Le Cercle de l'Ombelle · Moon 8 out of 12
August — The ripe leaves
Summer · 11 references pickeds this moon · the last cut before autumn
First movement
The harvest
The essentials at a glance
The ripe leaves · Summer
11 references pickeds this moon, of which 0 contain caffeine.
The last cut before autumn.
August closes the season of leaves and prepares that of seeds. Lemon verbena then gives its most intense fragrance, eucalyptus its fully ripe leaves, while green anise begins to yield its first seeds. This is the moon of the last cut: after it, the plant turns towards seed and fruit, and the herbalist changes gesture, from stripping leaves to threshing seed. We make the most of the final days when the leaves still hold all their essential oil, before ripening exhausts them in favour of the seeds. High summer draws to a close; the days shorten imperceptibly, and the vegetation senses autumn approaching. August is a moon of transition, suspended between two worlds: that of green herbs completing their course and that of fruits and roots yet to come. The last great leaf harvest before the orchard takes over.
August ripens everything: anise and fennel seeds turn brown, hop cones turn golden. Tradition harvests seeds under a descending moon; they are said to keep better, destined as they are to last through the winter. And while shooting stars streak the sky, the hop climbs its last spiral: it is a vine of the late evening, able to gain several centimetres between sunset and sunrise.
Second movement
The moon lesson
This moon harvests 3 plants ; here are their botanical profiles and their rituals.
Green anise
Pimpinella anisum · Apiaceae
Green anise is an annual umbellifer of the Apiaceae family, cultivated since Antiquity in the Near East and the Mediterranean, where the Greeks and Romans already enjoyed it at the end of a meal. Its seeds are harvested at the end of summer, when the umbels have ripened and turned brown; they are left to dry before being threshed to loosen them. Its sweet, fresh fragrance comes from anethole, a molecule it shares with fennel and star anise, which explains their family resemblance on the palate. Not to be confused with star anise, which is the fruit of an Asian tree with no botanical kinship. In infusion, its crushed seed gives a warm cup that tastes sweet without sugar, all rounded aniseed. A confectioner's and after-dinner spice, universal from the Mediterranean basin to India.
Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare · Apiaceae
Fennel is a tall umbellifer of the Apiaceae family, which includes vegetable fennel, grown for its fleshy bulb, and the fennel harvested for its aromatic seeds at the end of its cycle, from August to September. It is these ridged seeds, gathered from the tall yellow umbels, that perfume the infusion. They share the anethole of anise, but rounder, sweeter and gentler, without its sharp liquorice edge. A quintessentially Mediterranean plant, wild fennel fills the hills of the south of France with its aniseed scent the moment its feathery foliage is brushed. It has been grown and gathered since Antiquity, from Egyptian gardens to today's kitchen gardens. As an infusion, its crushed seed gives a gentle, warming cup, all aniseed roundness, the softest of the umbellifer flavours, the one that so readily brings a meal to a close.
Hops
Humulus lupulus · Cannabaceae
The hop is a vigorous vine that spirals up anything in its path, reaching seven metres in a single season. What is harvested, at the end of summer, are its cones: the female flowers, scaly and golden, laden with a fragrant resin. The world of beer knows them by heart; the herbalist gathers them in the same weeks, when the cones rustle between the fingers. In the cup, hops bring a fine bitterness and a scent of golden hay. Look for its flowers in this moon's Bonheur Sucré.
Third movement
Tasting at home
The Moon Basket of August
Green anise
Tisane Anis Menthe Tilleul Bio
100°C · 7-10 min · 12-15 g/L
Anise takes centre stage, almost half the blend, with lime blossom and peppermint as its companions. The dry blend, pale gold flecked with flowers, smells of sweet seeds; the pale gold liquor unfolds round, sweet anise, the honey of lime blossom, then that minty breeze carried on by thyme and eucalyptus. Naturally caffeine-free, it is the old-fashioned evening infusion, the one from homes that smell wonderful.
⚠ Precautions: Contient de la réglisse. Déconseillé en cas d'hypertension artérielle, de maladie rénale ou cardiaque, et pendant la grossesse. Éviter une consommation élevée ou prolongée.
Refuge des Jours de Pluie Bio
100°C · 7-10 min · 12-15 g/L
Anise and blackberry leaves open this organic herbal infusion for overcast days, in which fennel, apple, rosehip, ribwort plantain, peppermint and raspberry leaves make up a country herbarium. The dry blend smells of the barn and dry meadow; the golden liquor moves forward with a comforting aniseed roundness, the subtle fruitiness of apple and rosehip, a touch of mint to lighten it, and the full vegetal texture that the leaves provide. Caffeine-free, honest and warming, it is the refuge of rainy afternoons.
