In thinking about herbs and preparations to have on hand during the winter months I find it helpful to think about classes of herbs by way of their herbal actions. Here are a few herbal actions to consider when picking herbs for your home winter apothecary and some of my favorite herbs to have on hand (but these lists are not at all exhaustive):

At its most basic, nougat is a confection made with nuts, honey, and/or sugar, however it can also include egg whites, herbs, spices, dried fruit, and seeds depending on where it’s made. There are variations traditionally made throughout the SWANA region (Southwest Asia & North Africa), the Mediterranean, and southern Europe, and the name it’s most commonly known as in the US, nougat, comes from France.

Earlier this week marked the passing of the holiday of Imbolc/Imbolg/Candelmas, a time when we celebrate the mid-point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, meaning we’re officially half-way to spring! While it will still be a while before the Daffodils and Snow Drops start blooming for us up here in the northeast, the slow returning of the light is palpable.

I love making tallow balm because it’s such potent kitchen medicine and the process of making it is quite nourishing unto itself. I always choose to render my suet into tallow on a day that’s I’m already bouncing around the kitchen engaged in other food as medicine projects. Read on to learn about the amazing medicine of tallow and how to make your own nutritious, non-toxic skin balm.

This time of year I often find myself rifling through the cabinets looking for just the right herbs and ingredients to brew up a tea, tincture or syrup for myself or one of my ailing family members.