July’s Blog Party: Herbal thirst quenchers for the dog days

by Danielle Charles

With more hot weather on the way this weekend, I’m so glad to have a few new ideas for keeping myself cool and refreshed with some delicious herbal concoctions!

Leslie over at Comfrey Cottages shared an absolutely delicious sounding recipe for lemon balm popsicles that will have you drooling on your keyboard! Made from fresh lemon balm infused in the sun, sweetened with honey and pinch of sea salt – these are the perfect treat on a hot day refresh your system and  provide needed electrolytes. As you’ll see, you don’t need a proper Popsicle maker but can devise your own – which I am quite excited about! You can read her post here. She also has some pretty adorable pictures of her kitties and little ducklings that you may also want to check out!

Lucinda from Whispering Earth reminds us that hot teas still have their place in the summertime and I couldn’t agree more!  She cites several examples of hot beverages enjoyed in warm climates and explains how they actually help to diffuse heat out through the pores and cool the body. She introduces a variety of cooling herbs that make delicious summer teas and shares some of her favorite summertime tea blends such as linden, chamomile and hawthorn blossom (yum!).  She also has some really lovely photos and a fun “little ditty” to celebrate tea. Read her post here.

And I decided to write about “herbal waters” – delicately flavored “teas” made by sticking fresh herbs, sliced fruits or vegetables into a jug of water placed in the fridge. This is one of my favorite ways to entice myself to drink more water in the hot weather, somehow seeming even more refreshing and satisfying than water alone!  You can read about that here.

Thank you all for your absolutely lovely contributions!

Here’s to a happy August filled with refreshing treats and drinks to keep us well.