I am Emily Sara

A tea for self love. So many people in my life are experiencing heartache right now. I know that when I have felt pain and loss from separation in the past, it was hard to focus on self love, and yet, that is exactly what was being asked of me. I created this warming juicy tea to warm the heart and to remind us of our own inner beauty and strength.

This tea’s ruby red glow speaks to the heart and to the blood. Hawthorn soothes the heart and helps repair and prevent damage to our cardiovascular system. Emotionally it can help ease grief, heartache, and trauma. Schisandra can help combat adrenal fatigue and dull the negative impact of stress on our bodies. Rosehips are high in vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, and can help reduce inflammation and improve blood pressure and plasma cholesterol. Hibiscus was used as far back as Ancient Egypt to help maintain normal body temperature, keeping us cozy through times of grief. Red root is a powerful detoxifying herb, helping us move out stagnant energies from the body.

While you drink this tea I invite you to meditate on self love, perhaps give yourself a hug or pour yourself a mug before getting in the bath. Sending love to all the wounded hearts out there. May you know your beauty and wholeness.

To make this tea combine 4oz Hibiscus flowers, 2oz Hawthorn berries, 2oz Red root, 2oz Rosehips and 2oz Schisandra berries in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Store in a large tea tin. I like to simmer this tea for a while on the stove and imagine it would make a delicious iced tea if cooled and or concentrated and poured over ice.

Mealtime. It’s one thing to cook beautiful, nourishing food. It’s another to truly enjoy it. Before moving out to the woods, and leaving my corporate job, I was constantly multitasking. Mealtime was no exception. Through all my struggles with food intolerances and allergies, trialing diet after diet, I never thought to be more still and present with my food. These days, I spend most of my time at the house in silence. With no TV, radio, conference call, or music blaring in the background I am able to better connect with my food both while cooking and while eating. I recently decided to take away the distraction of books from mealtime as well. I sit alone with just my food before me and offer thanks. I thank the farmers and the earth that brought my produce into being. I offer gratitude to spirit for my body and it’s ability to both create and digest the food before me. I chew slowly, often with eyes closed, and tune into the textures and flavors: the delicate curl of kale leaves, the nutty pearls of quinoa, the occasional pop of spices - fennel, coriander, caraway; I let these truly delight my senses. I read in a book recently that it is our job as waters to chew our food until it is as close as possible to the consistency of liquid. This advice, coupled with tuning into my breath while I chew, has helped greatly to improve both my satisfaction and digestion while eating. After eating I sit with eyes closed for at least 5 minutes in silent meditation, offering gratitude, once again, for the delicious food I just ate and tuning into the subtle shifts in how my body feels after eating. If you are struggling with digestive woes, food allergies, bloating after eating, reflux, binge eating, snacking or a general lack satisfaction I highly recommend making time and space for food that feels sacred and connected. If you have special mealtime practices that help you tune in I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Nature speaks to me through mysteries and riddles. She sends vibrations up through the soles of my feet as I walk the soft forest floor. She whispers through dappled sunlight on a March morning. She talks to me through runes etched into decaying logs. She sends me sweet love notes through tiny, delicate, blooming flowers. You’ve made it through the coldest days, she tells me. Soon, the kernel of warmth you feel inside, will surround your entire body. Soon, you will be surrounded by blooming flowers, buzzing bees, and garden beds barely able to contain their abundance. Soon, the love that overflows from your heart will be reflected back to you everywhere you look. You will see how generously you are provided for in each square foot of my vast landscape. You are my child and my protector, I shall tend to you as you tend to me.

In case you can’t tell, I’m excited to be eating and experimenting with grains and legumes again! There’s been a lot of trial and error involved in my initial forays into sprouting these nutritional gems. I look forward to sharing much more with you all as I hone my skills as a sprouter. Once seeds have reached their optimal sprouted state they need to be used pretty quickly to avoid spoilage. To extend their lifespan I’ve started to dehydrate them. I am SO excited about this. These are my first batches of dried sprouted quinoa and beans. I’ve done two more since. I’m currently using my old Excalibur dehydrator to dry these which requires me to crank on the generator BUT I’m hoping to build a solar dehydrator in the coming months to dry not only grains and beans but also flowers, vegetables, and herbs. I know I’m only just scratching the surface with these babies and I can’t wait to experiment with grinding my own sprouted flours. Stay tuned for much more sprouted goodness. I hope you all have a delicious plant packed day! 🧚🏼‍♂️ 🌱 😋 🌱 **k

More mushrooms! Can anyone identify these? I have a lot of them coming up right now. 🍄