What's in My Bag with Cheryl Rafuse of Plant Magic & Grape Leaves Recipe

I met Cheryl at Hauswitch in 2016. I was there teaching my very first workshop, and Cheryl was introduced to me as a fellow herbalist. Since then, Cheryl has gone on to write an incredible helpful workbook about plant care called Plant Magic. Cheryl has some exciting things in the works, such as her plant installations and curation offering. In her own words: “I am a gardener and Plant Curator. choose plants for indoor spaces and ensure the design works with existing or incoming furniture and fixtures. Plants are at their best when they are thriving not eking by on a sliver of sunshine and irregular watering schedules. I try to be accessible to my clients and help them get their plants from cutie little green babes to big leafy giants.”

Find Cheryl, her cat, Queen Mab, and plenty of plant tips on Instagram @plantmagicshop and her website plantmagic.shop

Spencre xo

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Do you ever wander around the woods and feel like there’s energy surging all around you? My whole life has been spent chasing that feeling. When I was a kid all I wanted to do was read outside in a tree. The older you get the more you’re expected to be doing inside work. For me, that work is so, so draining. What I’ve tried to do with Plant Magic is use the skills I have to bring that planty energy indoors. I’m trying to work within the biophilic design world to shift plants from a last minute addition to an important piece of the foundational design of places like offices.

I started playing with plants about 5 years ago. I wasn’t a professional plant person. I just really liked plants! And I began devoting my spare time to them, working on them at my day job and following every #plantstagram I could find. A woman I used to work with Sophie Lee, who opened Geo-Fleur in Stratford, England, inspired me. Her and her mother built an amazing plant shop that I swear inspired the many, many shops in the US. (It was very much like Niche in Cambridge, MA!) At my job at HausWitch I became the official “Plant Protector” and turned our favorite sunbeam treasure palace into a lush indoor greenscape. I wrote Plant Magic Workbook and now have a few zines in the works. My work now includes several plant installation projects, including working with a well-established company, Sea Mist Interiorscapes on their plant wall projects.

The bag I carry to all of these jobs is a tote I found in my grandfather’s garage. It’s heavy-duty canvas with a Chickadee on the side and it’s the perfect size for a gardening bag. It almost always has a little dirt and a couple leaves in the bottom — maybe even a plant clipping if I’m lucky!

What’s in my gardening bag: 

Opinel Knife - I always, always have a knife. This one is sharp enough to cut plants, apples, boxes, etc. and you never know when you’re going to need to give a plant a haircut!

Flora by Sister Spinster – Never leave home without a little magic! This tincture is literally the embodiment of spring. Taking it feels like I’m bringing a wildflower meadow with me everywhere I go and helps fight off any wintry blues and grays. Winter is tough for planty people. 

A pinecone – I love collecting pinecones!! About as much as I love my Thorn & Bloom Evergreen perfume. Smelling like a pine forest at dusk? Count me TF in.

A moisture meter – When you can’t dig your fingers all the way down to the bottom of a pot it’s nice to have something to help you out. This one measures electrical charge in the soil due to moisture so it’s important to rely on your senses as well — is the pot heavy with water, does it smell like it has root rot, etc. You can find one at your local indie garden center.

A clementine I definitely forgot about – Aahh the magical forgotten clementine that shows up just as my h-anger is overtaking me. Highly recommend this method of snacking.

Take Good Care Deck by Maribeth Helen – This deck is a lifesaver when you need to break a mental pattern or get outside yourself. It always grounds me and tells me what I needed to hear — whether or not I like what it has to say! A lovely deck, made by a lovely person. 

Sunglasses + my Plant Magic hat – Obsessed with the outside and the sunshine, but the sunshine and my eyes do NOT get along! I get inflammation in my irises and have extreme sensitivity to sunlight so I never leave home without my sunnies and my cap (Made by Spencre!!) 

Welly Bandaids from Target – No kidding these are the best bandaids ever. I injure myself weekly if not daily and I promise these will keep dirt out of your cuts!!!

Malachite – Any heart-centered business person should have a little piece of malachite around. I keep mine right in my wallet.

Cheryl with plant babies. Photo by Carlie Febo.

Cheryl’s Plant Magic Workbook. Get a copy HERE

A Leafy Recipe: Grape Leaves

Because I’m obsessed with leaves and my grandmother’s grape leaf recipe is ingrained into my brain forever, here’s my recipe for both vegetarian and lamb/beef grapeleaves. All measurements are approximate and you can shift them to your tastes, except the water level in the pot.

With meat:

1 pound of ground lamb or beef
1 cup rice (or however much looks right)
1 tablespoon garlic
Pepper + salt
1 jar grape leaves

 Put the rice and the meat in a mixing bowl. Knead with your hands until mixed. Add more rice if you don’t have a few grains that wont mix in at the bottom of the bowl. Add garlic. I said a tablespoon because I literally have no idea how much we put in, but it’s a LOT. Add pepper and salt until it smells a little peppery and a little salty.

With veg:

1 cup rice
Some olive oil
1 tomato
garlic
Pepper + salt
1 jar grape leaves

Mix the rice with olive oil until it sticks to itself. Dice the tomato and mix with the rice and olive oil. Spinkle in garlic, pepper, and salt until it smells like something delicious. Place a thin row of the mix at the base of a leaf (remember the rice will expand!)

To roll:

Take out a bunch of leaves. Trim the stems off (you can use scissors). Lay a leaf out on the plate. Put about a finger sized bunch of the mixture on the base of the inside of the leaf. Fold in the sides and roll it up. Place it on the inside of a pot snugly against the side. Start going around the outside and fill the bottom of the pot. Continue to layer on top until you make your desired amount or run out of leaves or mix. Any leftover mixture can be rolled into balls and placed on top. With the veg recipe just toss the res on top.

To cook:

Pour water in until you see it coming up around the sides of the top row of leaves. Add lemon juice until the water seems a little cloudy throughout. Cover the pot and bring to a boil on HIGH. When it comes to a boil put it down to low heat at a simmer. Go to another room in your house and wait until you can smell the grapeleaves. They are done! (sorry I literally have no idea how long they stay on the burner…cut one in half at about 30 minutes maybe?)

Eat with plant yogurt and thin pita bread. YUM RIGHT?

All photos were taken by or belong to Cheryl Rafuse