Published: September 27, 2016
Number of pages: 384
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Natural Remedies
Synopsis:
In a cozy mystery filled with natural cures and edible plants that you will love, an organic winery becomes the backdrop for murder! Fortunately, solving crimes comes naturally to charmingly unconventional amateur sleuth and holistic doctor, Willow McQuade, as she looks for clues that will reveal a killer’s true vintage.Business is blooming at Nature’s Way Market & Café, and shop owner, holistic doctor, and amateur sleuth, Willow McQuade has never been happier. Her new medicinal herb garden is a hit, so is her new book, she’s in love with ex-cop and animal rescuer Jackson Spade, and enjoying teaching seminars about edible plants and natural remedies.
But everything changes when Willow’s old boyfriend and TV producer, Simon Lewis, winemaker David Farmer, and his wife Ivy, ask her to cater a party at Pure, their new organic vineyard, to kick off North Fork’s Uncorked! week and the competition for Wine Lovers magazine’s $200,000 prize. Pure’s entry, Falling Leaves, is the favorite to win, and the wine flows freely until after Simon’s toast when smiles give way to looks of horror. Ivy’s twin sister, Amy has been murdered! Turns out, the poison that killed her was actually meant for David. But who wants him dead? A rival vintner? Or someone closer to home? This time the truth may be a bitter vintage to swallow.
About the author:
CHRYSTLE FIEDLER is a freelance journalist specializing in natural remedies, alternative medicine and holistic health and healing, and is the author of the Natural Remedies Mysteries series. Her many consumer magazine articles have appeared in USA Today’s Green Living,Natural Health, Remedy, Mother Earth Living, Spirituality & Health, and Prevention. She is also the author/co-author of seven non-fiction health titles including the Country Almanac of Home Remedies with herbalist Brigitte Mars, and The Compassionate Chick’s Guide to DIY Beautywith Vegan Beauty Review founder, Sunny Subramanian. Chrystle lives on the East End of Long Island, NY in a cozy cottage by the sea. Visit www.chrystlefiedlerwrites.com.
Author Links
Website link: www.chrystlefiedlerwrites.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/dandeliondeadbook/?fref=ts
Twitter: @ChrystleFiedler
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3360187.Chrystle_Fiedler
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/chrystle123/dandelion-dead-a-natural-remedies-mystery/
Purchase Links:
Amazon – B&N – IndieBound
Guest Post:
The Humble Dandelion
The Power of Edible Plants
By Willow McQuade
I absolutely love edible plants, many of which are also my favorite natural remedies. But I don’t mean fruits and vegetables. I mean weeds that are usually perceived as a nuisance and something to be “rid of,” but are, in fact, packed with nutrients and have amazing healing powers. Take the much-maligned dandelion, for example. Believe it or not, it’s actually chock-full of good-for-you vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, vitamins C and E, iron, potassium, and calcium, and can be used to make everything from smoothies to salads.
You’ll often find me in the kitchen at Nature’s Way Market & Café, my health food store on the East End of Long Island, experimenting with recipes that include this unsung hero of culinary excellence. My favorite thing to do is to sauté well-scrubbed dandelion roots in a little toasted sesame oil and tamari.
Here a few more recipes to try. Just keep in mind that when you are trying a new food for the first time, it’s good to start slow, and have only a small amount, just to see how it affects you.
Yours Naturally,
Willow
Edible Plant Recipes
Green Smoothie1 cup of apple juice
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 cup of wild greens such as malva, violet, lamb’s-quarters
Blend for 2 to 3 minutes, strain, and pour into large glass. Enjoy this nutrient-packed drink!
Dandelion-Green Quiche
Crust
1/3 cup of coconut oil
2 tablespoons of organic milk
3/4 cup of brown-rice flour
3/4 cup of cornmeal
1 tablespoon sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions: Mix 1/3 cup of coconut oil, and 2 tablespoons of organic milk together. Combine the dry ingredients, then add to the liquid mixture and blend. Pour into a 10-inch pie pan. Bake 15 minutes in a preheated 425 F. oven.
Filling
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon of canola or sunflower oil
1 cup of grated organic cheddar cheese
2½ cups washed and chopped dandelion greens
2 organic eggs
2 ounces of organic cottage cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions: Chop a medium onion, then lightly sauté it in oil. When translucent, place into the crust (see above). Combine the grated cheese and the dandelion greens and place in crust. In a blender combine 2 eggs, 2 ounces of cottage cheese, and salt and pepper, for 60 seconds. Pour over the greens, cheddar cheese, and onions in the pie shell. Bake at 350 F. for 35 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before serving.
Here are a few books I recommend to learn more about edible plants:
Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link to Optimum Health. Jo Robinson. Reprint edition. Little, Brown: May 2014.
Wild Edibles: A Practical Guide to Foraging, with Easy Identification of 60 Edible Plants and 67 Recipes. Sergei Boutenko. North Atlantic Books: 2013.
Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn't Know You Could Eat. Ellen Zachos. Storey Books: 2013.
The Wild Wisdom of Weeds: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival. Katrina Blair. Chelsea Green Publishing: 2014.
Giveaway
Tour Participants
September 26 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 26 – Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT
September 27 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW
September 28 – Booth Talks Books – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
September 29 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
September 30 – deal sharing aunt – INTERVIEW
October 1 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW
October 2 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – SPOTLIGHT
October 3 – Island Confidential – GUEST POST
October 4 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW
October 4 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW
October 5 – The Girl with Book Lungs – REVIEW, EXCERPT
October 5 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 6 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
October 7 – Booklady’s Booknotes – REVIEW, GUEST POST
October 7 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
October 8 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
October 9 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
October 9 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
Thanks so much for having Willow as a guest on your blog! We're both super excited!
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love the cover.
ReplyDeleteThis is a new series to me and I'm looking forward to reading. I think there is a lot to learn about natural remedies and that makes for an interesting storyline. Can't wait to read.
ReplyDeleteThank you Angela for the intro to this new-to-me author. My adult son is into herbals. He's taught me some interesting things about edible plants.
ReplyDelete