Summer Love Potion

A love letter to summer, a wild herb elixir recipe, and gratitude for my lovergirl summer

Summer Love Elixir

1 part Strawberry Magnolia Syrup

1 part Strawberry Basil Shrub

2 parts Wild Heart Herbal Infusion

This recipe calls for patience, persistence, and passion.

Strawberry Magnolia Syrup

• 1 part strawberries

• 1 part magnolia sugar*

• 1 part water

1. Combine together in a pot over medium-high heat

2. Bring to a boil

3. Simmer until desired thickness (I simmer for just a few minutes)

4. Turn off heat & allow to cool before transferring to glass jar for storage.

*See recipe below

Magnolia Sugar

1. Harvest fresh magnolia blooms in early Spring

2. Separate petals from stem & wash

3. Pat dry

4. Put on drying and let them dry for a couple of hours. You don’t want to dry them, but they should not have any moisture on the petals before the next step.

5. Mix equal parts petals & sugar (I prefer raw) in large bowl.

6. Process in blender or food processor until petals are very small pieces.

7. Spread mixture out in a lined pan to dry. Be sure to break up large clumps. It will take several days to dry. You could put in your oven on the lowest temperature for a few hours to dry, just keep checking it so it doesn’t burn.

Strawberry Basil Shrub

• 1 part strawberries

• 1 part honey

• 1 part basil

• 1 part strawberry vinegar*

1. Cut tops off strawberries & chop into small pieces (save for your strawberry vinegar)

2. In large jar add strawberries & cover with honey

3. Put lid on jar and leave jar out on counter for 24-48 hours (out of direct sunlight). Shaking jar every 8-12 hours. The strawberries will break down into the honey and become a pretty pink syrup.

4. Strain berries from liquid (can keep the berries to make strawberry syrup).

5. Put liquid back into your large jar and add your basil & strawberry vinegar. Mix well and put in fridge. Shake it daily.

6. Allow shrub to infuse for atleast 3 days. I prefer to let it infuse for atleast a month.

*See recipe below

Strawberry Vinegar

• Strawberry tops

• Vinegar of choice (I prefer white wine or champagne vinegar for this recipe)

1. Fill jar with tops of strawberries

2. Fill with vinegar

3. Give it a good shake

4. Leave on counter for 2-7 days, shake daily

5. Strain strawberry tops & discard

6. Put vinegar in jar & refrigerate for storage

Wild Heart Herbal Infusion

• 1 part rose petals

• 2 parts hibiscus

• 2 parts tulsi

• 2 parts mint

• 24 parts water

1. Boil water

2. Shut off heat

3. Add herbs & stir

4. Cover

5. Infuse overnight (I leave it out on the counter but you can put it in the fridge if you’d prefer)

6. Strain herbs & put liquid in container to store in the refrigerator

A Summer of Embodied Desires

This elixir was so many things wrapped up in one delicious drink. It was many wild crafting adventures in nature, kitchen witchery, potion making, and living in the desires that I want to attract into my life. I made this elixir for a Summer Goddess gathering where I lead an emodied desire practices that I called “Dancing in the Flames of our Desires”