Lavender - One Quick and Easy Way to Work With Herbs

A few weeks ago, the lavender patch here was in full bud stage, the perfect harvest stage. At the time, we were getting ready to go to the powwow which my friend was coordinating. So, that morning I quickly cut it, placed it in thin layers in paper bags, and threw it in the car. It went to powwow with us. With the hot weather and busy schedule, I was looking for a quick and easy project for this newsletter. Let’s process the lavender, Perfect! If you are time crunched and it’s time for harvest, this works to save and process the harvest of a number of herbs. And this is the perfect summer time project for a hot day when you would rather be relaxing in the cool shade of a tree. The intro picture for this article is actually the beginning of the second bloom for this lavender patch.

So - here is quick and easy lavender processing. All told, I spent about four hours on the entire process.

1) With sharp pruners or scissors, cut the blossom stems at bud stage. Place the bud stems gently in a paper bag in a thin layer. Dry these in a warm and dry spot until the lavender is brittle.

2) When the lavender is brittle, strip the buds from the stems with your fingers. I worked one stem at a time. It took me about ½ hour for each bag. I ended up with some stem ends with the buds which I didn’t worry about.

3) Make lavender sachets with the stemmy parts of the lavender. As you are working, the finer parts will drop to the bottom of the pan. These sachets only take a few minutes. The way I did them is in the Buy Me a Coffee article.

4) Pack the finer parts of the lavender in a glass jar and store in a cool and dark place.

5) I cut the second harvest of buds. Fresh lavender can be easily braided and hung to dry or bundled for tea.

Working with herbs doesn’t have to be a big and difficult process. Sometimes, the simple techniques are just the ticket.

Click on the link to read the more complete article with the instructions for sachets and how to make tea.

My Top 7 Rules for Sustainable Foraging

As I am putting this newsletter together, I am enjoying the bright summer flavors of the fruit that I am harvesting. I have been harvesting wild black raspberries for three weeks now and it has been an incredible harvest this year. In the next week or so, the raspberry harvest will wind down and the blackberry harvest will start. Both berries are abundant around the block where I am. In this location, they usually overlap by one to two weeks. All told, I forage for berries here for six to eight weeks in the mid summer. In the fall, I forage for wild grapes, pears, and rose hips.

I do a lot of foraging right now. I have been doing some foraging for most of my life, but in the last 30 years, it has made the difference between thriving in abundance and struggling from day to day. Many of the supplies for my art, my jewelry, and my crafts are gathered from the spaces around me. The herbs that I gather have treated scrapes, cuts, bites, and more. The fruit that I harvest is a healthy addition to my diet and are much better than store bought.

I am by no means an expert, and not everything in my life comes from foraging, but I do consider learning about what is in your near environment to be a basic skill. Most places have something that can be used to create baskets, fences, furniture, and structures. It is important to know what is edible and medicinal, and what can be used to create tools. Just as important as knowing what is dangerous to mess with. If you haven’t foraged before, find some good books and resources on the topic, take a class, or go foraging with someone who is experienced. Above all, be safe and remember that your end goal is to have fun exploring, and to increase your resiliency in a sustainable way.

Here are my top 7 rules for sustainable foraging.

1) Never take the first. On a plant that produces seeds, that first fruit is the one that has the potential to create an earlier harvest in the future.

2) Never take the last. That last fruit produces seeds that have the greatest potential for creating a later harvest in the future.

3) Never take all. (Unless it is an invasive species) There are other creatures and people in that environment that also are relying on that harvest. Be kind. A sustainable environment and harvest feeds all creatures that rely on those plants for survival. And what drops may create the plants for the future harvest.

4) Harvest from safe places. Be aware of where you are placing your feet, hands, and body. Know what plants, animals, and insects are there. Stay off of things that shift. Stay out of toxic environments.

5) Stay off of private property unless you have permission to be there. Most property owners do not like trespassers. Being on private property without permission is dangerous, illegal, and unethical in most cases.

6) Only take what you need, can use, and can store or share.

7) Know the status of the plants you are harvesting. Endangered plants are an absolute NO for casual foraging. Endangered plants should only be managed by those who know how to sustain them. If it is a known invasive, like kudzu in the U.S., be careful. Take it without spreading it. These invasive plants can be highly useful, but they are causing damage where they are invading. If you can harvest these without spreading them, most people are happy to have them gone.

There are other sets of rules for foraging, but these will get you started on the right foot. Remember, your overall goal is your own abundance and resiliency and the abundance and sustainability of the environment. Ethical foraging does both.

Oh, and by the way, here is how I make fruit shrub with my harvest.

