Welcome back to Plant to Plate! In this episode, Amber (your resident nutritionist) and Alyson (your go-to gardener) take a deep breath and relax with the ultimate chill herb, chamomile.

Bringing all the peace, love, and flower-child energy to the garden, this cute little bloom is as soothing to grow as it is to sip.

What We’re Digging Into:

• Growing 101: How to grow and tend to your own patch of chamomile.
• Roman vs. German: Demystifying the two main varieties and how their profiles differ.
• Harvest to Table: Best practices for picking those delicate blooms and enjoying them at home.
• Save It & Share It: Simple tips for drying, preserving, and gifting your harvest.

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Adamant Kitchen Chamomile Recipe Round-Up: https://adamantkitchen.com/chamomile-recipes/

Love the vibe?

If you enjoyed our chat, we’d love for you to stick around!

• 📌 Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
• 👯 Share this episode with a fellow plant lover or foodie.
• 💬 Connect with us online:
• Amber: WholeYouNutrition.com
• Alyson: SassyDaffodil.com | Instagram: @sassydaffodil

📚 Books to Reference:

• Freeze Fresh: The Ultimate Guide to Preserving 55 Fruits and Vegetables by Crystal Schmidt
• Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
• Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
• Culinary Herbs – Grow. Preserve. Cook! by Yvonne Tremblay

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Welcome to

Plant to Plate, the podcast that shares

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a love of growing and eating food.

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This season, we're exploring herbs.

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I'm Amber, a licensed nutritionist

and founder of Whole You Nutrition

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and Meal Planning Collective

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: And I am

Allison, the garden consultant, designer,

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and educator behind Sassy Daffodil.

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So in today's episode, we

are exploring chamomile.

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we're gonna cover different varieties,

flavor profiles, and potential health

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be- benefits, plus things to consider

when growing chamomile, and of course,

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how to harvest, store, and eat this

delicate, cute little flowery herb.

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We love kicking off each episode with

our interpretation of the personality

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of the herb, So Amber, do you wanna

help us understand who chamomile is?

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: I do.

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I also want to recognize that this

herb, chamomile, might feel a little

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bit out of the box for, like, a

four episode arc on herbs, but I

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think it's a really fun curveball.

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there's some really important

differences compared to herbs

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that we've talked about before.

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I'm excited to get into it.

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I would describe chamomile as a reliable,

calming best friend, maybe a little

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bit Pollyanna or a little innocent

girl next door, really great listener,

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someone you know you can count on.

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I also get some hippie vibes

from her, very down-to-earth,

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natural, peace and love,

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And for those of you that don't

know, and this might be where I get

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a little bit of the hippie vibe, is

chamomile has flowers that look like

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tiny daisies, and I can't help but

associate daisies with, with hippies,

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so I think that's part of it for me.

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But unlike the last three herbs

that we discussed, this is where the

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curveball comes in, we are not using

the leaves of chamomile as the herb.

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We are using the flowers.

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So Allison, we're growing

flowers this time, not leaves.

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What do we need to know

about growing this?

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: I

think that's another reason why

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it's good that we're using this,

'cause we've done, you know, kind of

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the woody rosemary versus the

leaves on mint and, basil.

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And so yeah, knowing how

flowers are different.

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the good news is this one

is fairly easy from seed.

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you might even be able to sprinkle

the contents of a chamomile teabag

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onto some soil and get free plants.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Okay, so

this is really funny but when we had

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first talked about what herbs we were

going to discuss, we talked about

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the fact that you could sprinkle like

loose leaf or the, the leaves from…

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Not leaves, flowers from your tea

bag and potentially grow chamomile.

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And I meant to try it and I never

got around to it, which I'm a little

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disappointed in myself, and I'm guessing

it's probably a little too late in

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the season to try and, grow some

chamomile from, from tea at this point

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656:

Not necessarily.

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You might, I mean, it would be

interesting even to see if it germinates.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: That's true

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: you can,

because it is a hardy herb, granted

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any time you have something in the

very early stages of a seedling, it's

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still gonna be a little bit sensitive.

