This southern herbal corn bread takes its Algonquian name from an ancient Indian settlement outside of Charleston, South Carolina. The late, legendary food historian Bill Neal, author of Southern Cooking, inspired this recipe.NUTRICEUTICALS ARE HEALING FOODS and food-supplements that have nourishing effects on the body, mind, spirit, and even one’s rhythms and balance. Nutriceuticals can range from energy-enhancing supplements or foods such as American ginseng to digestive aids such as Oregon holly grape bitters.
Many everyday foods can be spiced up with a light touch of dried (or fresh) herbs from the medicine wheel garden. Try dried crumbled bee balm, bayberry leaves, fresh or dried chili peppers, and wild onions and garlic. Evening primrose seed, American ginger root, angelica stems, strawberries, and blueberries can also add great taste and wholesomeness to everyday foods and therapeutic preparations. It is a pleasure to explore these seasonal tastes and fragrances.
Kitchen medicinals have the virtue of nourishing the body, mind, and spirit, as well as one’s rhythms and balance. This is enhanced when you prepare each recipe and its ingredients in a loving, thoughtful manner. All of your gardening, gathering, preparing, and serving time comes full circle in a magical embrace of profound nourishment.
2 cups water
7 tablespoons dry grits
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
4 tablespoons butter
1½ cups milk
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
butter (or oil) and cornmeal for a loaf pan
3 eggs
½ teaspoon dried, powdered bee balm leaves
½ teaspoon fresh or dried bee balm blossoms
1 cup ripe blueberries or strawberries, or ½ cup chili peppers
This southern herbal corn bread takes its Algonquian name from an ancient Indian settlement outside of Charleston, South Carolina. The late, legendary food historian Bill Neal, author of Southern Cooking, inspired this recipe.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the grits and salt. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Combine the milk and cornmeal in a small mixing bowl and let this stand for 15 minutes. Also, line the bottom of a medium loaf pan with brown paper. Grease it and the pan’s sides with oil or butter, and lightly dust with fine cornmeal.
As the saucepan of grits cools, slightly, stir this mixture into the cornmeal-milk mixture, then beat in the eggs, one by one. Add the remaining herbs and fruits or chili, depending upon whether you want sweet or spicy bread. Blend well and pour the batter into the loaf pan, distributing it evenly. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 50 to 60 minutes, until a table knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on a rack, then turn out carefully onto a prepared board or platter. Garnish with additional fruits, if desired, and serve hot with spicy or herbal butter and herbal cream cheese.
In some regions this early Algonquian corn bread would contain hominy corn, too, and was served as a spoonbread. Perhaps you will enjoy developing and personalizing this old recipe to incorporate other herbal influences from your medicine wheel garden.
Evening primrose seeds are tiny powerhouses! The oil supplies the omega-6 fatty acid and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is not found in many other foods. It can lower blood pressure and may provide benefits to people suffering from multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. The seed oil serves as a digestive aid, promotes healthy skin, and helps hormonal balance, especially for PMS sufferers. These easy scones are richer than ordinary biscuits, yet still light and tasty. What a delicious way to feel healing delights!
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder, maple sugar (if using), and salt together in a medium bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is the size of small peas. Make a well in the middle and add eggs, cream, honey (if using), blueberries, and seeds. Combine all ingredients with a few fast strokes, blending all together thoroughly. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Sprinkle the top of each scone with a spot of honey or maple syrup and a pinch of evening primrose seeds. Bake for about 15 minutes, until just golden.
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 tablespoon honey or maple sugar
pinch of salt
¼ cup butter
2 well-beaten eggs
⅓ cup cream
⅓ cup fresh or dried blueberries
2 tablespoons evening primrose seeds
2 cups water
2 cups cranberry juice, unsweetened
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup cold water
½ cup chopped cranberries
½ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro stems
¼ cup chopped fresh bee balm leaves
¼ cup orange zest
1 tablespoon corn or sunflower seed oil to coat the pan
herbal seasonings or salt and pepper to taste
toppings (optional), grated cheese, sunflower seeds, chopped garlic, chopped green onions
This recipe is actually a classic American Indian cornmeal mush developed in an herbal medicine wheel garden variation. The herbs can help strengthen the bladder and kidneys and improve digestion. Polenta is comfort food, and this version is especially soothing for children when they are feeling under the weather or just cranky. This can be a hot winter treat or a chilled summer surprise, and is interestingly reconfigured as an appetizer for the following day, if there is enough left over. If you do not have fresh herbs and cranberries, substitute half the amount of dried herbs and cranberries.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the water and cranberry juice in a medium saucepan and bring them to a boil. Blend the cornmeal and cold water together in a small bowl. Carefully pour the cornmeal and water into the boiling liquid. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the polenta thickens, about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, except for the oil and toppings. Blend all together thoroughly and balance the taste to your liking.
