcome. It’s that inner sparkly energy that is inside all of us, but that can be veiled by life events, low mood or a busy mind.

You might notice this sixth sense, when you reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while and discover that they were just about to call. It might show up as a connected feeling you have towards someone you have just met, without understanding why. It’s the “gut feeling” or heart connection that you have about certain things or events about to happen.

Perhaps you are very aware of your visionary wisdom and are regularly tuned in to your clairvoyant, clairsentient, clairaudient states? Wherever you are in the spectrum of “radio” waves, this is the world of non linear thinking and for me, it’s a hidden well of joy.

Recently I was on a walk with some funghi folk and the day’s party trick seemed to be my uncanny ability to guess/ “intuit” pets and their names, professions, personality traits, and and other low stake accidental results….One of the people I had particular intuitive success with, was Daniel, pictured above.

After our mushroom group started a conversation on Szechuan peppercorns…I mentioned the prickly ash shrub, and how the berries were our native peppercorn. It started a discussion on whether they could be found locally, and I said yes! My botany teacher at herb school pointed it out on many of our plant walks, but it never made a strong visual imprint on my mind and it’s not so easy to distinguish in a sea of other woodland greenery.

Daniel and I decided we would seek out the shrub.

With nothing other than the spirit of adventure and our iphones, a few days later, we decided we would venture into Prospect Park to search it out. We both had a plant id app on our phones that surprisingly had the GPS coordinates for a sighting of the shrub from 2018. We headed in the direction of the coordinates. When we arrived, the area was large and wooded. The coordinates seemed non specific. I went off in one direction, (which was actually steps away from the shrub, and Daniel walked up a slope….

”Anything?'“ I called out.

”Nope”, was the response.

Some time passed before we met up and decided that “Project Prickly Ash” might require more time, and that this was simply part one of our adventure.

Of course, the moment we let go of the need to find the plant, guess where it was? In front of us!

Yup. The Universe at play. High fives and smiles all round. Our little plant friend did want to be found after all. We stayed with the shrub for a further 15 minutes, enchanted with what had just happened, and a little closer to that inner sparkle.

These moments show up all over the place for me. The more you see, the more you see!

So, what do you see? I hope it’s something that reminds you of your sparkle. It is definitely something you can cultivate, so keep your senses open.

Now, let’s discuss the recipe…

In spite of Summer’s impending end, I am still busy making herbal infused frozen desserts. The spilanthes plants are producing masses of flowers, so I am revisiting a recipe I created last year and shared on instagram.

Lemon sherbet was on my mind when I concocted the delight. The original version used a fresh baby coconut and was more sorbet like in its finish, but since baby coconuts aren’t that easy to come by, this version has been adapted to a much more convenient ingredient, coconut milk, and the result is creamier, richer and one that can easily pass for a traditional ice cream. Also, I made this version with lime but the recipe calls for lemon, so use that as a preference.

What is spilanthes?

Here’s a playful piece I wrote about the plant in February 2020.

Much like echinacea, spilanthes is an immune stimulant, a sialagogue, (induces salivation), an anti-microbial, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory medicinal plant with an affinity for dental care and pain relief, as well as fighting off infections.

Colloquial names include buzz buttons, toothache plant, and electric daisies. These names are reminders of another action that the plant possesses; its ability to numb.

Biting down on a flower is a sensory explosion that when blended with lemon makes a zesty ice cream that you simply must taste.

This ice cream tastes of inner sparkle:) It’s easy to make and it’s vegan!!

1/2 banana
1/8 cup of raw cashews, (soaked overnight and rinsed)
The juice and rind from one lemon
1 teaspoon raw honey or maple syrup
7 fresh spilanthes flowers + 4 leaves *
1/2 cup of (non guar gum) coconut milk.

Method:

Blend everything and freeze in an ice cream maker if you have one, or in a shallow dish with intermittent stirring, until it’s frozen to the consistency of a soft serve. Serve with a fresh grating of citrus rind, (preferably lemon) and a few more buzz buttons!

* Note:
Before I started growing spilanthes, I would purchase fresh cuttings from Union Square market. They should still be available for a week or two more if you want to make the recipe. As an alternative if you have access to fresh organic echinacea you could experiment and use one or two flower heads. If you do, let me know how it turns out! I have a feeling the spilanthes will taste better, but these things are trial and a little bit of error!

Also, like all my recipe trials, the recipe is for one portion, so double up if you want to make it for two etc.

Upcoming classes and news.

If you are in the City this weekend and want to practice your intuitive skills and learn about flower essences then join me on Saturday in Prospect Park, or if you would rather come on a herb walk, then, join me on Sunday. Visit the Public Classes for the details and sign up.

Next week I will be teaching at Rancho La Puerta. The dreamy place I get to teach at on the west coast.

I will also be teaching there April 2nd 2022, in case you want to plan a visit. Feel free to email me if you have any questions about the experience.

Lastly, the website is new! Its a work in progress, but I hope you enjoy looking around the new site. Stay tuned for new classes and offerings and I hope you have a great Labor Day Weekend.