Spring Soup - Herbal Cold Remedy

It's spring time in the Rockies, which means 70 degrees in the city, raging blizzards in the mountains, and wind every afternoon. It also means it's the last round of illnesses floating around to catch the ill prepared victim... (This week it's Me and Mr. Crafty.)

So, I did what any good hedgewitch would - I went to the garden! Firstly, because it needs doing. It's tradition in our family to plant peas and radishes on St. Paddy's Day, but with the climate shifting I'm trying a week early this year. Thus, the beds must be turned! 

Secondly, to get some dandelions for eating. Gardener's reward.

 However, in my digging I discovered that I had missed a few carrots in the final harvest (Including that white one! It might be the biggest I've ever grown!? How?!) Which means that I can create the perfect remedy - soup. There's a reason that folk medicine around the world doses soups out for the common cold, hydration, warmth, salt, and herby goodness. Not to mention that it's tasty.

And so, my March harvest for soup included Dandelion greens and root, carrots (even a little sprig of greens!), leek, chives, and sage. Not pictured are the two non-homegrown ingredients - chicken and ginger root. A nice balance of nutrition, fuel for the body, and herbs to stimulate the immune system. Other good herbs that might be overwintering nicely include thyme, garlic, hyssop, oregano, yarrow, and lemon balm.

Why no noodles? Not needed, for me at least. I do recommend noodles over most other starches, however. Simple starches like potatoes and rice will spike the blood sugar which does not encourage good immune function. On that note, Orange juice is great for staving off sicknesses, but once you're sick try an herbal source of the C, like rosehips or nettles, to avoid the high sugar content of juice.

There you go, fresh foods for natural healing! It should be pointed out that our ancestors did not, as one might expect, struggle for food the most during the cold of winter. It would be the early spring that was toughest, when the stores were depleted but most crops were not yet thriving. Thus, very early wild foods like Dandelion, Arugula, Asparagus, and the like would be important forage in the spring!

It may be no instant cure, but I certainly feel better after a day in the sunshine and a nice bowl of hot soup! What's your favorite spring food?

Wormwood - Poison, or Healing Herb?

The Green Fairy 

The absinthe craze of the previous centuries has given Wormwood a rather large, and fearsome, reputation. Poets would claim it gave them visions, authorities would claim it poisoned drinkers. Some folks still claim it has properties, both magical and psychoactive. But this silvery leaf, "bitterest of herbs" is more mundane than we realize (I do not mean that as an insult!)

I discovered, some time ago, that the fragrant, soft-leaved plant growing next to my shrine is a member of the Artemisia family, most likely A. absinthium - wormwood. It makes a robust tea that causes the lips to tingle. But, isn't it dangerous? In the 19th c. there was great concern about the dangerous wormwood, supposedly laced with toxic wormwood in great quantities and causing madness in those who consumed it. 

However, it is far more likely that unscrupulous makers were attempting to get that prized "fairy green" color, and using toxic additives for color, including mercury compounds. And of course, Absinthe is a strong drink, perhaps in attempting to obtain an exciting high from the Thujone, people were simply becoming drunk!

A "dangerous" plant, looking rather innocent.

Modern testing to determine the usefulness of wormwood as a drug have shown that the Thujone content can vary wildly, growing conditions and strains can impact the concentrations in a variety of ways. But even the strongest plants had very small amounts, hardly enough to "get high". Similarly, the alcohols made from Wormwood (Which include Pernod, vermouth, and chartreuse) very in thujone concentrations, but are never very strong. (Let's be clear, they are strong in booz-ocity!)

But, as an herb it has many uses besides summoning hallucinations! It's soothing on the stomach, improves circulation, brings on the menses, and as the name suggest, it helps to expel parasites.  In fact, some people suggest its use around the house to repel insects! It can, however, if taken in vast quantities damage the kidneys. Then again, so can black tea.

Dried bundles for smudging.

Magically, it is connected with the graveyard. It is often used around Samhain for rites and cleansing, and to summon the spirits of the dead. I suppose that's a bit like having visions, but not quite how the romantic poets described it...

Strawberry Lemon Balm Popsicles

 We've had a bumper crop of tasty strawberries this year, the wet weather isn't dragging them down too much! But a really ripe, truly tasty, fresh strawberry (besides being a thing of perfect beauty) is an ephemeral joy. They don't keep long after being picked, and this patch is not the everbearing variety.

There's a number of ways to store such delights, but my recent favorite is in a summertime treat - popsicles! The molds are from IKEA, but they are easy to find in stores this time of year. Ready? Let's make some frozen goodness...

