I cannot WAIT to make this delicious dessert! I love chocolate…
Chocolate Mint Mousse
Ingredients:
*1/2 cup plain dark chocolate
*2 eggs, separated
*1 tsp. instant coffee
*1 tsp. fresh chopped mint (peppermint or spearmint work best)
*whipped cream for decoration
*mint leaves for decoration
Directions:
1) Melt the chocolate either in a microwave or in a double boiler. When smooth and liquid, remove from the heat.
2) Beat egg yolks and add to the chocolate while hot. Add the coffee and chopped mint.
3) Leave the mixture to cool for about 15 minutes. Beat the egg whites (not too stiff) and fold them into the cooling chocolate mixture. Spoon into containers. When you are ready to serve, put a blob of whipped cream in the middle and garnish with whole mint leaves. Enjoy!
Recipe located in: Jekka McVicar, The Complete Herb Book, pg. 157
[…] Valerian […]
I use valerian for insomnia and migraines, but I have it in tincture form. I don’t have near enough garden space to grow it so I have to buy it. Maybe some day…
I haven’t made a tincture with it yet, but I hope to once I get another batch from the garden! I hope you can grow it someday, it is very pretty. 🙂 Thanks for visiting and commenting!
I have taken capsules to help me drift off to sleep, but oh! the smell is awful! Is there less odor to what you have grown yourself?
Great post. Valerian is pretty amazing – i just wish it didn’t smell like sweaty gym socks 🙂
Hahaha, that is an interesting smell-description of it! I am one of those weird people who like yucky smells. I LOVE the smell of valerian, as well as manure, skunks, and other such “stinky” things. But if you cut an orange in front of me, watch me start to gag! 🙂 Thanks for visiting and commenting!
I only have one plant. It is a couple of years old. I’m a little hesitant to dig it up as I have no other stock of Valerian in my garden. How would you advise harvesting SOME of the root whilst not affecting the health of the plant? Thanks, Julie
Julie, with only one plant, it doesn’t seem possible to only harvest some of the root. Also, why would you want to keep it there? This plant is best used medicinally if harvested at the correct time. If you leave it there, you aren’t enjoying the medicinal value of it. So I suggest you either keep it in the ground forever as a perennial flower, or harvest the plant for its’ medicinal value. You can always plant more!
[…] Valerian is a strong sedative and also a strong pain-reliever. It helps heal the nervous system and is also an excellent remedy for stress and anxiety. I always include valerian in my teas or as a tincture for my headaches. I find that it is more of a pain reliever than Tylenol-type pills, without the negative side effects. I love that it helps me sleep off my headaches as well. […]
I wasn’t able to pin this – something about the URL…Too badI really enjoyed the article.
Oh no! That’s a bummer. I’ll edit this post this weekend, hopefully that helps!
Thank you so much for your site!! You put so much work into it! 😀
I’ve had this lovely plant/weed for countless years now since my aunt gave me some. I let it grow where it wants because it looks so pretty mixed in around everything else. I just figured out what it was a couple of years ago. I thought it was feverfew.. Idk.. Anyway, yes, it reeks to high heaven but I think I’ve gotten used to it. I’m not nearly as put off by it now. Last summer I thought maybe mine was losing its odor/stench! because it didn’t seem nearly as strong (and I have an extremely acute sense of smell!!) but I think I’m just used to it. My family reassured me it’s as stinky as always! Lol!
I’ve never known what to do with it as I wasn’t sure what it was. Now I’m sure! I’m going to try this in the spring! I have Fibro and I’m thinking this could be a great thing!!
Thanks again for your work! <3
I’ve been growing it but wasn’t sure exactly what to do lol
I think it’s going to be a couple years old now, is it still okay to harvest the roots?
Go for it! It might be past the peak of its’ medicinal benefit strength, but this is a pretty strong medicinal herb in the first place. Try it and see!
Ok, will do! Thanks!!
[…] root (reduces tension and anxiety) (check out my post on Valerian for more […]
Thanks for the blog post. I would like to grow some in my garden :D.
We use it as a muscle relaxer, 2 tsp of the valerian root extract. My bf has a disk tear in his back and his muscles are very tight. This works better than prescription muscle relaxers because he doesn’t get a hangover. It is getting pretty expensive and we are looking for alternatives to continue to use valerian root as often as he is needing it (2tsp 3x a day – we are going through 1 oz bottles pretty fast).
Yes I have a medicinal garden and valerian is one of the plants growing. I do use it and encourage community to come over and harvest if they like.
I use it for restless leg syndrome, and small seizures.
Thankyou! Great info. Just about to do a rooster cull & will use the valerian in their water a day before so they’re nice & calm. In Biodynamic farming we used the valerian flower instead of the root before the cows went to market.
I would like to have a Valerian in my bedroom, I have a good place for it and everything but I don’t want to harvesting it. Can I have it as a house flower?
Great page, thank you! I haven’t used Valerian medicinally yet, but I wanted to add that my plant is HUGE. It is easily 3′ around and 6′ tall. The base of the plant is, I’m not sure, at least 12″ across. So I think the roots could be harvested without digging up the whole plant. Just treat like dividing a plant. I had no idea it would get this big. Thanks for the advice on the seeds!!! Mine is flowering and now little cotton fluffs are starting to blow off. Sounds like I am going out and cutting the flowers off today asap. I’ve got to say I a little overwhelmed by this plant, which is what sent me searching online and found this. Unfortunately I take quite a few medications for a chronic health problem and I really doubt I am able to take this internally. I could check with my Dr’s but I am pretty certain it’s a no. I just wanted to grow it as an interesting (smaller) plant in my herb and flower pottage. I’m kind of not sure what I want to do with it, it will just do it’s thing till frost, I am not moving it like this, but I figure I could 1) leave it 2) dig it up and move it 3) dig it up and rehome it to someone else (or rehome it to someone else and let THEM dig it up) Thanks for a space to share!