Fennel
Couchant Doré Mélisse Fenouil Bio
100°C · 7-10 min · 12-15 g/L
Lemon balm and fennel lead this organic evening herbal infusion, joined by liquorice, sage, rosemary, lavender, verbena, hop flowers and valerian: the complete herbarium for the end of the day. The dry blend, dense and green, breathes of garrigue and beehive; the golden liquor balances the lemon of the lemon balm and verbena, the liquorice sweetness, the aromatic herbs at the bottom of the cup and that deeper hoppy, rooty note that gives the finish its depth. Caffeine-free, complete and serious, this is the connoisseur's evening infusion.
⚠ Precautions: Contient de la réglisse. Déconseillé en cas d'hypertension artérielle, de maladie rénale ou cardiaque, et pendant la grossesse. Éviter une consommation élevée ou prolongée.
Élixir Mélisse Camomille Fenouil Bio
100°C · 7-10 min · 12-15 g/L
A herbalist's elixir: lemon balm to the fore, chamomile and fennel at its side, liquorice, anise and caraway in support, a hint of hops at the base. The dry blend, green and blond, smells of a freshly mown meadow; the golden liquor marries the velvety lemon of the lemon balm with the honey of chamomile, the anise rounds it out, and the liquorice naturally sweetens the finish. Naturally caffeine-free, this is the evening cup par excellence.
⚠ Precautions: Contient de la réglisse. Déconseillé en cas d'hypertension artérielle, de maladie rénale ou cardiaque, et pendant la grossesse. Éviter une consommation élevée ou prolongée.
Hops & company
Bonheur Sucré Houblon Stévia Bio
100°C · 7-10 min · 15-20 g/L
Hops as an unexpected star: their golden cones join fennel, nettle and lemon balm, aronia adds fruit, and stevia sweetens without sugar. The dry blend, green and golden, smells of hay and flowers; the golden liquor unfolds the fine, fragrant bitterness of hops, the soft lemon of lemon balm, then that vegetal sweetness of stevia that never fails to surprise. Naturally caffeine-free, this is evening happiness, gathered at the end of summer.
Ayurvéda Pitta Menthe Bio
100°C · 7-10 min · 15-20 g/L
A recipe from the Ayurvedic tradition, designed for freshness: mint and peppermint on lemongrass, blackberry leaves, cardamom and rose petals. The dry blend, green and flowery, smells of the garden after a storm; the pale green liquor unfolds a clean, lemony menthol, the rose lending its floral sweetness, the liquorice its roundness. Naturally caffeine-free, this is the after-dinner cup, as clean as a fresh breath.
⚠ Precautions: Contient de la réglisse. Déconseillé en cas d'hypertension artérielle, de maladie rénale ou cardiaque, et pendant la grossesse. Éviter une consommation élevée ou prolongée.
A source of pleasure, not a medicine. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, undergoing medical treatment or have a medical condition, seek the advice of a healthcare professional.
The moon's ephemeral
A limited series, available for the duration of the harvest of august. When the moon passes, the ephemeral goes with it.
The Twelve Moons subscription
Every moon, twelve times a year, the harvest basket arrives at your door: 6 references, two per type, making 72 references over the year, the story of the picking and the ritual.
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All the moon harvests
The other references picked this moon, to record in your tasting notebook.
Citronnelle Fraîche Coupée Bio
100°C · 5-10 min · 15-20 g/L
Pure lemongrass from organic farming, cut into even pieces that keep all their fragrance. Dry, the scent is immediate: bright lemon, a green note, a memory of Thai cooking. The infusion yields a pale yellow liquor bursting with freshness, with a clean lemony taste but without the acidity of the fruit: lemongrass evokes lemon, it does not squeeze it. Long, clean and thirst-quenching, it is enjoyed on its own at any hour, iced in summer, and makes a perfect base for homemade blends as well as fragrant broths.
Menthe Verte Douce Bio
100°C · 5-10 min · 13-18 g/L
Pure spearmint from organic farming, in leaves that keep their suppleness and fragrance. Dry, it releases the soft, sweet mintiness that sets it apart from its peppery cousin: this is the mint of Moroccan-style tea and tabbouleh. The infusion gives a pale green liquor of rounded freshness, never harsh, with a gentle, thirst-quenching length. On its own, iced or added to piping hot green tea with a few pine nuts, it suits every use. Naturally caffeine-free.
Romance d'Été Citronnelle Bio
Menthe Poivrée Intense Bio
Tisane Gingembre Citronnelle Bio