Here in the South it's shrimp season pretty much all year long.  I'm ashamed to admit, though, that despite my years growing up here, shrimp and I never really had a chance to get  acquainted.

That is, until I met a certain Southern gentleman and he and I decided to get married and settle down.

I remember one summer visit with our families when the aforementioned Southern gentleman and I were just engaged.

How does one have a garden without tomatoes?  Tomatoes are a staple in every garden's summer bounty, right?

Well, not ours.

I may be queen in my kitchen, but the garden is one area that is outside my domain.  It's not that I have a "black thumb."  Or that I don't enjoy gardening. It's just that my husband has taken complete ownership of it.  The garden is his realm.  And it happens to be one of his favorite hobbies.

The month of June has finally arrived and with it my desire to pluck the first mouth-watering red tomato from my garden. For some parts of the US I'm sure that dream has become a reality. But sadly here in the Midwest I still have several loooong weeks to wait.

One thing that is ready for picking in my garden is basil. Of the many varieties available, I chose to plant a common variety, Italian Basil. It's a wonderful and hardy herb to grow, offers some medicinal benefits and does wonders at keeping the pests away from my still-seedling tomato plants. But it can't hold a candle to the amazing benefits (both medicinal and culinary) of it's cousin, Holy Basil. This herb is amazing... which might just be why it's our Herb of the Month for June!

On this quest for vitality, I started making batch after batch of kefir soda for digestive health, immune support, and increased energy.  I was on the hunt for specific ways to increase my iron levels, too.

So the other day I added an herbal infusion of both iron-rich nettle and dandelion to my water kefir and  --  viola!  

I got everything I was looking for in an iced kefir herbal tea.

Here in the South it's considered crab season all-year-round.  But when March and April bring warmer water temperatures, crabs suddenly appear in abundance.

It followed then that after enjoying an entree of crab cakes while out for dinner last week, I decided it was high time to recreate them at home using a current favorite among my trusty stash of dried herbs.  You guessed it -- nettle leaf.

We were in the middle of hanging blinds and unpacking the last of the boxes from our move a couple weeks ago, and I forgot all about dinner.  It was almost 5 o'clock when I realized there was absolutely nothing on the menu.

No worries.  Soup to the rescue.  I usually keep the freezer stocked with homemade soup or stew for such occasions.  Or at the very least, homemade stock.  (Speaking of, have you tried this chicken nettle soup yet?)

I opened the freezer to pull out a frozen soup I had made the week before.  And now... what to serve with it?  Why, nettle sourdough crackers, of course.

At our house morning menus are fairly routine. We're big fans of eggs and lovers of oatmeal; quick and simple. Once or twice a week we shake things up and have a more carb-heavy breakfast of pancakes, waffles, muffins or coffee cake. Mmm.

A couple of months ago, when the weather was still cold, I experimented with a hearty breakfast cake recipe in an attempt to find a way to use up a few bags of $0.99 organic cranberries I had snagged at the grocery. Feeling a bit daring, I tossed some dried nettle into the batter, too. As I slid the pan into the oven I thought, "Nettle? Really? What have I done?!"

There's no other experience (besides being in labor, perhaps) that calls for insane amounts of energy and stamina like the entire process of moving.

This would be our third move in over three years, and this time, I knew what to expect.  Through the month of March, I set to work packing, armed with adequate rest, a daily dose of cod liver oil, and... nettle chai tea.

My family is just in love with this soup. We're not talkin' your mother's high-in-carbs chicken noodle soup here, we're talkin' nutrient-dense, hearty, spoon-lickin' yummy Chicken Nettle Soup.

This was my first attempt at using a tonic herb in an everyday recipe and it's since morphed into a family favorite that we have nearly every week during the winter months. The best part is, it's easy-peasy.

Now that spring has come, it's still important to fill our stomachs with wholesome immune-boosting foods like bone broth, nourishing vegetables and herbs like Nettle, carrots, onions and garlic. Because, let's face it, the only thing worse than a winter cold is a spring one.

April is Nettle month here at the Nourishing Herbalist. April means spring -- the best time of year to wildcraft (harvest) nourishing herbs from your own backyard or in fields, woods or ditches nearby*. Hey, you can't beat free nutrient-packed food!

Should you be unable to find fresh Nettle you can always reconstitute dried nettle in hot water for a minute or two and then drain before use in any recipe calling for fresh nettle. Or, if you happen to be made of money you can order fresh Nettle leaves online.

With Nettles in hand (hopefully it's a gloved hand!) prepare to wow your family with this scrumptious quiche recipe we fondly call, the Green Goddess of all quiche recipes!