This month at Herbal Roots zine we’re all about Bergamot, using it in our teas, in our salads and drying plenty for wintertime use. Bergamot oils, vinegars and honeys line our counters ready to be used as needed for treating sunburns, sore throats, coughs and more. This time of the year, we don’t think much about wintertime ailments as we are too busy trying to keep our cool. Having an A/C free home means we get creative in ways to cool and one of those ways is eating naturally cooling foods. 

If you’ve ever chewed on a Bergamot flower, you’ll definitely agree it tastes anything but cool but interestingly enough, Bergamot’s spice cools your core, making you feel cooler in the heat of summer. In fact, combining Bergamot with Cucumbers makes a great summertime treat that’s a bit spicy, a bit cool, a bit sweet but very cooling.

Bergamot is called on as an antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, carminative, diaphoretic and nervine.

For the nervous system, Bergamot is both stimulating and relaxing. She relaxes the tension in the nervous system while sending energy to the area to assist with healing and function. She is great for nervous system problems including tinnitis and Meniere’s disease.

Bergamot also draws heat from the body making her a great herb to use for body conditions that have heat to them such as coughs, cystitis, urinary tract infections, sunburns and fever. She is more specific when the heat is more internal with cool, clammy skin.

Try this delicious summertime dish with dinner tonight!

To make it we gathered:

1 medium cucumber
1 large tomato
1/4 cup Bergamot infused vinegar.

We also had some pink Himalayan sea salt on hand for seasoning and a few Bergamot flowers for decoration.

Begin by using a sharp knife to chop up the cucumber and tomato. If you’re not used to using a knife, have a grown up or older sibling help you with this part.

Place the cucumbers and tomatoes in a bowl and carefully mix with a spoon. Add the vinegar and mix again to cover the mixture completely. Sprinkle with sea salt and Bergamot flowers and let sit for 1 hour to let the flavors mix together.

Mmmmmmm delicious! It goes great any time of the day. My favorite is enjoying it at breakfast with some scrambled eggs.

This and more delicious recipes can be found in the Bergamot ebook