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But yeah, I think you still have

a, a few months to, to see it grow.

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I bet you could actually get something

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Okay,

well maybe I'll go sprinkle some

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in the spot that I just cleared of

weeds this morning and see if we

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can get some chamomile coming up.

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: I should

qualify it of course, 'cause depending

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when the flowers were harvested for

whatever tea you got, they may have

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not been pollinated or, fertilized yet.

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so they may not be ones that

would actually germinate if

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there's seeds in the, the seed

heads of whatever's in your tea.

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just know, yes, it's possible.

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It's not a guarantee.

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Obviously buying seed packets

is a better guarantee than

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your teabag, but you never know

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: And

let's just say we've had this tea.

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I didn't buy it.

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It has come into our home in a very large

quantity, and it has been there for a few

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years since I think it was last consumed.

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So throwing it into the garden,

either to grow or to just turn into

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some, like, mulch-y, fertilizer-y

stuff that breaks down in the soil.

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Either way, I think it's fine.

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: I will say,

and one of the reasons I say it's possible

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is last ti- when Amber and I were working

together, we were doing microgreens.

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And at the time, I up finding fenugreek

sprouting from my forgotten tea infuser.

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that's partly why I say there's a lot of

stuff in tea bags that may still have,

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some seeds that could germinate if you

give them the, the right conditions.

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we would love to know.

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Let us know in the comments if

you've ever gotten something to

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germinate from your loose leaf tea.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

I would love to know

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: also

something that I wanted to, to share

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that is new that we haven't talked about

with the other herbs, it doesn't mean

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you can't do it with them, but if you

have a countertop hydroponic garden,

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so something like an AeroGarden, and

hydroponic means it's growing in water.

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I have an AeroGarden.

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It's got six pods in it, and you just put

a seed or two in each little pod, and then

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it's basically, sitting in water, and it

will germinate, and it will start growing.

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chamomile, I found, grows very easy from

seed in that hydroponic environment, and

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you can harvest directly from there or

transplant it into a pot or the garden

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when it becomes warm enough outside.

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So that's always an option.

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I've done that each year.

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It's basically a way, easy way for me

to start seeds indoors without having to

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do too much tending to them because they

just sit in the AeroGarden, and they've

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got a light over them as part of that

contraption, Otherwise, you can always

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sow seeds, on the top of fluffy soil.

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The seeds of chamomile are tiny, and

anytime you have tiny seeds, you need,

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generally need to make sure they're

on the top of the soil and don't

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bury them, an inch down because they

don't get enough light to germinate.

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Make sure you keep the soil moist.

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especially if it's outside, I would

say spritzing it daily to make sure

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the seed, still has enough water

and then as it becomes a seedling,

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you don't want it to dry out.

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That's probably the biggest

thing is it can dry out pretty

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easily when it's little.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: I feel

like we talked about similar to

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how with microgreens you, soak

the seeds overnight before you,

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: big ones,

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Yes.

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Yeah.

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: a

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: you'll,

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: shell

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: yeah, you'll

soak, the peas before you do your

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Right

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

shoots or whatever.

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Is this something that soaking it

for even a short amount of time, like

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10 minutes or something, would help

or is that just gonna make them mad?

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: No.

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They're, they're so tiny, I, I don't wanna

say that you would act- potentially … I

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mean, in this case, in the AeroGarden,

they're just staying in water.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Almost

feels like you'd lose them trying to,

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: yeah.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: strain

the water out to get the seeds.

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: could

end up with chamomile somewhere else.

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generally they're the ones

that are, what would that be?

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Like a, a quarter inch in diameter.

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I mean, that's a pretty big seed.

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But like cilantro or beets or, they

have a harder shell on them, and

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so then soaking can be helpful.

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But in general, I wouldn't

recommend soaking your seeds,

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especially the small ones.

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Also because then you

can't really sprinkle them.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Yeah,

they kind of stick to each other too.

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Yeah, yeah.

