For the Love of Linden ~ By Jocelyn Perez
Excerpt from article published on School of Evolutionary Herbalism Plant Path Blog: Summer Solstice | A Collective Post from the Evolutionary Herbalism Team
As the Summer Solstice approaches, and I take in all the fascinating flora and fauna erupting around me, my eyes always zero in on the local Linden trees, eagerly awaiting their blooms to emerge. The smell of Linden flowers has to be one of my favorite scents, evoking memories of childhood, and watching my mother prepare tea made of the tree’s flowers, bracts, and leaves. ‘Tilo’, as it was referred to in our home, was and remains a staple in our kitchen—the go-to herb whenever we had a cold, a stressful school assignment, or just a long day.
Now, as an adult, the scent of these blooms carried by the breeze has become the best indicator that summer is just around the corner. Being that these tend to flower in late May to mid-June, it has become a cherished ritual to collect them to place a few on my altar and to prepare some as a flower essence to enjoy on the Solstice, to bring on a calm state of mind during that pivotal time. It also serves to remind me to let the light in and collect energy from a summer full of experiences, before hunkering down in the fall, faced with the introspection of winter.
If you would like to make some for yourself this Solstice and have them growing near, you can follow these steps:
- Collect fresh flowers in the morning, before the noon sun, and after the dew has dried from the petals.
- Place blooms in a glass bowl with spring water, and position them beneath the sun for 6-8 hours.
- Once finished, strain the blooms out and transfer this infusion into a dark-colored bottle with a dropper filling 75% of the vessel, then add some brandy (remaining 25%) as a preservative.
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Hope you have a lovely Solstice!