Spread the oil evenly around the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square baking dish. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese or your favorite toppings.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve piping hot. (Or cool and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least an hour or two.)
If there are any leftovers, spoon them into a tall glass or can and refrigerate overnight. The next day make Herbal Berry Oven Cakes.
My grandmother’s favorite dish was fried or baked cornmeal mush. Leftover mush or polenta makes delicious little fat fingers or wedges as hotcakes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This would also provide a wholesome snack or appetizer.
Run a clean dinner knife around the inside of the cylinder of leftover polenta to loosen it. Turn this out on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and slice into 1-inch-thick circles, laying them out flat, side by side, yet not touching. Sprinkle the tops of each round cake with grated cheese or favorite herbs. Then, using the same dinner knife, cut each cake into quarters or eighths, gently separating these little sections just a bit. Place the cookie sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove and cool briefly. Loosen each small cake with a knife or spatula and remove it to a warm plate for serving. These are great just hot from the oven, or cooled and topped with a small dab of cranberry relish or maple syrup.
2 ounces dried Oregon holly grape root, chopped
ounce dried sweet flag root, chopped
2 ounces vodka or brandy (or enough to cover)
Ellen Carr, a traditional herbalist in Jackson, Wyoming, who is noted for her special formulations, inspires this marvelous digestive aid. A half teaspoon of this tincture following a big meal (or any meal) will aid digestion and help relieve a “full feeling.” You may not want to dig the valuable roots from your medicine wheel garden to make this; the roots can be purchased at many health food stores.
Place the dried roots in an 8-ounce glass jar and cover them with 3 parts vodka or brandy plus 2 parts spring water. Cover the jar with a tight lid and shake it vigorously. Place it on a cool shelf to infuse for 6 weeks. Remember to shake it once or twice daily.
At the end of 6 weeks, strain off the liquid and bottle it in 2-ounce amber bottles with eyedroppers (standard tincture bottles). Label and date your medicine wheel digestive bitters. You may want to carry a bottle with you wherever you go.
Always lay out yyour tools and equipment before you begin, and sterilize the tools and jars for best results.
Relieve tired eyes and soothe eye problems or infections with this valuable treatment, which requires just two essential ingredients from your medicine wheel garden. For the eyebright, I find it most effective to empty the contents of an herbal supplement capsule from my local natural foods store.
Wash the leaves and place them in a small saucepan with the water. Add the powdered contents of 1 opened eyebright capsule. Place the pan over medium heat and bring it almost to a boil. Remove it immediately from the heat and cover. Let the mixture steep for 5 minutes. Strain out the herbs and pour yourself a soothing cup of garden tea. Cool the remaining liquid and keep in a clean glass jar, chilled. Use within 2 weeks.
For a soothing eyewash, pour a small amount into a sterile eye-cup. These three antiseptic herbs also make a fine face wash and body lotion.
10 healthy bearberry leaves
5 shiny bayberry leaves
2 cups water
1 380 mg capsule powdered eyebright
1-inch section fresh ginger root, sliced very thin
1 pint brandy
Ward off the blahs, a head cold, or sore throat with this bracing drink. Master gardener and dear friend Peter Dubos shared this recipe.
Add slices of ginger to brandy in a clean jar. Cover and shake vigorously. Allow this to infuse for two weeks.
Use 1 teaspoonful in a cup of hot water, as a sipping tea, whenever you feel a cold, headache, or sore throat pressing in on you. Fish out a slice of ginger and chew it slowly to treat a sore throat or sinus problems.
To make an energy tonic to use when you must have maximum concentration and alertness, substitute sliced ginseng root for the ginger.
Ward off colds and flu and ease coughs and sore throats with this delicious tea. It is filled with natural strength and goodness, with or without honey. Make extra amounts to store in the refrigerator in a small spray bottle (unsweetened) to use as a throat spray and to occasionally mist your face and hair.
Wash the leaves well and place them in a 2-quart saucepan or large teapot. Pour 1 quart of boiling water over them and cover. Infuse for 5 to 10 minutes.
Strain some into a large teacup and enjoy warm. Put the remainder in a large glass jar, covered, in the refrigerator. Treat yourself to a cup a day whenever you feel under the weather or just depleted of energy.
The spent herbs can also be folded into a small poultice and placed over any swelling or rash for 10 minutes of relief and heal-
3 large boneset leaves
3 medium coneflower leaves
1 quart water
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional)
½ cup finely chopped fresh onion
¼ cup grated fresh horseradish root
¼ cup grated fresh ginger root
⅛ cup finely chopped fresh garlic
cayenne pepper to taste
honey to taste
apple cider vinegar to cover all ingredients by 2 inches in a large glass jar
Stimulate the immune system and aid digestion with this classic creation, especially inspired by Barrie Sachs and Dr. Rolf Martin, and other herbalists who have personalized this. A warming, decongesting tonic, fire cider can be enjoyed daily to aid digestion, clear the sinuses, and warm the system.
