Mask of the Month: Ay, Poppy!

The first of our poppies have opened their eyes! We celebrate this time each year with family pictures in the poppy patch, a tradition that started the day we brought our first daughter home from the hospital. I have such a strong connection to these poppies, as they signify for me birth, motherhood and new beginnings.

Poppy is not a traditional ingredient in skin care these days and I have never used it prior to now, but it does have some traditional skin care applications. An infusion of poppy petals is said to minimize wrinkles and the seeds can be used as a gentle exfoliant. Poppy seed oil is used today in some commercial preparations as a moisturizing ingredient. In folk beauty care, using a mask of whole poppy petals is said to plump and hydrate skin.  In Edwardian times, women crushed poppy petals and used the juice as a lip stain (how totally Edwardian is that!).

In the spirit of this beautiful plant, here is the mask of the month! After using this mask, my fine lines (yes, we all have them!) were gone! My skin felt very tight, toned and plump. I was surprised at how astringent the poppy infusion felt on my skin, which is usually on the oily side.

I know not everyone has poppies around the house, but I thought this would be fun to share. If you do not have access to poppies, you can still purchase poppy seeds at the store and use them for the honey/poppy seed exfoliant (see Step #4):

Ay, Poppy!

24 fresh poppy petals
1 cup water
2T honey
1t additional honey
Poppy seeds

1. Place 15 poppy petals in a mug, pour water over them and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.
2. Add 2T honey to the poppy petal infusion.
3. Cleanse skin with your favorite cleanser.
4. Add enough poppy seeds to the additional 1t honey to form a scrub-like texture and massage lightly over skin to gently exfoliate.
5. Rinse skin thoroughly with lukewarm water and pat dry.
6. Apply the poppy petal infusion with a cotton pad generously over the skin.
7. Arrange the additional fresh, whole poppy petals over your face while it is still damp.
8. Leave on for 15-20 minutes, remove the petals, rinse with cool water and apply your favorite toner and moisturizer.

Can't Get Enough Dandelions

Photo from Amazon.com

I am definitely on a dandelion kick right now. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we haven't mowed the lawn due to the recent crazy amounts of rain. They are just sitting there chilling out, wanting me to chill out with them.

Anyway, in my current dandelion fetish, I came across this book: The Dandelion Celebration: A Guide to Unexpected Cuisine. It is a pricey one, almost $100 on Amazon for a new copy! Eeek! Used copies are going much cheaper. This might be a fun book to add to the library!

Dandelion Fritters

Got dandelions? Lucky you! The dandelion never ceases to amaze me with how versatile of a plant it is, both as medicine and food.

One of our Spring rituals is making dandelion fritters, a dish that was passed on to me from one of my herby friends. I have played around with the recipe, settling (for now) on this one. They are uniquely delicious and best eaten right away.

Dandelion Fritters

Several freshly picked dandelion flowers (you can leave the green bottoms on)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup whole milk (you can also use coconut, almond or soy milk)
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoons water
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted butter (optional for our vegan friends)
Additional butter or oil (safflower or coconut)
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup

1. Gently wash dandelion flowers in cool water and pat dry.
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
3. Add milk, oil, water and vanilla extract. Mix with a whisk until just combined. It will still be a little lumpy. Let it sit for a few minutes.
4. Add melted butter (if using) to the batter.
5. Heat a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add either butter or oil to the pan, enough to coat each fritter.
6. Dip individual dandelion flowers in the batter and coat well.
7. Immediately place coated flowers in the pan and cook on each side until brown.
8. Remove fritters from pan with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on paper towel for a moment.
9. Serve with powdered sugar and/or warm maple syrup. You can use any leftover batter to make pancakes.

These fritters bring out the natural sweetness of the dandelion flower and taste unlike anything I've ever eaten. They really bring me closer to the earth. They are also loaded with nutrients, which hopefully balances out that I like to fry them up in butter!!!

Try them out and let me know what you think! Also, anyone have any ideas for doing a more savory version of these fritters?

Latest Herb Companion Blog: Pamper Your Feet, Naturally

Check out my latest Herb Companion Blog post - Pamper Your Feet, Naturally - for easy ways to soften and smooth your feet with natural ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now!