Posted on August 29, 2009 - by mckenzie

Fall Plant Hike

Wolf Lichen - Soapwort - Bindweed

This weekend, guests and homeowners of Blackhawk toured the community learning how to identify several healing botanicals and how to put them to use in their day-to-day lives. If you missed the hike, but would like to learn more about these amazing fall plants, stop by the Blackhawk office at 112 N Third Street to pick up a copy of the Fall Plant Hike Field Guide.

This season, the overwhelming favorite plant was the huckleberry. Below is a recipe we shared with our hikers…Enjoy!

Huckleberry Cordial:

Gather ripe huckleberries. Pour the berries in a large glass container and pour Ever Clear or vodka over berries to barely cover the fruit. Seal the jar and allow the jar to stand in a dark place for three weeks. Strain the liquid from the berries through layers of cheesecloth. Squeeze gently to extract most of the liquid. Discard solids.

In a heavy kettle, mix together an equal amount of sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a slow boil and simmer ten minutes. Allow the mixture to cool. Add equal amounts of the cooled syrup to the Huckleberry liquid. Mix well and decant cordial.