still diggin' on violets

I've been going out to the yard and picking up all sorts of "weeds" to make lunch or dinner with lately. At first, I was just out of lettuce, but now I turn to the yard first and fridge second. Dandelion, chickweed, purple deadnettle--and my favorite--violet leaves.

I finally got around to making that violet syrup, too. I picked as many violet blossoms as I thought made sense in the yard, which didn't seem to add up to much in the mason jar. I wonder why they seem to only grow in our yard, but neither of our neighbors'? I poured boiling water over the blossoms and let them sit in the closed jar for two days, even though only 24 hours were suggested (I had to go out of town). Afterwards, I strained the liquid through a cheesecloth, combined it with what I deemed to be an equal part of local honey from the food co-op, and simmered it for over a half hour. It smelled fantastic, and made about 12 oz.

Tansy

Gloria picked some of the tansy (tanacetum vulgare) invading her yard and brought it to our permaculture guild meeting for Meg today. I stuck my nose over the bag and breathed in deep--and it smelled incredible! The leaves are feathery and fern-like, and it hasn't gone to flower yet. Gloria said that tansy relieves headaches, and also can be used to keep ants away.

Some sources say it can be tinctured to treat gout, or to treat spasms. It also has a reputation for killing intestinal worms. Susun Weed says that tansy is an abortifacant and emmenogogue.

Sources
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/t/tansy-05.html
http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/November04/anti-cancer.htm
http://www.sisterzeus.com/Tansy.htm

Pay attention!

Today I was playing with my friend's 1 year old in the yard outside Clara's, and I thought I'd bust out one of my godson's favorite games: "Mimi fall down." This game mostly involves me falling down, and then saying in a silly way, "ohhhhh nooo!" This one year old also seemed to be a big fan. So I started getting pretty into my routine of getting up, then dramatically toppling over, when I fell right on top of something prickly. Ouch!

This thing seemed to be trying to get me to pay attention to something, so I figured I'd best do a google image search for "prickly weed." I'm not completely sure, but signs point to Scotch Thistle (Onopordum acanthium). What a lovely find! Scotch Thistle is a heart tonic, and used as a cardiac stimulant. This site has a lot of good advice on how to cook various parts of the plant.

Resources
http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/o/onopordum-acanthium=scotch-thistle.php
http://www.weleda.co.nz/scotch-thistle-onopordum/w1/i1003464/
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/weeds/msg091533545748.html

How dry is dry?

Checked on the purple deadnettle I hung up to dry this morning, and it's hard to say if they're dry enough or not. The leaves are indeed dry, but they don't crumble in my hand, so I remember reading they should. Another day or so?

Violets

I think violets catch your eye because they want you to use them. They want to to stop, and gasp, and think "isn't that pretty." Then they want you to think "...what if I nibbled on one?" Honestly, violets are like those little candies in the store that appeal to children--tiny, bite-size, brightly colored, cute as hell, and just plain full of good cheer.

Unlike most children's candies, violets are packed with minerals and vitamins, like A and C. They are somewhat mucilaginous, and have been said to do wonders for breast health. Violets are alteratives (blood purifiers), and seem to stimulate the lymphatic system, getting stagnant systems going and clearing things out. It is a cooling herb, and said to have a reductive effect on some tumors and cancers. Also known as heartsease or viola, I should have put some in Clara's birthday tea blend to celebrate her love of stringed instruments! With it's heart-shaped leaves, maybe the "heartsease" moniker has to do with its attributes as a heart tonic--even more fitting for Clara, because she is often like a heart tonic to me as well.

Herbalist Jim McDonald has mentioned violets as bitters containing saponins, which are kind of like plant aspirin. It makes sense, then, that violets would reduce pain and headaches.

But what do I want to do with this wild violet bounty? One website suggested a violet syrup, so I found a few pages with instructions on this process. There appear to be two main approaches: one with sugar, and one using honey. The honey syrup seems to be particular useful for treating coughs. The site below lists both, and includes some good tips from experience.

http://eco-chick.com/2010/04/5667/herbs-of-spring-make-your-own-violet-syrup/


Resources:
http://www.susunweed.com/An_Article_wisewoman3e.htm
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Violets.html
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/violasoro.html

Tinctures

I made my first tinctures on the 23rd, and Jim (as he says on his herbcraft site) is right--it is frightening at first, but for no good reason! I thought making tinctures would be like making a potion, involving bubbling cauldrons and double-boilers. No way! All it takes is proper harvesting and cleaning, chopping, a jar, and some grain alcohol.

There was plenty of plantain and chickweed growing outside, so I harvested those for my first tinctures. I realized I didn't have any liquor on hand, so I ran out to the store and got some Seagram's vodka for about $14. Maybe I should have bought something cheaper? Probably, it's not like I'm making a fancy mixed drink. But, I wanted to do it right the first time, so I spring for the Seagram's.

The vodka was only 100 proof, meaning 50-60% ABV. I went back to the store to get more alcohol for tinctures this evening, and they hooked me up with some everclear for $20, which is 151 proof, or 75.5% ABV. It is illegal to sell 190 proof everclear in Michigan. This might be an expensive endeavor if I don't find a great high proof grain alcohol hook up, because the whole bottle only made me two jars of tincture.