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That makes sense

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: And if

all of this intimidates you, you can

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obviously go buy a seedling at the

farmers market or a local nursery.

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And although this herb is listed as an

annual, many people have found it to

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either re-seed and come up the next year.

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I have.

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I've found it, its fern-like

greenery under the snow in,

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I would say early spring.

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So it's a fun little surprise that

chamomile is coming back under the snow

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

Oh, I love that.

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are there different varieties of chamomile

that we should consider or know about?

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Yeah.

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So there are two main kinds,

and in this case we don't have

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a bunch of different names.

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It's just German or Roman.

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German chamomile is the one that most

people grow if you're using it for tea.

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It can get to two to three feet

tall in the right conditions.

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it will flower more prolifically,

especially if it's got six t-

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plus hours of sun, but it will

do okay in part shade as well.

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And then we've got the Roman chamomile,

and this is sometimes known as English.

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but this one really makes a

lovely perennial ground cover.

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It grows less than six inches

tall, spreads across the soil.

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these two aren't just different in

their growing habits, they also have

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a bit of difference in flavoring

and medical benefits, right?

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Yeah, they're

not super drastic, but I think there

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are a few distinctions worth noting.

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And I would say in general,

chamomile is known to have a light,

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floral, slightly sweet flavor.

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there's been notes of honey or apple

when tasting it, and in fact, the name is

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derived from the Greek word meaning earth

apple, which I learned in the research

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of this, not because I know Greek.

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I would say the main flavor difference

is that the Roman variety can taste

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really bitter if you use it for

tea, so it really is, like you had

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mentioned, that German variety that's

mostly grown and harvested for tea.

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the German, variety also has a higher

level of those, like, beneficial oils

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and compounds that we look for when we're

looking for, medicinal uses of plants

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Okay.

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hearing if we want something short

and pretty in the yard, we go for

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the Roman, if we want to actually

enjoy it and reap the benefits,

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we would plant German chamomile.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Yeah

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: of us have

seen Sleepytime tea on the shelf at

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the store, right, with chamomile in it.

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can you share a little bit more about

the benefits of our flowery friend?

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Kamille, which is the

German word for chamomile.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

Cammie, chamomile.

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Hi, nice to meet you.

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I would say chamomile, as most

of our listeners probably know,

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is most often steeped for tea.

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And again, I like to reiterate in

each episode, I'm not an herbalist,

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but some of those herbal traditions

do spill over into nutrition.

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And I think just, like, general knowledge,

I feel like chamomile tea is one that

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many people are familiar with, and,

not dissimilar to other herbs we've

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talked about in this series, but it's

really great for the nervous system.

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So it helps to, feed and tone and

rehabilitate the nervous system.

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It just helps you feel a little

more at peace and relaxed.

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It also has those same anti-inflammatory

benefits that we've talked

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about, with previous herbs.

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And I think the main thing that it's

known for is that it has this, mild

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sedative effect, so it helps with sleep.

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That's why it's showing up in the

sleepy time teas, or that's why

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someone might suggest you drink

chamomile tea at night to help you

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kind of wind down for the evening.

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It does also have some, good

gastric anti-inflammatory benefits.

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So we had talked about peppermint

last time or a couple of times ago,

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and how that can help if you're

having some discomfort and, chamomile

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can also help in that same way.

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So it can be a really lovely

tea to consume if you just feel

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like you need a little support.

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The other thing that I think is cool

about chamomile is that it can be applied

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topically for inflammation as well.

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So if you think about, like, a rash

or a sunburn, and this is something

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where you would brew it as a tea and

then let it cool, and you can put

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cloths or, a little cotton pad or

something into the tea, squeeze out the

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extra, and then use it on your skin.

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You could rest, a, a rag that's damp

with the chamomile tea over a, a

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sunburn, like, on your shoulder just

to give you some of that relief and

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that anti-inflammatory, effect as well.

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And you can even use cooled steeped tea

bags on your eyes to help de-puff your

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eyes or to soothe your skin in some way

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Ooh, I

think you, uh, may have stolen some

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of my thunder for later, but we will,

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Yikes.