First, I figured out how much my molds would hold using water and the measuring cup. Next I picked out the ripest fruit and filled it to the line. I chopped the fruit, and finely diced fresh Lemon Balm leaf, and added a bit of water and some honey to fill up to two cups. I filled my popsicles and set them in the freezer.... and waited. (Hardest part)

 And so, on the next sunny day, it was ready! I poured a Sloe Gin Fizz (a few months made the magic happen!) and settled down in the yard to enjoy the flavors of spring.

I might need more popsicle makers, I'll want to stock up on these! It extends the season a little bit, but new delights are ripening as we speak. Perhaps peach later in the summer? YUM!

Lemon Balm - Lemony and Balmy!

There is one plant that has not minded any of the weather one bit  - Melissa Officinalis. Lemon Balm (Its Latin name refers to its attraction to bees.) is a voracious grower, after only a few seasons in my garden it has staked its claim on a sizable corner. And this year all of last year's bee touched seeds seem to have found homes in the soil. I'm evicting most of them to gift to friends.

 Lemon Balm is good medicine. It's mildly antiseptic, soothing to the stomach and liver, and the scent calms and focuses. It's often used for problems of tenseness and tight muscles and it encourages sleep. Essential oils of Lemon Balm are useful, but the smell is strong enough off the leaf to simply use the fresh stuff! Rubbing a leaf on one's skin discourages insects.

But wait, there's more! It's a tasty plant! The tastes as though one has already added lemon, with a slight zesty bite to it. I also enjoy making syrups (see my how-to post) to use for lemonades and cocktail. A friend has asked that I make large quantities for her wedding, so it must be ok?

In a few weeks the bees will be buzzing around, and I'll be kicking back with a Lemon Balm mojito. Cheers!

Garden Update - It's Stopped Raining! Edition

 Usually, in Colorado, we like it when it rains. We were not, however, prepared for almost 30 straight days of cold wet weather, and it's put a damper on the garden season.


However, many of my crops that I got in early a thriving. The peas are podding, doing well with the sunshine. (Yes those are bindweed behind the pea plants, it's a scaffold for the peas to grow o- Don't Judge me!) The beets and carrots both look better than ever, they haven't much minded the cold, except being slow to come up. I added lots and lots of ash to the soil, hopefully I'll get a good crop of both this year!

The tomatoes, however, have not enjoyed this. In seedling form they were doing great! But the chill and wet caused many deaths in the ground. Let's be clear, I did not let them freeze! I'm not that bad of a plant momma. But 32 seedlings have turned into less than 10 surviving plants. I'm not even going to show the 4 remaining eggplants, or discuss their pepper friends who perished.

Cucumbers came up after three plantings (the first two were washed out by overflowing gutters.) And the ever-present tomatillos... I've potted several to inflict the invasive pest gift to other gardeners.

How does your garden grow?

Blessed Beltane!

This weekend us in the northern hemisphere are celebrating the warming spring, the returning green, and fertile times ahead! My garden is starting to get moving, with most of it planted.

This little guy, my white sage, is blooming for the first time, just in time to feed the bees! Blessings!

Garden Season

First World Garden Problems - when you want to shovel manure but you have to fix your wheelbarrow first...

I've had this since I moved into my house five years ago, and time (my neglect) has not always been kind. Finally, the last straw, the wheel kept falling off and going flat. So I ran to the store to get a new tube, and a longer axle, and.... since I was there I figured I'd tackle the rust. Shiney red enamel baby!

TIL - It's way harder to change a flat on a wheelbarrow than on a bike. Like holy shit, this took me about an hour, and my hands still hurt, and I got blisters. Blisters. Not from shoveling or raking, my hands have good callouses for that. I got blisters from using a tire tool to jam the inner tube into the 1/4 inch gap around the rim.

Also, apparently this tire is "Not for Highway Use", which really puts a damper on my plans to strap on the roller skates and jetpack and cruise this guy up I-70. Thanks a lot safety warning...

Hopefully I can get all my plants in the ground tomorrow morning, as several days of rainy weather are predicted!

A Dead Hedge for a Lively Garden

As the season warms a number of garden projects are getting underway. This year, among other things, I am making some new beds in underused parts of the yard. And adding some privacy. Mr. Crafty has been asking for more solid fencing since he moved in, and we have a dog now who will pace and charge the fence when other dogs are about. (Yes, we are training her out of it, no it's not happened yet...)

