Twenty-twenty became a portal for me.

In the midst of a global pandemic, environmental crisis, and social upheaval, my deepest wounds were laid bare. Yet I found healing and connection underfoot in my garden and through the natural world. Our Kindred Home takes you on a journey through the heart of cyclical, seasonal living. My debut book is a heartfelt collection of the recipes, rituals, and plants my family and I turn to in our quest to live in greater kinship with the natural world. It features generationally-loved and herbal-infused recipes, like my mother’s New Year’s soup joumou + my children’s favorite nettle pasta.

Interwoven with my intimate captures and botanical illustrations of the herbs I turn to most often, each page is an invitation to explore your own ties with the natural world. I share seasonal rituals like baking a rustic nettle tart in spring, exploring the versatility of St. John’s wort oil in summer, digging for burdock roots in autumn, or journeying inward with nourishing pine needle tea in winter. What may seem at first glance is a simple and approachable action anyone can practice to collectively make our world a more sustainable home.  

In the depths of winter, I drank cup after cup of tulsi chai tea and turned often to a ghost pipe flower essence I kept close by to unearth these words from the soil of my being to the surface. It was here, in practice with kindred plants, that the deeper collective meaning of this book blossomed. Not only is it a collection of some of my most cherished recipes but a missive to help readers better grasp the deep grief + systemic harm that stems from our disconnection from nature and provide possibilities + pathways for healing. 

As the environment manages a seemingly endless barrage of crises, a reciprocal relationship with the earth and each other is more vital now than ever before. Our Kindred Home is a source for rekindling our fundamental interconnectedness to the Earth, and discovering everyday ways to stoke resilience, resistance, liberation, and collective healing. 

Growing up with trauma and deep wounds from internalized racism, I found wonder, solace, and healing in the natural world. Through the lens of my academic journey combined with the joy and wisdom I’ve absorbed from the soil of the Earth, this book was born as a seed of hope and a portal for connection. I’m honored to share this book as a companion for your own journey. Pour yourself a cup of tea and open the pages.

Our Kindred Home is available for purchase everywhere books are sold!