Here is the info on the Roots Fest for those of you near the Asheville area:
Saturday, October 14th from 11-6 in the French Broad Food Coop lot. There will be a kids booth, interactive booth, free classes, vendors, and lots of herbal information.

And here are my recipes:
Scrumptious Root Recipes
(Taste tested and approved by Kaia, age 3)

Granny’s Root Beer:
-Place 2 Cinnamon sticks, 1 Tablespoon Anise seeds, 3/4 oz Sarsaparilla root, and 1/4 oz Sassafras root into a pot.
-Cover with 3 cups of water.
-Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.
-Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half (i.e. You have 1-1/2 cups left).
-Strain off the herbs and add 1 cup Honey to the liquid, mixing well.
-Store this syrup in an airtight jar and refrigerate.
-To use: Place 3 tablespoons of syrup in 8 oz of sparkling water, mix well and enjoy!

Old-Fashioned Ginger Ale:
-In a pot, add 2 cups fresh, chopped Ginger root to 3 cups of water.
-Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.
-Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half (i.e. You have 1-1/2 cups left).
-Strain off the herbs and add 1 cup Honey to the liquid, mixing well.
-Store this syrup in an airtight jar and refrigerate.
-To use: Place 2-3 tablespoons of syrup in 8 oz of sparkling water, mix well and enjoy!

June, I like your recipe! I use to use my juicer too, but now that I have to crank the generator for electricity, I decided it might be easier to make a syrup 🙂

Homemade Marshmallows:
(From Lesley Tierra’s “A Kid’s Herb Book”)
-Preheat the oven to 275 degrees
-Separate 2 eggs, keeping the whites. Beat the whites until very foamy, and not quite stiff.
-Beat in 1/2-teaspoon vanilla.
-Slowly beat in 1/2-cup sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time.
-Beat in 2 tablespoons of Marshmallow root powder (Althea officinalis).
-Drop mixture using a teaspoonful at a time on the cookie sheet.
-Bake one hour.
-Remove from the sheet and let cool. Eat and Enjoy.
-To store, tightly cover and place in the refrigerator for several days.