I first heard about dead hedges in the BBC's fantastic history programs concerning  historic farming. It was commonly used as stock fencing in spots that a live hedge wasn't growing. But there are a number of important features of a dead hedge that make it useful in the modern garden as well.
1.) It uses up material that does not compost well unless you have a mulching machine.
2.) It offers important habitat to many wild garden friends, including native bees!
3.) It's basically free. I bought a few sturdy stakes to complement my scavenged branches.

 Here it is growing and shaping up. As other parts of the yard get cleared out and suckers get trimmed down I keep finding more and more material to add to it. I've been digging my new veggie bed right in front of it and that has yielded tree roots as well.

And now, spring has sprung, the grass is painfully green, there are rows of beets planted, and the hedge is almost to the top of the fence. It will compact with time so I will have to keep adding to it. Fortunately, I have plenty of pruning yet to go, so there will be no lack of materials!

Get out and put your hands in the soil@

Greenin' Time

It's that time of year again - garden fever is gripping me and seeds are being sown. I started tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in greenhouse boxes (upcycled lettuce bins) back in February. Yeah, when it's cold and snowy I plant seeds, totally makes sense. I'm preparing to transplant into little paper pots (see my how-to about it here), and very soon they will be clamoring to go out into the ground!

 Of course, as family tradition dictates, the peas were planted on St. Patty's. As were radishes and carrots. All plants that can stand a snowfall or two, which we will certainly have before summer is fully here.

And in the herb beds, new leaves are appearing. Last winter it never became harsh enough to force many of my perennials into dormancy. This year most of them lost all leaves, had stems broken off, and generally disappeared into the ground. I'm waiting anxiously to see if they all return!

It's the season for preparation, what are you doing in your garden?

Plant Dyes - Bindweed

Another round of plant dying experiments. This time I'm targeting perhaps the most plentiful plant material on our property - Bindweed. That's right, I wasn't neglecting my weeding, I was collecting important dyestuffs! 

In to a pot it went, covered with water and boiled for several hours, then left overnight.

My resource is an old book,  perfect for my project! Rocky Mountain Dye Plants by Anne Bliss (What a great name!) It has a broad swath of plants, identification information, and descriptions of the colors achieved with different mordents.

The fibers are Lincoln roving, Norwegian top spun chunky, and 2-ply Irish wool, plus some crewel wool.

First, the wool must be soaked, then simmered in alum as a mordent. While that was happening I removed the plant material from the dye pot, as bindweed is a tangly mess it was pretty easy! As always, a few leafy bits remained.

I simmered the wool on low for several hours, then left it overnight again to cool. The color hadn't deepened much since the day before.

It took several rinses to remove the excess dye, but the color didn't fade in the least!

After drying in the sun it was looking a pleasant creamy gold. The color is a bit light for me, in the future I'll need to pack in some more bindweed! Or, it may be because the plants were gathered at the end of the season, a comparative dye might need to happen next spring. I can bet that there will be lots of bindweed again...

Wild Cucurbits in the Garden

Wild and out of control! Squirrels, as any gardener will know, love to raid the compost and deposit pilfered seeds about the yard. I am used to having a few volunteer tomatoes, sunflowers, and of course Cucurbits! The trouble with the cucurbita family is that the first few leaves are almost identical. One could play a guessing game - pumpkin or cucumber? Melon or zucchini? Most of them get (sadly) plucked out in order to maintain some semblance of order.

These two lovelies, however, decided to grow around the trunk of our recently deceased tree. I gave them no encouragement, I did instruct Mr. Crafty to mow around them. So, like any good guest, in exchange for a little yard space they have provided me with some mysterious squash yummies.

You see, across the Cucurbita family, cross-pollenation is to be expected. I have heard tale of pump-alopes, cuke-inni, and other hybrids. (Such as my Pattypan Ghost!) These two seem to be different decendants from an acorn squash, each diverging in it's own fashion. We will see if they maintain the tasty flesh of their ancestors...

Do you leave volunteer veggies in your garden? Have you had any delicious surprises?

Plant Dyes - Elderberry

I dedicated myself in the summer to building my repertoire  of plant dyes in the next year. Since one must gather as the year turns, it was time for Elderberries. It's the last of the season for berries, most had begun to wither and dry on the trees. Since I did some very large batches of syrup earlier in the year all the berries I gathered wen into the dye pot.

