Chamomile is a daisy-like herb, commonly used in traditional herbal medicine and well known for its use in tea. Its beautiful blossoms are pretty to look at, as well as delicious in a variety of foods, and great for making tea.

Picking Notes: When picking, pop off the bloom by pinching the stalk just below the flower head. Select flowers that are fully open. A handful of blossoms will equate to about 4 cups of fresh chamomile tea, so you don’t need to pick too many to make tea.

Strawberry Chamomile Fruit Salad with Yogurt Recipe

Fruit Salad Ingredients: 
1 pound strawberries, chopped about 1 ½ cups
⅓ cup strawberry preserves
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup chamomile syrup recipe below
fresh chamomile flowers to garnish

Chamomile Syrup:
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
½ cup dried chamomile flowers

Instructions

Fruit Salad:

1. Toss berries with chamomile syrup in a large bowl.
2. Mix jam with lemon zest, juice, and salt.
3. Spread yogurt on a large platter.
4. Drizzle yogurt with the preserve mixture and top with strawberries. Garish with fresh chamomile flowers and serve!

Chamomile Syrup:

1. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan.
2. Cook over high heat, stirring often until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add dried chamomile flowers. Steep for 8 minutes.
4. Strain syrup through a fine-mesh sieve and cool completely before using.

Recipe from Michelle Ferrand 

Drying chamomile:

To air dry, pick off just the flowers and spread them out in a single layer.  Allow the flowers to dry for 1 to 2 weeks in a dark, warm, dry space.

To dehydrate flowers use a lined dehydrator tray (Tip: place a mesh liner on top of the chamomile flowers to prevent them from blowing) and set the dehydrator on the lowest setting (~95°F). Dry for 12 to 18 hours. (Tip: Delicate herbs and flowers should always be dehydrated at the lowest settings for optimum results)

Once dry, store flowers in a sealed glass jar until use.

Dried Chamomile Tea Recipe:  Use 2-3 teaspoons dried chamomile per 1 cup boiling water and steep for 2-5 minutes.

Fresh Chamomile Tea Recipe: Use 6-8 teaspoons of fresh chamomile per 1 cup of boiling water and steep for 2-5 minutes.