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Smokey Cottage Tea

Deep in the heart of the forests of Finlandia are treasured sanctuaries built from trees felled by the ax of ancestors sweat & love. The clock doesn’t tick here. Time is measured by the rolling of the sun across the sky, the rise & fall of shadows, the waxing waning moon. The Finnish cottage is a place where the veil is thin, and dreams come alive into the waking world.
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In honor of my husbands family cottage, I crafted Smokey Cottage Tea. Finlands treasured flavors of Birch, Meadowsweet, Goldenrod, Linden, Fireweed & Angelica meld together in a tea whose flavor is reminiscent of sitting by the fire in a cozy cottage.
I chose herbs that are anti-inflammatory, contain natural pain-relieving salicylates & have a traditional use for reducing muscular body aches & arthritic pain. A tea to settle your bones and soothe your muscles, a tea whose flavor may carry you to the cottage of your own imagination.
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All herb ingredients are Finnish and I wildcrafted most of the herbs myself. A percentage of sales proceeds are donated to Finnish Nature Conservation groups to help protect and give back to the forest.

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Drippy Nose Care

Drip, drip, drip… icicles slowly melt & drip, just like Sanni’s nose…drip… Spring is sloooow to arrive in Finlandia and winters chill has been a constant presence in the forest. Perhaps it was the penetrating cold, perhaps it was because Sanni had not spent enough time by the fire, or perhaps it was all the snowcones she had eaten lately, but her nose was dripping like an icicle! Clear thin mucous, a sign that the cold had managed to penetrate.
So Sanni made her way back to Noita (witch) who sat her by the fire and gave her a big mug of Drippy Nose Care Tea.
Warming & drying herbs like Wild Thyme, Ground Ivy, Goldenrod, Hyssop, Anise, Nettles with a touch of honey to moisten & balance the tea. Yuuummmm… deliciously warming. Sanni could feel her nose dripping less & less as she drank the tea. Noita continued to nurse Sanni with broth, lämmintä mustaherukkamehua (warm black currant juice) and other teas too. But she always looked forward to that savory sweet taste of Drippy Nose Care Tea with honey. ..

Sanni lovingly handcrafted by Taru Kolehmainen Lehtomäki
Drippy Nose Care Tea
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Sanni Meets a Noita (witch)

As Sanni wandered thru the cold forests she could feel the penetrating weight of winter slowly seeping into her tonttu bones. When suddenly she caught the warmly fragrant scent of roses.. Roses in Winter?! She followed the rosey scent down thru the winding roots until… low & behold! A noita! (noita = finnish witch) Noita was stirring her brew and said “Tervetuloa..” (Welcome)… She offered Sanni a mug of her Rosey North Tea. “These plant allies keep us bright & strong during the cold dark times.” Roseroot is the rose flavored great tonic herb of the north. But she is dry so licorice root is added to moisten her up. And she is cool so fennel seed is added to bring warmth. St Joans Wort is added to bring summers uplifting golden sunshine energy and Milky Oats are added to nourish our frazzled cold nerves. Nettles are also added for nutrition. As Sanni held the warm mug to her face, the scent of roses & licorice made her smile. Sip by sip, she felt her spirit lifting, her elf body becoming warm & nourished. She looked up to Noita and said “Kiitos” (Thank you) to which Noita replied with a wink of her eye…