For the dye materials, I got into my Spinzilla stash. Irish wool, sock-weight Lincoln, and a loop of Lincoln roving. It was all pre-mordanted by soaking in alum and hot water for several hours while the dye bath simmered. Mordanting outside of the dye bath works better, as the mordant can bind up dye particles thus making them unavailable for binding to the fiber.

I left the fiber to soak in the residual heat from the simmering overnight. Plant dyes seem to need loooong soaking! Elderberry is usual considered a fugitive dye, that means that it is not terribly colorfast. (Despite how one's kitchen looks after cooking with it!) I have read some research which suggest that one can add vinegar to create a very acid bath and make a better, more long-lasting color. I thought that after one night the color was a little pale, so I placed it over low heat for another day, and let it set overnight.  I also added more white vinegar.

 The next morning the color was more purple, and had set in a little bit more. It still had a few elderberries floating around and adding in color!

 I washed the fiber, and it became disappointingly pale pink, not a bad color really, just a bit less intense than the dye water made it seem! After hanging outside to dry the color had matured to a more gray-purple. Nice and heathered. I'm planning to let the fiber sit for a while in a light room before knitting in case it fades completely!

For a first shot at this color it's not bad. Next up I'll be moving away from the food-based dyes (Which tend to be less colorfast) and into wild plants and trees. Bindweed seems like a perfect choice as there is no lack of it right outside my back door! How do you push your craft skills?

Beltane Fires

Blessed Beltane! Merry Mayday! Happy Walpurgis, International Workers Day, Valborg or any other excuses you have to build a bonfire and party with your comrades.

Beltane is an interesting transition time, officially spring begins on Eostre, the equinox, but around here the cold weather is clinging on. Colorado is notorious for unpredictable climes, and I know well enough to not put out the tomatoes until May Day as we can get snow 10 months of the year here in the city. So we are now moving into a steady warm season, with ever lengthening days and the greening earth.

Flower crown tutorial.

Traditionally Beltane was celebrated throughout the British Isles, honoring the sun god Bel. Great fires would be built and the livestock was run between two fires on their way out to summer pastures. This practice may have arisen from attempts to scare away evil spirits, or the more practical scaring off of predators and competition. Walpurgis and all it's relatives were also based around bonfires and merry-making.

Photo by Roddy Macd

In the earlier days of Industrialization and socialist movements May Day became International Workers Day. Besides being a day of celebration, it has been suggested that the largely rural farming workforce that was transitioning to factory work still enjoyed the holiday even after the older traditions (like running livestock) had dropped out of it.

Link

No matter the focus of your celebration, this is a time of new awakenings and fresh starts. As we in the northern hemisphere enjoy the coming bounty and fertility of the land, raise a glass to the fire, to the land, and to the people who work it!

Harvest Goodies

 We had our first frost a few weeks ago, and that meant it was time to do some gleaning. We've had a strange year, very hot and dry in early spring, then wet, then very hot again, then a biblical flood. Tomatoes have certain conditions they prefer, and night temperatures can really affect the ripening. I had a huge number of big green tomatoes that just would not turn!

 Fortunately, green tomatoes are not a waste. One can make fried green tomatoes, chow chow, chutneys, pickled tomatoes etc. I however, like to let them ripen so I can enjoy fresh tomatoes on my salad in January.

We've always kept tomatoes to ripen, wrapped individually in newspaper and placed in a box. The box should be in a cool still corner to let them slowly mature. Be very careful about not placing bruised, frozen or split tomatoes in the box. One rotten fruit will spread to a whole section of box!

We've also had a bumper crop of lovely juicy pears from our Fruit Share. We're getting two bags at a time, and they all seem to come ripe at the same time! I did a quick fix on the last dozen pears before leaving on this trip, Pear Sauce.

 These golden juicy beauties went right in the processor, peels still on. They were very very ripe, I could actually pull the seeds out from the stem!

 Pureed smooth, then I just brought them up to a boil. I added some nutmeg for a little Fall flavor, and a little lemon. I didn't want to cook them for a long time, it doesn't make the sauce any better and it breaks down nutrients. They get a fair bit of cooking in the canning process anyway!

They were jarred, and then boiled in my canning pot for 15 minutes. The darkening from oxidation seems to have disappeared after that cooking, leaving  a nice camel color flecked with flavor! These will be just the right size for lunch snacks, or for pouring over potato latkes.

I hope everyone else had a bumper crop too! Coming soon, news from New Zealand, where it is spring time and the lambs are super cute!

First Harvest - Radishes

I picked my first radish today. Ok, picked is a bit of a fib, the root was hanging almost entirely out of the ground, and I couldn't resist that rosy red tuber! It's been very rainy and strangely cool, so the radishes are growing quickly and not getting tough or too spicy.