I chopped up the plantain and covered it with vodka in a small salsa jar, and the chickweed went chopped into a large-mouth mason jar. Each let greenish stains on the wooden cutting board--more so than lettuce or other greens seem to leave behind. Jim was right about that too: you really get to know the plants the more time you spend working with them. The plantain, for example, was crunchy, crisp, and strong, and noticeably more demulcent near the base. This may sound weird, but I think the plantain may not want me to use it. Okay, yeah, it does sound crazy. But the jar with the tincture in it fell right off the shelf. It fell a good way to the floor, but didn't crack! The lid somehow flung off upon landing, even though it is a screw-on type, spilling some of the plantain and much of the vodka onto the kitchen floor (also leaving a green hue behind). The glass magically remained intact, so I tried to justify this seemingly negative omen, telling myself that I was lucky to have this small amount left to steep. The glass jar still sits, hardly full, on the shelf, but I don't know whether to keep it or toss it. Tell me, plantain, just what to do.

As I've been typing, I keep hearing gunshots going off. Makes it hard to focus on herbs when the world outside my window is hurting.

Resources:
http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/issue-7/how-to-make-a-tincture.php
http://www.herbcraft.org/preparations.html

Shopping for greens in the backyard

I started the day in a foul mood, but scrounging around for free food in the backyard with the sun beating gently on my back somehow made those yucky feelings melt away. I had one of those giant mixed organic salad green plastic containers that was almost empty, so I grabbed it and begin filling it with scavenged goodies.

These gorgeous flowers started to pop up in our small stretch of back lawn the other day. I thought they might be violets because of their heart-shaped leaves, and the shape of the flowers, but I wasn't sure since they were mostly white, with hints of blues and purples. After willing them to be violets for a day or two, and some internet research, it turns out they are a type of blue violet. On the herbal intensive recordings I've been listening to Jim went on and on about how important eating bitters is, and he gave violets as a tasty and nutritive example. He also talked about how bitters might be good to help clear funks. Did I make that up? Either way, my funk was cleared. It's so exciting to be able to listen to what Jim says on the recordings, and have it finally seem to make sense. Not that it didn't make sense before, but I feel more connected now. To the material, to the world around me--things are just in place.

In with the violet flowers and leaves went hefty amounts of dandelion greens, which although they flowers aren't popping up in my yard yet, I did notice some full yellow heads next door at Carl and Mariuca's. For good measure, I put in a smattering of purple deadnettle and chickweed as I came across it. Also, grabbed some kale that is now looking quite tasty after making it through the winter. The bottom leaves are still covered in aphids and gnats, but the top growth seems to be free of pests. This salad, accompanied with roasted carrots and beets, was the perfect reward after spending the afternoon prepping and planting gardens at Amit's house. Dig in!

Drying herbs

I picked a bunch of purple deadnettle from the garden rows yesterday to dry out for teas, leaving them sitting in a milk crate in the shade until late afternoon/evening when I put them together in bunches. I know harvesting late morning was key, but I think I probably should have hung them right away. I put some together last night into about 9 pieces a bunch, and hung them in the basement. This morning I strung up the last three bunches I'd done and left sitting on the table overnight. The rest I threw out. If I compost weeds, will the seeds spread in the garden? Maybe not if I get it hot enough?

This was my first drying experience, so we'll see how it goes. I also harvested way too much for me to use (although there is PLENTY left out there). I was going to eat some, but leaving them sitting all day they weren't really fresh anymore. An interesting note, when I was working with the last of the deadnettle this morning, my nose got all runny and sneezy. This made it hard to work, but since I'd been stuffed up on one side since I woke up, it cleared my sinuses right up. It really illustrated for me what Jim always said about "talking" to plants, and getting to know the herbs. Only by working with them can you really come to know them. And these deadnettle were definitely communicating with me!

Blame oatstraw?

I was feeling like I needed something light, calming, and nutritive, so I made myself some oatstraw and camomile tea before bed. What followed was an overwhelming drying sensation in my throat--I was completely parched! Even the next day, glass after glass of water could not satisfy this overwhelming thirst. Herbs, body, what are you telling me?

The Chicks are Sleeping

Herbalists are SUCH nerds. Case and point:

"Chickweed gets its common name because chickens love it. Raw, it tastes like corn silk. I demonstrate this to school kids with a chicken imitation, then I grab the herb from the teacher's hand with my teeth and swallow it—corny, but consistent with the plant's flavor!"
-Wild Man Steve Brill

But you know what? I love it. And I can tell that I'm on my way to becoming a big fat plant nerd too. The future, my friends, is very bright.

In addition the purple deadnettle, the other plant growing all over the garden rows is chickweed (stellaria media, which means "little star"). When I was harvesting the deadnettle (a little too early) this morning, I noticed that the chickweed blossoms all seemed to have disappeared. "Maybe it really is moss," I thought. But, it turns out, chickweed flowers go to "sleep" at night, closing their buds to re-open in the morning! If that's not neat, I don't know what is.

