Episode 141 - Herb Appeal

In this lush, verdant conversation with herbalist Colleen O'Bryant of Wild Roots Apothecary, some of the topics we discuss include: Which herbs, flowers, and succulents are blooming right now and just begging to be harvested and enjoyed. The various ways to prepare your foraged or cultivated plants, whether that's in a DIY bitters, a sweet and tangy Oxymel, or even a flavorful hydrosol. How to use different parts of plants for different applications, both as food and as nutritive medicine to help your body thrive. Ways to expand your plant horizons even when you're living in a city, including urban gardening, composting, and even wormaculture. How to properly and effectively employ herbs and flowers as cocktail garnishes Where Colleen would stage her perfect outdoor cocktail setup And much, much more. Colleen is like the Yoda of herbs. She knows the science, the physiology, and the technical scientific terms for everything, but instead of throwing around big words, she takes a very grounded, mindful approach to educating. "Ask the plant if it wants to be harvested," she says. "Let it tell you how it wants to be used." She's a wonderful advocate for the flavors that can be found all around us in the natural world, and we'll have links to Colleen's online shop and social media on the show notes page, so definitely head over there and stock up on all her wonderful bitters, syrups and teas to help you enjoy the emergence of spring all the more.