Assemble all ingredients in a large glass jar and blend together well. Cap jar tightly. Let liquid rest for two weeks, shaking the jar every day.
Strain off the liquid and sweeten with honey, if needed. Save the solid ingredients. Take 1 teaspoon of the liquid every hour or as needed to treat head colds, sore throats, and sinus problems.
Serve the chopped, pickled ingredients to season vegetables or rice, especially if you enjoy spicy foods. This tasty condiment is great for sinus congestion and sore throats.
For chili lovers, here is a great general tonic that also makes fine vinegar for salad dressing and for pepping up your favorite vegetables and pasta dishes. If you feel a cold coming on, stir a teaspoonful of this tonic into 4 ounces of warm water and drink it right down!
Pack chopped vegetables and herbs into a 1-quart jar and fill to the top with vinegar. Put the lid on tight and shake this daily for the next two weeks. After two weeks, strain through a fine coffee filter, pressing out all liquid. Bottle the liquid.
Spread the filtered ingredients on a warm skillet and roast slightly; then add this to a big salad or pasta dish as a topping.
¼ cup each chopped garlic, ginger, horseradish, onion, and parsley
¼ cup each chopped angelica stems and bergamot leaves
⅛ cup chopped or powdered chili or cayenne peppers
apple cider vinegar to cover all ingredients
If you make this with cayenne or paprika peppers you can also use 1 teaspoon of the liquid in a glass of water (stirred well) to cure a headache. This is a most refreshing tonic! My friends Jay Unger and Molly Mason developed their own special “fiery” formula as a “fiddle sauce” based on Jay’s passion for habanero chilis and international fame as a fiddler/composer. It is so deliciously hot that compatriots wait in line to get a bottle.
3 cups grated fresh carrots
cup grated fresh horseradish root
cups chopped fresh strawberries
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons raw honey
Open sinus passages and stimulate circulation with this delicious combination of roots and fruits. Barrie Sachs, herbalist and owner/founder of Happy Rainbows Tea & Apothecary Shop in Sherman, Connecticut, inspired this recipe. The ingredients are high in vitamin C and minerals.
Place all ingredients in a medium glass bowl and stir well until completely blended. Serve with carrot and celery sticks and toast. This is also an excellent accompaniment to soups and rice dishes.
This is a valuable winter remedy for sore throats, colds, and congestion. Eating several tablespoons of this relish should promote perspiration and loosen phlegm and congestion.
1 large handful purslane stems and leaves
1 small handful green wild onion tops
Water or vegetable broth
This may help to lower cholesterol and tone the kidneys. Both of these wild vegetables are delicious, therapeutic, and usually prolific by midsummer.
Wash leaves thoroughly and chop coarsely into a medium saucepan. Add about an inch of clear water or vegetable broth to this, cover, and steam over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Pour this into a serving bowl and dress lightly with cider vinegar.
This is as delicious to drink as it is good to daub on your nose and face to tone your skin! Fresh fruits and herbs from the medicine wheel garden make this drink alive with optimum nutrition, but frozen strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cranberries are also excellent, and right from the freezer they act as tiny ice cubes.
Place all ingredients in a blender container. Cover and blend on high for 10 seconds. Pour into a glass and enjoy.
Daub some of the smoothie from the blender container on your face and smooth it into your skin, especially if you have a cold sore or any trouble spots. Wash this off after about 10 minutes. This is especially cool and soothing, both to wear and to drink, on hot days.
1 peeled banana
1 cup soy milk
3 tablespoons plain yogurt to taste
1 tablespoon uncooked oatmeal, or 2 tablespoons cooked oatmeal
6 fresh bee balm leaves, or 3 dried
6 fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries
1 small fresh lemon wedge
pinch dried ground ginger root
You might want to save the banana peels to place in your medicine wheel garden, where they will add extra potassium to the soil.
10 dried bayberry leaves
10 dried ripe chili peppers
5 dried bee balm leaves
1-inch slice dried ginger root
Here is a simple seasoning you can make directly from the summer harvests from the medicine wheel garden, bringing the essence of your work elegantly to your table. You may develop several variations on this recipe if you like it well enough.
Place ingredients one at a time in a clean coffee grinder and grind fine. Then place them all together in a small glass seasoning bottle. Shake to blend well. Adjust this mixture to suit your taste. Use a pinch at a time to season salads, pasta, and poultry dishes.