Gather chickweed when the buds appear--so harvest time is now, even though it's scheduled for May. They are nutritious, and can be added to salads, or cooked as a potherb and treated like spinach. Chickweed contains calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins C and A, and saponins--helping us to absorb nutrients! According to Susun Weed, the plant is good at breaking stuff up--fat, tumors, and cysts. She also says that chickweed "opens us up to cosmic energies and gives us the inner strength we need to handle those energies." Pretty rad. Chickweed can also be used externally to treat eczema and varicose veins, and if ingested is an alterative (blood purifier). It also has a reputation as a diuretic and as a poultice for eye problems, like pink eye or conjunctivitis.

In order to get some of these fabulous vitamins and minerals into my system, I picked a bunch of chickweed, clover, and deadnettle and boiled it up for about 20 minutes. I added it to my pasta, along with some lightly sauteed home-grown oyster mushrooms (thanks to Meg!), and voila--my first herbal dish!

Sources
http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Chickweed-A-Star.htm
http://www.altnature.com/gallery/chickweed.htm
http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_chickweed.htm

Purple Deadnettle

I am so excited! A non-stinging nettle! After forking out loads and loads of the invasive weed that crept over the entire surface of our garden rows, I've finally identified it as purple deadnettle (Lamium perpureum). The identification part is satisfying enough, but on top of that, it's edible, medicinal, and nutritious!

Purple deadnettle can be identified by it's square-shaped stem (indicating its membership in the mint family) and heart-shaped hairy leaves that extend from short petioles. The leaves towards the top tend to have a reddish tint, and the flowers are purple. It is a favorite of bees and butterflies (as a testament to this, I saw countless honeybees dining on this mystery weed just last week!). At first I thought its other name, Purple (or red) Archangel was way cooler, but apparently it's called "dead" because it won't sting you, like other nettles will!

This plant comes out in early spring, and is often the first in the garden. Gather aerial parts when flowers are in bloom. The entire plant is edible, and can be dried for later use. Contains iron, fiber, flavonoids (quercetin and vitamin C), and anti-oxidants.

Boil for 20-30 minutes to prepare as a "pot-herb." Can be treated like spinach, or included raw in salads.

Bruise leaves and apply topically to stop bleeding. Use as a tea to induce perspiration and act on kidneys. Good for chills. It is also anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial. Some use it to control or reduce allergies.

Resources
http://www.naturesherbal.com/Purple_Dead_Nettle.htm
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/n/nettle03.html#pur
http://earthenstewards.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/lamium-purpureum-purple-dead-nettle-herbal-ally/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/485502-purple-dead-nettle-and-allergies/#ixzz1ljFKODWC

Addictions

"I can't seem to kick this coffee habit," she typed as she sat at the Ugly Mug cafe and roastery.

Note to self: try making chicory coffee.

Salves & Balms

Having started my herbals study four years ago, it is embarrassing to admit that my first time making salves and balms didn't happen until today.

When I ran into Triana at Sicily's Pi Party, I chatted with her about the upcoming herbal intensive class she is planning on taking with Jim McDonald. Feeling her excitement, I asked Tri to keep me on track, and help motivate me in my own herbal study. She invited me to make salves at Gemini's house, so it is thanks to her, Gemini, and Mel that I am able to share this learning experience.

First, we began to prepare a custom essential oil for skin salves. We placed an ounce of dried comfrey, camomile, witch hazel, and chickweed into 1 cup of olive oil. This we simmered on the stove-top for three hours in order to infuse the oil with the herbal essences (the directions indicated that this should be done in an oven under 200 degrees, but Gemini's oven doesn't work so we tried it this way).

While our salve oil was simmering, we put together some lip balm using a double boiler and beeswax from Triana's bees. We mixed a warm olive oil to melted beeswax ratio of 5:1, and poured the concoction into lip balm tins already containing the essential oils of our choice. My balm contains lavender, rosemary, tea tree, and eucalyptus oils.

Triana also really wanted some natural deodorant, so we creamed together some baking soda and coconut oil, then added lemongrass, lavender, orange, tea tree, and peppermint oils. It smells fantastic!

Gemini volunteered to finish up the skin salves for each of us since it was getting late, so we melted the rest of Triana's beeswax and tried to remove the mold that had accumulated on it by straining the wax through a cheesecloth. Gemini used the rest of this (approximately two ounces) for our salves, which she would later combine in tofutti cream cheese containers with the strained oil and 2 tbs of vitamin E.

Thanks to these ladies for a wonderful, warm, and educational evening! I've never really worked with essential oils, nor did I really understand the value of them. Making oils rather than tinctures seemed to me rather frivolous and cosmetic. But now I understand how these oils can be made, how amazing this process smells (the kitchen was consumed by an overwhelming herbal-brownie aroma!), and how these oils can be used topically. Having spent more time smelling the oils, I can also better understand how simply smelling these essences can have an important therapeutic effect. I would definitely still prefer to harvest local herbs and make oils from them rather than purchase online or at the store, but you've got to start somewhere.

Resources

Skin salve: http://www.healing-from-home-remedies.com/homemade-salve.html
Lip balm: http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/salvemaking.html