Lemon Grass & Blue Pea Flower

Lemongrass grows in tall green fountains along the edge of our field. After rain it smells like cut citrus. In the Caribbean they call it fever grass. It's a cooling herb, traditionally used to bring down a fever by opening the pores to sweat. It's also carminative and antispasmodic. It eases gas and cramping, loosens a knotted belly, and helps a heavy meal move along. Its aromatic oils are mildly antimicrobial and gently calming.

Blue pea flower opens at dawn on a climbing vine. Its petals are the blue of deep water past the reef. In Ayurveda it's a medhya herb, one that nourishes the mind. It's traditionally used to support memory and focus and to quiet an anxious mind. The blue comes from anthocyanins, antioxidant pigments that also show up in dark berries and are studied for their anti-inflammatory effects.

Try a heaping tablespoon in 8 oz of water just off the boil. Cover it so the lemongrass oils stay in the cup. Give it 5–7 minutes and let it turn blue. A squeeze of lime turns it violet. It's also lovely brewed strong and poured over ice