In fact, I ate the whole thing. I couldn't resist munching a leaf while I ran inside to show my boyfriend.
"LOOKLOOKIGOTMYFIRSTRADISH!"
"Oh!... Congratulations?"
*Munch munch munch*

I love the delicate spice of these (French Breakfast Radish, if you're wondering why it's so long.) and they can grow rather tightly. I'll be pruning out the fastest growers over the next few weeks, and when they are tender enough I eat the greens whole too. You can saute the greens if you don't like the fuzzy leaves, but I wouldn't let a garden fresh radish top go to waste! Or, when I want French Breakfast for breakfast, I slice up the root and leaves and cook them in an omelet with a light cheese.

I also make a light and tasty salad with them. I use a mandolin (The type that slices your fingertips, not the instrument) to finely shred several radishes and a crisp celery stalk. Then dress the veggies with a light vinaigrette and some sesame seeds. Hungry yet?

What's your first fruits of the summer growing season? Do you have a favorite way to eat radishes?

Salve Making

 I've been exploring herbal medicine for a few years now, and my repertoire of useful items keeps expanding, as does the cupboard space I keep them in...

After last summer's intense heat and bad sunburns I decided it was time for something a little more soothing than the aloe, I'd use it with aloe of course, but when I burn I need some serious moisture! I infused chamomile and rosemary in olive oil, letting them sit in the sun of my kitchen window for a few weeks.

 The other ingredient is beeswax, all natural with that slight whiff of honey to it! I used about one cup infused oils, and one ounce beeswax. You can add 20-30 drops of essential oils or a tablespoon of vitamin E oil as well.

 Melt the wax in a double boiler, make candles, then pour into a container. Note that once a container is used for wax related stuff it's tricky to clean it all the way, so just dedicate those jar to ever be for salve making and wax melting.

I stirred the salve while it was cooling to make a light fluffy concoction, better for smearing on sensitive burns and rashes. Simple, effective, wholesome and free of unknown scary long -named chemicals!

Do you make body products for yourself at home?

Tea Time

Every morning my "Mr Coffee" bubbles and steams, but it doesn't have roast beans inside. Personally I've never like coffee, and the caffeine doesn't seem to make me more productive.

I prefer to fill my carafe with herbs and spices, and let the infusion wake me up by scalding my tongue. (Pro-tip, not actually a good way to wake up.) Officially any soaked herb water other than Camellia sinensis is called a tisane, and I prefer the herbal stuff. It may seem rather daunting and complex to find good, inexpensive, delicious herbal concoctions, but you may be able to start in your kitchen and backyard.

Photo - http://www.thehomeherbalist.com/roman-chamomile-essential-oil/

Chamomile is a common tea, but it need not be relegated to bedtime! Besides calming, it helps fever, upset stomach, and menstrual cramps. It is antiseptic and makes a great external wash for wounds, bug bites and rashes. I find it likes to mix with many different flavors, thyme, berries, lemon balm, and rose all mix nicely with chamomile.

Photo - http://semiswede.com/2011/06/09/elderflower-liqueur/

Elderflowers are delicate enchanting blooms with a heady scent and light flavor. Many a fine liquor and jam is flavored with elderflower. Elderflower bushes are said to host fairies, and you should always ask the Elder plant's permission to pick anything from it. The flowers help with fevers and lung problems, and sore throats. I like Elderflower by itself for the delicate taste.

Photo- http://theherbgardener.blogspot.com/2007/11/sage-is-good-for-more-than-stuffing.html

Sage is truly an unappreciated herb, it belongs in more than sausages and stuffing! It is antiseptic and drying, so it can be used to calm sweating and mucous. It's a wonderful gargle for sore throats. It helps slow diarrhea. I like it best with elderberry or rosehips to give it a fruity edge.

Photo - http://juniperdesert.com/beauty/lavenderforburns

Lavender is a classic culinary and medicinal herb. It's calming and soothing effects pair nicely with it's musty heady smell. The oil is slightly antiseptic and soothes cuts and burns. As a tea it calms and relaxes, allays headaches and nausea. I like it best with other flowers, like chamomile and rose, but lavender shines quite well on it's own!

The best herb teas are made with water just under boiling, and left to infuse for quite a while. Use a little local honey if you like it sweet, the medicinal effects of honey will enhance the medicinal effects of most herbs. More importantly it's tasty! What is your drink of choice in the morning?