Grandmother Spider

Grandmother Spider works through the night

To weave the web holding the cycle of life

The gossamer webs an illusive path

Upon which the dreams of The Goddess dance

Manifesting for a minute then fading away

To be seen again in the dew of a new day

And for a little bit more

Events

July 11 - World Population Day

July 14 - Bastille Day

July 20 - Moon Day

July 21 - Full Moon

July 24 - Amelia Earhart Day

July 26 - Summer Olympics Begin

August 4 - New Moon, Next Newsletter

Chamomile

My first experience with chamomile came on a farm that I had just purchased. Along the side of the walk and in the cracks of the concrete there was a feathery leafed plant. In late spring, these plants put out an abundance of small daisy like flowers. Stepping on this plant and brushing against it released an aroma that was absolutely heavenly. So I started digging into my books to find out what I had. Chamomile!

There are two species of chamomile that are commonly used medicinally. German Chamomile, Matrecania chamomila, is an annual. Roman Chamomile, Chamaemelan Nbile, is a perennial. They look similar and have similar medicinal qualities. These are both members of the asteraceae or daisy family.

Chamomile is a gentle but powerful herb that has been documented since ancient Greece and Egypt as a remedy for a large number of health complaints. The ancient Egyptians called it a heal all.

The primary use for chamomile is for its soothing and calming effects on the body. Most people who are familiar with the herb, take it for this effect on the nervous system. It also helps soothe the digestive tract and the mucus membranes. It tends to have a calming effect on the bodies smooth muscle tissue.

Chamomile is commonly used topically to remedy a number of skin issues. These include the care of minor cuts and scrapes, and insect bites. It may help relieve eczema. In Germany, it is used for diaper rash. It seems to help promote cellular regeneration.

While chamomile is generally considered safe enough and gentle enough for daily use for adults and to soothe children, you should always consult your medical provider or a qualified herbalist before starting an herbal regimen. Some of the noted cautions for chamomile are for people taking blood thinners, sedatives, anti-depressants, and those who are pregnant. If you are allergic to any member of the asteraceae family such as ragweed, sunflower, daisy, or others, you may be allergic to chamomile.

On the farm, I had four young children. The youngest, my daughter, consistently had trouble getting to sleep. On a regular basis, (once every couple of weeks), this child would wander back out of her room because she couldn’t sleep.

Here is my remedy:

Warm a small cup of goat’s milk to just cooler than scalding in the microwave.

Steep one teaspoon chamomile buds in the hot goat’s milk until the milk cools to a nice drinking temperature.

Sweeten the drink with a bit of honey, and lots of cuddles.

After this night time treat is drank, send the child back to bed for a good night’s sleep.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful herb as much as I do.

Mourning Dove

When I was young, occasionally during the summer I would hear the haunting coohoo call of a bird that I did not know. At that time, that call was not commonly heard in the small town where I grew up. This mournful call would pull at my heart strings and at the edges of my subconscious. My father called the bird that was making this call a Rain Crow.

It was a couple of years before I actually put the bird and the call together. I was looking for a black bird. Instead, it was a bird with a rosy grey-brown back and a peachy breast. The Mourning Dove is one of a handful of birds that are commonly called a Rain Crow. Other names for this bird are Rain Dove, and Carolina Turtle Dove. My 10 year old self thought that it was called a morning dove. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, this beautiful bird was not nearly as common as it is today. I am not finding any citations that it was ever truly threatened, but they were not a common sight at the time. However, most bird species were being challenged in the early 20th century by environmental pesticides and lead.

The Mourning Dove seems to prefer the spaces that humans have “tamed”. These are largely open spaces with ample low to medium shrubs and resting places a few feet off of the ground. These birds are primarily seed eaters and as such are vulnerable to bits of lead, plastic, and toxins that accumulate on the grass and weed seeds in small cities. All this said, they do seem to be doing well at this time in these spaces.

I see and hear this symbol of peace, healing, and harmony most often in the mornings as I walk my dog around the block or right before a storm blows in. Even now, they pull at my heart strings. They remind me to slow down and savor all that life has to offer. Their mournful call reminds me to breathe and to live every day as if it is a celebration.

To read more about the symbolism of the Mourning Dove, go to the article on Manitu Okahas Studio.

And I'm Not The Only One

Here are a couple of places to find more information.

Here are a couple of field guides that I like.

DK Eyewitness Handbooks

Peterson Field Guides

Some one I'm following:

My first exposure to the old fashioned fruit shrub drink was during a lecture by Amy Blackthorn. She is an herbalist, aromatherapist, author, mystic, and more.