Witchy Recipes

Bee Balm can be added to fruit salads, pork recipes, punches and other
beverage recipes plus it can be substituted for mint.

Summer Punch
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup Bee balm leaves
1/2 cup raspberries
2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup mint leaves (any variety)
1 47 ounce can chilled pineapple juice
3 liters of ginger ale
In a sauce pan dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice, over low heat. Add
the bee balm and raspberries. Bring to a simmer, stir to break up the
raspberries. When the sugar is dissolved, strain leaves and berries out
of the liquid. Add cranberry juice and mint, stirring well. Chill up to
24 hours. When ready to serve, pour into a punch bowl and add pineapple
juice, ice and ginger ale.

Bee Balm Iced Tea
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Bee Balm flowers and leaves
8 cups boiling water
Pour the boiling water over the Bee Balm. Cover and steep until cool,
about an hour. Strain and discard flowers. You can sweeten with sugar if
desired. Chill until ready to use and serve over ice.
Bee Balm Tea: Pour one cup of boiling water over 1/4 cup fresh leaves
and allow to brew for 5 minutes. Strain and sweeten if you wish before
serving. To use dried bee balm pour one cup of boiling water over two
teaspoons of the dried leaves. Brew the same and strain.

Summer Tea Blend
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. dried chamomile flowers
1 tbsp. dried bee balm leaves
2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tbsp. apple or pineapple mint leaves
Mix all the dried herbs together in a jar. Use 2 tsp. of the mix per cup
of tea. Steep for 5 minutes and strain. Sweeten with honey or sugar if
you wish.

Cucumber Milk
4 ounces oil of sweet almonds
10 ounces juice of fresh cucumbers
3 ounces essence of cucumbers
1/4 ounce white Castile soap, powdered
2/3 drachm tincture of benzoin
The juice of the cucumbers is made by boiling the slices in a very little
water, strain through a fine cloth. Make the essnece by mixing 1 1/2 ounces
of the juice with 1 1/2 ounces alcohol (in this case, use strong vodka).
Dissolve the soap in the essence, add the juice, shake well until thoroughly
mixed; pour into a bowl and add the oil and the tincture, beating well until
you have a milky liquid. Bottle. (I would keep this refrigerated)
She states that this lotion is a specific for sensitive skins, redness,
sunburn and roughness.

For Summer Rash (prickly heat rash)
7 ounces elder-flower water
1 ounce glycerine
1/2 drachm borax
Apply night and morning.

Vinaigre des Quatre Voleurs
1 ounce lavender flowers
3/4 ounce each of: rosemary, thyme, rue, sage, wormwood, mint
1 drachm each of: calamus, nutmegs, cloves, cinnamon
1 drachm camphor (not mothballs)
2 ounces alcohol
1 quart strong wine vinegar
Dissolve the camphor in the alcohol, then add the herbs, spices and vinegar;
let stand 10 days, strain.

Aromatic Toilet Vinegar
1 pint spirits of wine (substitute strong vodka)
1/2 pint strong vinegar
1 1/2 ounces gum benzoin
1/2 ounce balsam of Peru
1/2 drachm oil of neroli (orange flower)
1/2 drachm oil of mace
Steep 1 week, then filter.

These vinegars were used as refreshing toners, by adding a few drops to a
glass of water to rinse the face, or by saturating a cotton wad and
inserting in a "vinaigrette", a small glass flacon carried and smelled when
one was feeling faint or to relieve a headache.

from "The Woman Beautiful" by Ella Adelia Fletcher, circa 1901