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656:

use that as a cliffhanger.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

More information to come.

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: still great

stuff to know about what we can do with

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: I think

one important thing to point out is

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that chamomile is related to ragweed.

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So if someone, has a particularly

strong ragweed allergy, they might

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find that chamomile can trigger those

allergy symptoms in them as well.

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So definitely do use a little bit

of caution and be aware of your

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allergies and plant families.

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Again, it all comes back to plant families

which this is a slight sidebar, but, I

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think it was a week ago I was reading, I

believe it was the latest issue of Cook's

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Illustrated and if any of our listeners

are familiar with that magazine, the back

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cover of the magazine always has this

like beautiful hand-drawn illustration

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of some kind of food and there's a theme.

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And the theme for the, I think

it was July/August issue was, uh,

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how do you say the, this family?

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Do you know?

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Asteraceae

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656:

Oh, yeah, I just say Aster.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

Yeah, so the Astor family.

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Anyways, they had chamomile pictured on

there, but things that I didn't realize

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were related to chamomile, artichokes were

also in the picture, which was, like, a

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surprising thing to me that artichokes…

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I don't know, maybe their

flowers are daisy-like.

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I guess I've never seen

a flowering artichoke.

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And then of course, like, sunflowers.

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And the other one that surprised me was

tarragon, 'cause again, I don't think

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I've ever seen a tarragon flower, so

I didn't know what it was related to,

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but according to Cook's Illustrated,

it is in the same family as chamomile

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: There you go.

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Yes.

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The families are, are kind of wild, but

'Cause when you look at them, you're

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like, "Why would those be together?"

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But like mint, they have square

stems, and most people wouldn't

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necessarily put that together.

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But yes, the asters generally has

a flower with a center and petals

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around it that, generally go out flat.

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So, mm-hmm.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: we are talking

about the flowers and that's the part

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we want to harvest, how do we do that?

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This is different from all

the leaves we've talked about

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Yes.

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And there is a diff-- especially when

you're trying to get the most potent

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benefits of both the flavor as well

as the benefits that you talked about

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from, health or medicals perspective.

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we are getting those flowers and what we

wanna do, especially with chamomile, is

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we wanna minimize how much of the stem

we get because that can make tea bitter.

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I feel like there's so many things

around tea when people are like,

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"And that can make a tea bitter.

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That can make it bitter and

that can make it bitter."

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And sometimes you get bitter tea and

you're like, "Ew, this is gross."

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Well, it might be because it wasn't

harvested at the right time or you

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have too much stem or whatever.

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frequent harvesting can promote continuous

blooming like a lot of things, right?

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Plants continuously, we

don't wanna cut them.

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They want to be cut so

they can keep growing.

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They're gonna give you

more flowers that way.

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Okay.

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So specifically potency.

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Let's talk about what we want to

look for when we're harvesting.

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these little chamomile flowers,

they're, maybe about the size of

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the tip of your pinky, I guess.

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when you've got the center that is

plump and yellow, and the petals

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are white, open wide, like you see

the daisies, that's a perfect time.

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if it's starting to turn brown, the

petals are drooping down, or they've

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even fallen off, that's past their prime.

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on the other side, flowers that haven't

opened up yet, and you've got those white

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petals that are showing but they haven't

opened, so they're still k- kind of

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stuck to the center, those are immature.

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I say all this, but I know it's not

always feasible to get exactly that range.

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So you can still get a lot of benefit,

from having the different flowers.

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Just this is kind of the ideal situation.

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And then I also tell--

this feels very ideal.

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The time of day actually

can affect when you harvest.

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And if you are retired or have nothing

else to do in your day, AM may be a

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perfect time that's the ideal time

because the dew has dried off, but

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the sun hasn't gotten so hot that it

is actually helping to evaporate some

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of those benefits from the flowers.

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I know that's not always gonna happen, so

just know that going out there and getting

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it when you can, that is also acceptable

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: I, I think

this, ideal harvest time, like a specific

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time of day, is also where I get, a

little peace and love hippie vibes.

