Herbs 2012

Every year I like to introduce a couple of new herbs into my garden. I am really drawn to plants that provide dual purposes: beauty and food or medicine. This year we plan to grow arnica, astragalus, stinging nettle and motherwort.

Arnica would be a great addition to our homestead. Mark starts his spring shearing our sheep and he also earns money from shearing sheep. This can be very hard on those muscles that have been dormant through the winter. Early spring is also a good time to have sore muscles from the excitement of spring garden chores. Arnica is used externally. I plan to make a salve with the leaves and use it as a linament for sore muscles, sprains. I will also tincture it in some 80% proof vodka for foot baths.

Atragalus has many uses for women. It is good for anemia, the roots are good for grounding, it is also a good herb, in conjunction with others, for decreasing breast cysts. Astragalus is also a good herb for boosting the immune system.

Stinging nettle will be planted in a part of the garden where I want some plants to just grow crazy. Herbs in this spot are mint and comfrey. Stinging nettle is good for anemia. The seeds and flowers are good as a hair rinse. Nettles are high in mineral and vitamin content. It is also a cure for diarrehea.

Motherwort brings on delayed menstrual flow, eases uterine cramping. Motherowrt is helper through menopause by relaxing and supporting the body through menopause.

I recommend The Woman's book of Herbs by Deb Soule and Common Herbs for Natural Health by Juliette de Bairacli.

Seed Order

We've been pondering seeds this week. Perhaps the warmer weather has me itching for spring and the return of gardening season.

Each year we try to refine the kinds of crops we grow to be the most efficient for the space we have. I have been trying to concentrate on those crops that will produce the best yield and nutrition. I would like a good balance between crops that can just go into cold storage as opposed to crops that need to be processed. I also try to balance crops that we can eat through out the growing season and crops we can can put up. Each year I also like to try something new. This year there are a couple of new crops we plan to grow and a couple of new methods for growing some.

This year I am not growing sweet corn. We eat a fair amount of it during the summer and I also like to put up a bit in the freezer. Growing this much sweet corn would take up a lot of space and compost. I can find some really nice organic sweet corn at the Farmer's market. So I am going to take 20.00 this summer and buy all the corn I need for our freezer. I do plan to grow some dry field corn this year. Fedco seed company has a nice , very pretty, variety called Painted mountain. I think for the the energy put into the growing of the corn this might give us the best yield. I tried growing corn with the three sisters last year and found that small critters ate our winter squash that has growing under the corn. This year I am going to grown dry beans,black coco, under our corn. The beans will still work as a nitrogen fixer to the soil. The amount of work that goes into processing the dry beans and the corn can wait until I have time to work on it, once they are dry. The great thing about both these crops is that the seed is easily saved for next year.

Winter squash is a winter staple for us. It can be stuffed, put into breads, muffins and soups. It is easy to store and if any should get spots it can be processed later in the winter when there is more time. I saw an absolutely beautiful squash last fall at a friends house. It was called a Marina di Chiogga. It is like a pumpkin. It is green when it is mature. It has warty bumps all over it. It stores extremely well and turns orange the following spring. The taste is supposedly wonderful.

There are a few more herbs I am adding to the herb garden this year: arnica, astragalus, stinging nettle and motherwort. These are all perennials. I start these herbs from seed. It is very affordable this way and I also get to share extras with friends (doing my bit for the informal economy). Tomorrow I will explain why I chose these herbs for our garden.

While we wait to get into the garden we are starting seeds however. I have started brilliant celeric , celery root.I have also started leeks and bunching onions. These all need a little longer to get started and can be put out before the last frost.

What are you planning to grow this year?

A simple remedy

So Mark and Evan went fishing the other day. There is a nice little fishing hole around the corner. This is Evan's first year fishing and it is something they enjoy. The anticipation and disappointment that Evan feels about fishing is tempered by Mark's wise statement, " They call it fishing, not catching."

Well the last time they went out Mark caught something...poison ivy.

Jewel weed is a wild herb that usually grows where ever there is poison ivy. I have often used it if I get the rash common from too much time in the raspberry patch. You can pick the herb and crush it and rub it on the rash. Mark can attest to the immediate relief it provides to the rash:)

The rash was still bothering him this morning and it looks as though it may have spread. So I thought that something with a little more staying power might be called for; I made a jewel weed salve.

This makes about 4-6 ounces of Salve. All measurements are approximate.

Jewel weed salve

2 cups of fresh jewel weed.

1 cup olive oil

1 ounce of bees wax

a double boiler

a rubber spatula

small strainer

clean 1/2 pint jar.

Fill the bottom portion of the double boiler with water. In the top portion of the double boiler put fresh jewel weed and olive oil. Bring water to boil. Heat the oil and weed together. Stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes. I stopped once the weed looked like I had cooked all the life essence out of it. Strain weed from oil. I tried to press as much of the oil out of the weed. Return the oil back to the top part of the double boiler. I use the rubber spatula to make sure that I return as much as I can back to the pot. Bring water back to a boil and add the bees wax. When wax has melted pour into a clean 1/2 pint jar. Don't forget to label the jar!

Soon after it was made I saw Mark outside scratching the affected area. I brought it out to him and he had long lasting relief from it. It can be a little goopy but very affective! Tonight he will take an oatmeal bath to dry out the affected areas.

Who needs an ocean of calamine lotion?

