Heart-Opening Maple Marshmallows with Shatavari, Damiana, and Wild Rose

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It’s been a tragic week of multiple mass shootings in this country and I’ll be honest: my heart is not in blogging or writing today. I am sickened at the same old debate, the people who’s first reaction to the senseless loss of innocent people at the grocery store or schoolchildren with grieving families is “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” or some other NRA bullshit. I’m sickened by the politicians with pockets lined by gun lobbyists offering up empty “thoughts and prayers” just days before speaking at the NRA convention. I’m sickened by people who hoard power and money where their heart should be.

That’s why the writing and recipe I am sharing this week for Wondercrew Wednesday is not a Secret Recipe, this time. It’s a recipe about opening your heart, matching other peoples beats with your own body, feeling empathy in your bones. It’s about softening, feeling, melding into something bigger than yourself. I don’t have a lot of hope that this will reach the people who really need to learn to soften and care, but I do want to offer these to anyone who could use the medicine of deep connection, deep love, and emotional movement.

Heart-Opening Maple Marshmallows with Shatavari, Damiana, and Wild Rose

Are you a “matcher” too? Do you find that the rhythms of your body weave themselves into the movements of those around you subconsciously and gently in a harmony of pattern and texture? No matter who I am walking with I catch myself matching their pacing, my legs accommodating the length of step to be in-tune. When I’m snuggled up to another being (even just my sweet dog) my breathing settles into their pace, chests rising and falling in unison. When I dance I relax into the pattern of movement of my dance partner, loving to be led. Even my monthly cycle syncs up with whomever I am around most consistently, my womb being eager to join in their rhythm. It’s as if my body is constantly seeking greater harmony and connection, perhaps because my heart is too.

I’m a listener. I don’t mean this so much in the literal sense, more in the sense that my body is extremely aware of the cycles around me and that my subconscious mind knows how important retaining those rhythms must be. I listen with my conscious mind too, though I am constantly learning how to be a better listener. Perhaps the living things I am best at listening to are the plants that I love so much. It’s almost as though I can connect my own rhythms, my energy to the way they appear in this world too. Plants speak, if you’re ready to listen. 

And when I first started listening to Damiana, her message was all about connection. The importance of intimacy in a relationship. Of softening walls and hearts and bodies. About opening up the stores of trauma your body feels compelled to cling to, helping to release (but only when you’re ready.) About opening your heart after heartbreak. About opening your softness during times of illness or stress. About reconnecting with our bodies in a sensual, beautiful, freeing way - something that we probably all long for at certain times, especially when things feel out-of-step. 

Shatavari, too, is a powerful summer love medicine. You know that feeling when you first step into the shower after a day in the sun, with dried mud clinging to your calves and skin cracking at the edges? The soft, gentle, soothing water that engulfs your body in a cocoon of wetness, washing away and replenishing. Shatavari is like that, but inside your body. It helps restore fluid levels and gets things flowing again - whether that is encouraging breast milk production in new mothers or lining the stomach to protect it from harsh digestive juices. Its name roughly translates to “wife of a thousand men,” because it has the same gently moistening and tonifying effect on the reproductive system. It’s the softness of water moving through your body, replenishing it on many levels. It is the carrier of damiana’s message of tender vulnerability, and wild rose’s blessings of sensual love and peace. 

If you’ve been struggling with vulnerability lately, damiana and wild rose will coax you out of your shell to connect more deeply with those you care for. If your libido has been squashed by the dry heat of stress and to-do lists, damiana will help you let go of those stresses, just for a bit, while her buddy shatavari moves through your body to make everything flow a little more smoothly. Put all three together: shatavari, damiana, and wild rose and you practically have a love potion. All you need to finish it up is slather all of that beautiful herbal medicine in silky, cooling marshmallows sweetened with honey and maple syrup and you will feel those rhythms re-synch once again. For times of disconnect or frustration, try one of these fluffy delights after dinner each night. Notice the way your body feels once you take the time to savor their complexity the same way you might savor a backrub or a long bath. Then, turn to your partner and see that light of connection in their eyes. Only you need to know what comes next. 

A little note on love potions: while I do not believe there is such a thing as a potion or spell that can force someone to fall in love with another and I do not believe removing free will in such a way would be anywhere close to being ethical, I do think our plant allies can help nudge things forward or remove distractions or get rid of the tension that so often is the barrier between the intimacy we crave. Feeding that person you’ve been pining after these confections will not magically transform them into your new passionate lover, but they may leave them feeling relaxed and connected to their body. And perhaps they’ll wonder whether it was just the marshmallows, or who delivered them. There might be a spark, there might not. But whatever they do, be open to it. The world works in mysterious ways and these three plants have a way for making things happen. When it comes to sensuality, you know what you need and these plants have a path to get you there. Listen to them and trust them for they are all wise leaders. 

Heart-Opening Maple Rose Marshmallows

Infused Honey (Make Ahead) 

¼ c. dried shatavari

¼ c. dried damiana

¾ c honey

Powder mixture: 

3 Tbs. powdered rose petals

¼ c. powdered sugar

¼ c. tapioca, arrowroot, or cornstarch 

Marshmallows: 

½ c. infused honey

½ c. maple syrup

1 Tbs. rose water

⅓ c. water (plus another ½ c.) 

3 Tbs. powdered gelatin

¼ tsp. Sea salt 

1 tsp. Maple extract

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

Directions: 

1. Infuse the honey with the herbs in a warm place for a few days. Strain well. You’ll need ½ c. of strained honey for this recipe.

2. Mix together the powdered mixture. Line an 8 x8” baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease with coconut oil, then dust it well with the powder mixture. 

3. Add the rose water, water, and gelatin to the bowl of a stand mixer. Let ssit for 10 minutes to allow the gelatin to bloom. 

4. Meanwhile, add ½ c. water to a medium saucepan with the honey, maple syrup, and salt. Heat them over medium-high heat, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 238F, then immediately remove it from heat. 

5. Start the stand mixer and slowly pour the sugar syrup mixture in as it stirs until all of it is added. Mix on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is the texture of marshmallow fluff. Add the extracts and beat for another minute or two, or until it form stiff peaks but is still smooth and glossy (be very careful not to overbeat or it will dry out and harden.) 

6. Quickly spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Let it set up in the fridge overnight. When it has set up, dust the top with the powder mixture, then turn it out onto a cutting board. Cut with a clean, sharp knife or a length of dental floss, tossing the marshmallows in the powder mixture to keep them from getting sticky. 

7. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or keep them in the freezer for longer (up to 3 months.) 

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