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we have to wait until, the

full moon of the whatever.

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Like, it feels a little bit

like that in terms of getting

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the, the most ideal chamomile.

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Not that you can't get good

chamomile just harvesting when

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the flowers are mostly open.

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Yeah.

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Yep.

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Um, I know.

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It, it, it is one of those…

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And I don't ever want to give people,

"This is how it has to happen,

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and this is the only way you'll

get any health benefits," and then

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they don't do it at all, right?

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Right

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: we have

to give all of ourselves a little bit

319

of grace because we also live lives.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Absolutely

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: the

other thing is you really don't

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have to use snips to harvest.

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You can pop off these little flowers, pop

off the heads, and that could be pretty

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satisfying to do that when you go out.

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most times I pluck them off with my

hands into a bowl, but I have tried

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the comb method, where you can use an

actual wide-tooth comb, or you can use

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your fingers like a comb, a group of

stems, and then basically pull off as

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many flowers at a time as you can get.

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sometimes you get a little bit more stem

that way, so depending how particular

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you are, I encourage having fun when

you're harvesting the plants and not

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having to get in there and use snips

for every single little, tiny flower.

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This is a way to get it.

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: the

comb method, whether it's with

334

an actual comb or your fingers,

does sound like a lot of fun.

335

Plus you can always go in and trim

off those stems, in the comfort of

336

an air-conditioned space if it is

337

you're harvesting your chamomile.

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Yes

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amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: the other

herbs that we've used, we've kept them

340

on the stem when we've dried them.

341

We talked about, just tying the

stems together and hanging them

342

upside down to dry them or to place

them in water to keep them fresh.

343

so if we're taking the chamomile,

if we're harvesting it by leaving

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the stems in the garden and just

pulling off the flower heads, how do

345

we prep these flowers for storage?

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How do we use them fresh?

347

How do we dry them?

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What do we do?

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alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Yes.

350

Very good question.

351

another reason why this is a

good one to go through since it

352

is different than the others.

353

unless your plants have been sprayed

or have a lot of insects on them, you

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really don't need to rinse the flowers.

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It's not actually even recommended.

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So using fresh flowers immediately for

tea is always an option, but a lot of

357

times we harvest a lot at the same time or

whatever, so you can dry them in a single

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layer on a mesh screen tray or towel.

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Place them in a dark or dry

space for one to two weeks.

360

You're just trying to get, you're

trying to get all the moisture out

361

because you don't want that to cause

mold or bacteria when you store them.

362

And it could take a different

amount of time to dry,

363

obviously, depending on humidity.

364

So if you have a really humid climate,

you might wanna use a dehydrator,

365

and in that case, use a liner

because the flowers do shrink, as

366

everything does in a dehydrator.

367

so th- that keeps f- the

flowers from falling through

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the mesh when they dry out.

369

also, always use the absolute lowest

setting when you are drying flowers.

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Those oils that are in the, flowers

themselves, that's what-- where the

371

benefits are, and high heat can actually,

negate the benefits or reduce them

372

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Oh, sure.

373

That makes sense

374

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: And that

we, that is the same for every single

375

thing we talk about, once they're dry,

you place them in a sealed container and

376

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Label

377

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: label it.

378

We have a lot of fun with that, but

we, wanna make sure that you remember

379

label it, and then keep it out of the

heat or sunlight to preserve the flar-

380

flavor and the medicinal properties.

381

So Amber, once we've gone through

all this work growing and preserving

382

our German chamomile, what are

the culinary ways we can use it?

383

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: I'll

be honest, I have only ever used

384

chamomile as a tea, and only a dry tea.

385

I've never grown it, so

I've never used it fresh.

386

but the first thing that came to

mind when I was thinking about how

387

might I use it was similar to what we

talked about with mint and some of the

388

other herbs, but using it to infuse

flavor into things like, sugar syrup

389

or even into, like cream, and then

using those to help flavor whatever

390

it is that we're making with them.