Eating my lawn: Wild Herbs for Health

I had the most amazing experience last night! Our local herb shop offered a class called Wild Herbs for Health. It was part wild foods class and part herbal medicine class. I was the only student who showed up so I had my own private tutorial! It was taught by the owner of the shop; a simply amazing woman with so much knowledge and very interesting perspective on the state of our current affairs.

Because of her deep connection to the earth she is noticing some changes in the timing of when certain plants are blooming. For instance she has noticed yarrow is starting to bloom a full month before it should. She attributes this to the swing in temperatures that we have had this spring. The plant is under stress and so it blooms early. She also commented on the more political/economic turmoil we are going through now. At the same time she is finding more wild foods and herbs around her home; as if the earth were assuring her that there will be food.

As for that food it is abundant! She showed me 45 plants that grow in our area that can be eaten. There are many more but since her concentration was on the herbal uses of the plants she chose plants that can suit a dual purpose. Some of the plants I knew; dandelion, burdock, yarrow, clover, strawberry, raspberry, plantain, staghorn sumac, jewel weed, milkweed, mullien. But there were many others that I did not know. There were quite a few that I recognized but did not know their name or uses. Many I recognized were right on my own property; Horsetail, bunch berry, trillium, purslane.

Many of these plants can be eaten as a salad or tea. Some of these plants seeds can be ground into a flour. We discussed making tinctures and salves from some of the plants. Some of the plants can be applied directly as a poultice.

It is easy to think that as times grow harder for folks that we will have to do without. After the age of peak oil it is easy to wonder what happens if there are no more antibiotics. But Staghorn sumac has antibiotic properties. Burdock roots are high in insulin...up to 50%. For myself I wonder what would happen if I could not get steroids for MS. There are many herbs with anti-inflammatory properties. There is still much more to learn to feel confident in the uses of some of the herbs.

But in the end there is great wealth in the learning.

Eating my lawn: Strawberry Leaf

After a week of rain it is a difficult task to ward off the man of the house and his lawn mower. Fortunately, the mower did not start today and he had to resort to scything some grass for the goat and ram. We set up the netted electric fence to move the ewes into the orchard to start fertilizing some of the trees. They enjoy the fresh green of pasture and after a week of rain they are grateful for the change of scenery from their damp shed. Mower! We don't need not stinky mower!

The sun is still a little shy today and we are supposed to have rain for a few more days here. A lot of seeds have sprouted in the garden but they all could use a little sun and heat to really take off. In the meanwhile I am still collecting dandelion greens and flowers and strawberry leaf.

We have an abundance of wild strawberry in our yard. I have been collecting bunches of the leaves to dry. Strawberry leaf is very high in vitamin C. Juliet de Bairacli Levy, in her book Common Herbs for Natural Health, recommends strawberry leaf tea used internally for fever, improving vitality, anemia, improving your appetite, regulating menstruation and as a stomach aide. Externally the tea can be used as soothing lotion for eczema which my little guy is prone to have during the winter and spring.

My goal this year is to provide all our herbal tea needs. We drink a fair amount of it in our home;especially, in the winter. I have spearmint, lemon balm, bee balm( aka bergomot), chamomile and catnip. Some wild foods will fill out this collections of teas. Dandelion and strawberry leaf are just the start. This week I hope to collect wild raspberry leaf too!

In My Herb Garden

Yesterday I shared my goals for my garden and some of my seed list for this coming growing season. Jennie asked about the list of herbs I plan to start growing this year. I thought I would share with you a little bit about these herbs and why I have chosen them for my garden.

Elecampane is an herb that relaxes the lungs and helps to clear mucus. It has antibacterial and antifungal properties. It is also known as scabwort for its ability help with skin disorders. After the plant has established itself the roots can be harvested in the fall. It is a tall perennial with bright yellow flowers.

Lovage can flavor soups with its celery flaovor. It can restore appetite and a zest for life. It also attracts beneficial insects.

Borage can be used in a cough syrup. It has a cool flavor like cucumber which can be added to salads. It is a source of gamma linolenic acid, or Omega 6 fatty acid. This plant can spread so it will have its own special spot where it can roam a bit. I am attracted to this herbs anti-inflammatory propertied

Feverfew will easily reseed itself. It can be used for headache, improve liver health and promote an healthy menstrual flow.

Motherwort is used by women during life transitions. Combined with some other herbs it contributes to a tonic that can relieve hot flashes.

Lavender is calming. I love the smell and plan to use this herb in some handmade gifts such as little pillows for aiding sleep.

Chamomille is an all round great herb. I use it to make a calming tea. I will use it as a rinse in my hair. I will pour some in a relaxing bath.

Toothache plant numbs the mouth when chewed. It can stimulate the immune system much like echinacea.

These herbs will join the yarrow, mullein, echinacea, lemon balm, mint, catnip,oregano thyme, comfrey that I transplanted last fall. I chose these plants for their medicinal properties but also because they will add some lovely color to my garden. I love plants that can do double duty.

I have multiple sclerosis and can not enjoy some of the immune boosting benefits of some of these herbs. But my family can. I am also a woman of a certain age (44) and I have noticed changes as I become fully steeped in peri-menopause, so some of these herbs will also provide some relief to some the symptoms associated with this time in my life.

Some books that I find most useful as I learn more about herbs include, The Woman's Book of Herbs by Deb Soule, the founder of Avena Botanicals. Common Herbs for Natural Health by Juliette de Baircali, The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook by James Green and finally a wonderfully beat up copy of the Rodale Herb Book that I found on Paperback Book Swap.