Deep Winter Miso Soup — Milk & Honey Herbs

Fresh Burdock (Arcticum lappa)- Available fresh at most health food stores and co-ops and is often sold as Gobo in Asian groceries. If you aren’t able to find it you can add more carrot, mushrooms, and daikon instead. Burdock cleans and builds the blood, drains lymph, and nourishes and supports the skin, hair, kidneys, liver, and adrenals. The root contains the prebiotic inulin, which acts as a food for benedicial gut flora  in the digestive system, supporting gut health. It’s considered sweet, salty, and bitter in energetics and is slightly moistening.Kombu seaweed (Laminaria digitata)- In the brown seaweed family and very closely related to Kelp (Laminaria longicruris) and Wakame (Alaria esculenta), both of which can be used in its place in this recipe. Very mineral rich, healing to the gut, and they also add the umami flavor to the broth, a taste which enhances savory depth of flavor of the soup. Seaweed is available at many co-ops and health food stores and one of my favorite sources for seaweed is Ironbound Island Seaweed in Maine, which sells it by the pound. Heritage Seaweed in Portland, ME sells smaller retail-sized bags of their seaweeds here.Miso- A traditional Japanese probiotic paste made of fermented soy beans along with the occasional addition of other ingredients, depending on the flavor. Miso is a salty and delicious umami flavor bomb that adds a rich depth of flavor but care must be taken to avoid boiling it, as this will destroy its probiotic benefits. Available in most co-ops, health food stores, and Asian grocery stores. And South River Miso, right here in western Massachusetts, makes some of the best miso in the country, which you can order here. Enjoy all!