391

So syrups to add to, cocktails

or lemonade or, in fruit salads.

392

If you're infusing like milk

or cream, it can be used in

393

baked goods or French toast.

394

I think the key with using chamomile

is since it is a very delicate

395

flavor, you don't want to use it with

things that have very strong flavors

396

'cause you'll just lose it in there.

397

So something that really highlights,

like if you're infusing some cream and

398

making French toast, maybe not just

dumping a bunch of maple syrup on top

399

of that because then you're just gonna

ta- taste maple syrup and less so

400

the, the chamomile that you've used.

401

then the other thing that I

have seen and I think just

402

looks so cute are the flowers.

403

It's an edible flower, which it

could be fun in the future to

404

talk about more edible flowers.

405

But you can just use the flowers

to add to a salad or a dessert or

406

a garnish to something and they're

just like, you know, cute little tiny

407

daisies on there, which is so adorable.

408

Uh, okay, and then this is,

this is kind of f- funny.

409

I'm going to, I'm going to let

our listeners in to a little

410

behind the scenes conversation.

411

So

412

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656:

where you're going.

413

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: I did some

research since I haven't cooked with

414

chamomile myself or used it beyond tea.

415

I'm like, "Well, I know

someone on the internet has.

416

There's gotta be a list

of recipes somewhere."

417

And I did find a roundup of

chamomile recipes, which we'll

418

link to in the show notes, from a

food blog called Adamant Kitchen.

419

And I had dropped the link into one

of our planning documents and when we

420

were talking about it one day, Allison

said, "Why does Adam Ant have a kitchen?

421

why does this blog have this name?"

422

At first I was very confused and I'm

like, "What is she talking about?"

423

And then I looked at the word adamant

and I was like, "Oh, yes, that

424

could also be read as Adam Ant."

425

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Ant?

426

thought Adam Ant himself

had a chamomile kitchen

427

If you don't know who Adam

Ant is, this is the time.

428

You can go look up a

picture and you will…

429

Yeah, it doesn't make sense that he

would have anything to do with chamomile

430

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: finger

to and think about chamomile and

431

understand the confusion of Adamant

Kitchen versus Adam Ant Kitchen.

432

Uh,

433

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: like that's,

it's a little bit harder to explain on

434

an audio podcast, 'cause if you see it…

435

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

look at the link.

436

You will never not see AdamandKitchen,

especially in a website, because, we

437

smash words together to make websites

without spacing, and your brain has to

438

do the gymnastics to figure out what the

words are versus if there were spaces.

439

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656:

to defend myself here.

440

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

No, it was so funny.

441

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: us

442

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: We, we

laughed for, I would guess no less than

443

20 minutes, after that conversation.

444

So I, I hope it was, I hope it was

amusing for our listeners as well.

445

I still think it's funny to this day.

446

Brings me great joy.

447

So

448

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656:

Question before we move

449

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: yeah,

450

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: we've talked

about using all herbs fresh versus dried.

451

Do you use the same amount

in different recipes?

452

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Generally

453

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Is

454

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: not.

455

Yeah, there's kind of a rule of thumb

'cause similar to how you talked about

456

the flowers getting smaller while they're

drying When you remove the water from an

457

herb, it really concentrates the flavor

more, so you should use less in the dried

458

herb than you would in the fresh herb.

459

I think the rule of thumb is

usually like one to three.

460

So if you were to use a tablespoon

of fresh herb, you'd only wanna

461

use a teaspoon of dried herb.

462

That's my…

463

If, if that is not correct, I will add

a correction in, in the show notes,

464

but off the top of my head, I think

that's the general recommendation for

465

the ratio to switch between the two.

466

So less dried herb than fresh herb

467

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: I

think that's really helpful.

468

I think sometimes we take it for

granted that, oh, I'm just- I'm

469

using mint or I'm using chamomile

and it says to use this much.

470

Generally, the recipe would you to use

fresh or dried and generally gives you

471

an alternative if you have the other.

