The Golden Season: Infusing Autumn with Goldenrod

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) is a hardy perennial, native to North America, that bursts into bloom from late summer into fall. With over a hundred species found across the United States, it is an important plant for pollinators, offering abundant pollen when much of the landscape is fading. Often mistaken as the culprit of hay fever (the true offender is ragweed, which blooms around the same time), goldenrod is in fact a generous plant ally.

Goldenrod is a plant of resilience and radiance. Traditionally, it has been used to support the kidneys and urinary tract, helping to flush stagnation and reduce inflammation. Its flowers carry a resinous aroma, with a taste that is both astringent and uplifting—qualities that make it useful in easing seasonal allergies, soothing sore throats, and toning tissues. Energetically, goldenrod is both drying and warming, a gentle yet steady ally when the damp chill of autumn begins to settle in.

This season, we’ll explore two creative ways of working with goldenrod: in the dye pot, where its blossoms offer a yellow as vivid as the flowers themselves, and in the kitchen, where the plant can be transformed into a warming autumn cordial infused with fruit, spice, and honey. Both are simple, hands-on ways of honoring the golden abundance blooming all around us—and of carrying a bit of late-summer sunlight into the colder months ahead.

A Cordial for the Season: Goldenrod Infused Brandy

Goldenrod lends itself beautifully to autumn cordials, its resinous flowers carrying the warmth of the late-summer fields into the glass. Infused with local fruit, a few cinnamon sticks, and a touch of honey, this simple preparation captures the abundance of the season.

Ingredients:

• Fresh goldenrod flowers (loosely packed in a jar)
• Local brandy to cover
• A few cinnamon sticks
• Sliced local apples or pears
• Local honey, to taste

Instructions:

1. Layer the goldenrod flowers, cinnamon sticks, and apple slices in a clean jar.
2. Pour brandy over the mixture until fully submerged.
3. Seal the jar and let it infuse for a few weeks, shaking gently every few days.
4. Strain and bottle.

Serving Suggestion:

This infusion is wonderful to sip on its own, but even more magical when stirred into a mug of warm apple cider—its golden warmth and spicy notes transform the cider into a seasonal elixir, perfect for crisp autumn evenings, a drink sweetened by the very bees who once visited the blossoms.

Capturing the Fading Light – Goldenrod Dye:

Goldenrod’s blossoms are like captured sunlight, and when brought to the dye pot, they release their radiance into the cloth. Few plants can make this promise, but goldenrod truly offers a color as vibrant as the flowers themselves, ranging from soft butter yellows to rich golds.

To dye with fresh flowers, gather about 100–150% of the weight of your fiber—so for 100 grams of fabric or yarn, use 100–150 grams of goldenrod blooms. Cover the flowers with water in a large pot and bring to a gentle simmer for 1–2 hours, then strain out the plant material.

• Protein fibers (such as wool and silk) are more delicate and should be dyed at a gentle simmer, around 160–180°F, to avoid felting or damaging the fibers.
• Cellulose fibers (such as cotton and linen) can handle higher heat, so you can simmer the dye bath up to 190–200°F.

Add your pre-mordanted fiber to the dye bath and keep it at the appropriate temperature until the color takes hold. Rinse and hang to dry out of direct sunlight.

No two dye pots are ever quite the same – each shaped by a unique meeting of place, plant, and water. The quality of your water, the soil where the goldenrod grew, even the particular species you’ve gathered can shape the final shade. You might harvest goldenrod from a meadow nearby and from another patch a few hours away, only to find the colors they yield are a bit different—subtle variations written into the land itself. Plant dyes are living color, alive with place, time, and relationship. They invite a deeper connection to the fiber in your hands, to the plant you’ve gathered, and to the landscape that offered it. In this way, dyeing with goldenrod becomes more than a craft—it is communion with the season, the Earth, and the luminous plant spirit itself.

The Gift of Goldenrod

Goldenrod reminds us that the plants at our feet are not just scenery but teachers, companions, and collaborators. Whether steeped into a spiced cordial or simmered into a radiant dye bath, this plant offers more than color or flavor—it offers relationship. Working with goldenrod roots us in the turning of the seasons, asking us to notice the fields shifting to gold, the bees gathering their last nectar, the air carrying its first chill. To gather, prepare, and create with Goldenrod is to weave ourselves into that cycle, carrying a bit of late-summer light into the darker months ahead.

If you’d like to explore goldenrod more deeply—through hands-on making, seasonal ritual, and shared conversation—I’ll be offering a workshop at Heartsong Sanctuary in High Falls. It’s a space to meet other curious and creative souls while working directly with this luminous plant. You can find details here: Golden Harvest – Food and Medicine Workshop.

Saturday, September 27th, from 2pm-5pm at Heartsong Sanctuary in High Falls NY.

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Sasha Botanica inspires others through hands-on workshops and collaborations with local artists and herbalists in the Hudson Valley, encouraging a deeper connection to nature and community. Her mission is to empower people to explore the healing power of plants, creating unique products that reflect the beauty and gifts of the natural world. Want to know more? Check out our Exclusive Interview.

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All photos by Sasha Botanica.