tonic :: 04

Hopefully the idea that these tonics are not recipes, but permission to play with what is on hand is coming through. The mint leaves here are from our garden. They dried the first time I brought them inside before I could decide how to use them. Simple. They make the best tasting mint tea I've ever tasted, and they are so plentiful that I feel like I can play around with them to my heart's content. Today I added a dried orange slice, honey + the juice of leftover lime. After that steeps in a little water from the kettle, I will top it off with tap water + chill it in the fridge.

I find so much satisfaction in throwing a little of this in with a glug of that...all whole foods...often a feast for the eyes, a treat for the nose + a joy to the tastebuds. The creative act of making these tonics elicits at least as much joy for me as does the consuming. I find more freedom here than with my usual meal making, because often other's tastes don't need to be considered. (Though I often make enough to share.)

This feels like a luxurious permission. I'm a person who spends a lot of time happily trying to be empathetic + compassionate. This act of love toward myself need not be labeled selfish or exclusionary. It is simply nourishing in a way that feeds so many parts of me in small, yet meaningful, ways.

Love,
​Jane