472

in general, that's good to know that

there's kind of a general rule of thumb

473

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Yeah.

474

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: of the herbs

475

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

it's a great, a great question.

476

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Yeah.

477

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: All right.

478

So we took our time.

479

We grew this beautiful German chamomile.

480

how can I share it

481

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: okay,

so we've covered tea quite a bit,

482

and so I wanted to give a couple

ideas of things to pair with that.

483

So if you have a cute little jar that

you can put your dried chamomile tea,

484

and then maybe pair it with some honey,

and make a care package out of it.

485

I think that would be lovely.

486

Kind of all the things that can help

support your friend or your loved one.

487

as Amber alluded to earlier, you can

make relieving and de-puffing eye packs.

488

So I'm just gonna give a little

bit on, on exactly how to do that.

489

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Great

490

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: to take

those, tea bags, you can fill two

491

or more tea bags, obviously, with

chamomile, then attach instructions.

492

So the instructions are pretty simple.

493

You're going to steep it in hot

water for a couple minutes, remove

494

the water, and then let it cool.

495

Then place a bag over each eye while

lying down for about 15 or 20 minutes.

496

And that's kinda cool.

497

Obviously, the 15 or 20 minutes, I

know sometimes we're like, "Where

498

am I gonna get 15 or 20 minutes?"

499

But the relaxing is taking that time.

500

we associate cucumbers so often with

de-puffing our eyes, but the fact that

501

you might, be growing flowers that you can

put in little tea bags would be cool, too

502

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

Yeah, I love that.

503

I love that as an alternative.

504

Plus knowing that it has some of

that anti-inflammatory benefit

505

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Mm-hmm.

506

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: in the flowers

themselves, so you know that it has

507

that kind of medicinal piece of it too.

508

I don't know, I've never looked into the

anti-inflammatory benefits of cucumbers

509

from a topical use standpoint, or if

it's just because they're like cold and

510

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Right.

511

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: in that way.

512

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: I, hmm,

513

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

Future episodes?

514

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656:

Yeah, cucumber isn't an herb.

515

It's not a topic for today.

516

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: That's right.

517

We'll get to the melon family later.

518

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: another

option kind of along the same lines is

519

a de-stressing bath bag you're gonna

fill a muslin bag with a handful of…

520

There's three different ingredients in

this one, so having a handful of dried

521

chamomile, a handful of lemon balm leaves,

522

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

I knew she'd be back.

523

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: about in the,

in the mint family, and then a handful

524

of rose petals, which a lot of places

now will sell rose petals in the tea

525

section where you can g- get your own tea.

526

It's cute, and pretty, and goes along with

this whole idea of tea and de-stressing.

527

So really, what you're doing

with that bag, you can attach the

528

instructions that basically say,

use the hottest water possible.

529

ultimately, what you're using is

you're steeping that hot water through

530

those beneficial herbs that we talked

about, and have that h- you know, pour

531

over the bag for a couple minutes.

532

then you can adjust the water temperature

so it doesn't scald you, and fill

533

the rest of your bath up and enjoy

534

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: I love that.

535

So essentially we're

making a tea for our body

536

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Yes.

537

Right?

538

it does.

539

It has all of those anti-inflammatory

impact as well as, you're smelling

540

it, as well as actually your, your

pores are opened up because of the

541

hot water or the steam, and so they're

accepting the benefits of that.

542

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: let

me emphasize, fill a muslin bag.

543

We're leaving the leaves in the bag as

we're steeping this because there are some

544

bath bombs out there where there are just,

loose leaves put into a thing that you're

545

dissolving into your bathtub, and then you

end up with a pile of leaves either going

546

down your drain and clogging it or getting

all stuck in, like, your little hair

547

filter thing that you have over the drain.

548

So the muslin bag, I think, is a really

great way to get all of those benefits

549

without also causing a plumbing problem,

which would immediately evaporate any

550

de-stressing you just did in the bath.

551

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656:

Fair, yes, especially if

552

you're taking this bath often.

553

Uh, and then I, I haven't done it,

but I also imagine you'd end up with

554

things stuck on you if it's all over

555

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Yes.

556

Yeah.

557

And then you have to vacuum

as you dry it off of your,

558

like, it becomes a whole thing.

559

Use a muslin bag.

560

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656:

of it from the beginning.

561

We're trying to reduce your stress here.

562

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Great.

563

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: So, you

know, I think just talking about

564

chamomile with you, Amber, has a relaxing

effect, and I've really enjoyed it.

565

So if you're still awake, which I know you

are, do you wanna share your favorite way

566

to relax or your most relaxing experience?

567

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Fun question.

568

I think I mentioned in a previous episode,

I believe it was the rosemary episode, uh,

569

that I grew up in Duluth, and we didn't

have fresh rosemary in Duluth in the '80s.

570

Somebody probably did, but we didn't.

571

but I'm just so used to Lake Superior

being a constant in my life, so I think

572

one of the most relaxing things for me

is being able to look out over a large

573

body of water from a rocky shoreline.

574

And perhaps I have a good book with

me as well, so I kind of read, look

575

at the water, go back to reading.

576

And of course it's, not a

hot day, it's a cool day.

577

Love it.

578

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Sounds lovely.

579

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Yeah.

580

How about you, Allison?

581

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: You know,

nobody's gonna be surprised that I

582

enjoy being outside in my garden, and

that's part of my relaxation practice.

583

I have a hammock that's out in the shade.

584

Has to be in the shade.

585

It overlooks my backyard, and just laying

there listening to the birds, watching the

586

ecosystem that I've created is perfection.

587

I think both of our images, I mean,

just that's also very relaxing.

588

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: I think

our main takeaway between two of them

589

too are, uh, nature is very relaxing

590

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Sure.

591

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: and

herbs and other plants allow us to

592

bring some of that nature inside

and have it at other times too

593

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Lovely.

594

Yeah, notice neither of us talked about

having our phones and scrolling them.

595

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Mm-mm.

596

No, not relaxing.

597

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Ah.

598

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Even

though we think it is in the moment.

599

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: It's an

easy thing to reach to, but yeah,

600

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Yeah

601

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: purposely

finding these relaxing moments

602

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: Yeah

603

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656:

important for our nervous system.

604

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657:

It absolutely is.

605

And that's where you find your 15

minutes to put the tea bags on your eyes.

606

You put down the phone and stop scrolling.

607

You've definitely got a 15-minute

pocket somewhere in your day

608

that is filled with that.

609

Most of us do

610

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: I love it.

611

Amber, on that note, we want to thank

all our listeners, and we hope that you

612

have enjoyed our Plant to Plate podcast,

our little miniseries about the herbs

613

basil, mint, rosemary, and chamomile.

614

I know Amber and I have laughed

and learned a lot while doing it.

615

leave a comment or contact us

and let us know what you think.

616

If you want more, what do

you want to hear about?

617

If you liked today's episode, you

can support the show by telling

618

a friend, and if you have any

questions, please reach out.

619

Amber, do you have anything else to add?

620

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: I just wanna

reiterate what you, what you said.

621

Please do reach out if

you wanna hear more.

622

we have such a good time chatting,

these are things that we talk

623

about when we get together anyway.

624

So if you're finding value in it

or if you have more questions about

625

other herbs or other garden produce

things, maybe tomatoes or zucchini

626

or more edible flowers, whatever

it might be, if you are interested

627

in learning more, do let us know

because we'd be happy to record future

628

episodes if people are wanting them.

629

and of course, thank you for

listening and coming along on this

630

little herbal journey with us.

631

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656: Aw, yes.

632

I can't believe we've gotten

through our four episodes.

633

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: I know.

634

It's been so fun

635

alyson_1_07-22-2026_131656:

It has been fun.

636

but for now, we're gonna sign

off, and as always, you can find

637

me on Instagram @sassydaffodil

638

amber_1_07-22-2026_131657: And you

can find me at Whole You Nutrition.

639

Bye.