*Electuaries!* *Kitchen Magic*

I went all out for a class I did last fall. The bonus is that I still have all these herbal powders to use in food, preparations, teas and today: ELECTUARIES 💜

I am giving myself permission to write a quick how-to post. With the quarantine going on I haven’t spent as much time at home because I work in a co-op grocery store. (necessary to stay open) So, I am working there 4 days a week. The extra day off is welcome.

A class I recently taught at the Co-op where I work. Another great spicy kitchen remedy. Learn how to make your own delicious Fire Cider! We are in the novel phase of the novel virus. Doing our best to provide goods and services to our community of customers during this quarantine and pandemic.

And, yesterday… out on a hike. Not many people out and we gave each other necessary physical space. We got to enjoy this lovely water way of the spring in the desert mountains above our city.

Sending love out to all who are suffering or have suffered during this time. And, all the brave, hard working people serving their families, loved ones, friends, strangers and communities.

A lot of traditional peoples are recommending spicy remedies right now. This is not a substitute for medical care if needed but, as a way to keep our bodies strong. Keeping the terroir or terrain of our bodies strong.

Minimizing cooling dampening foods and emphasizing the spicy foods. And, fruits and vegetables too!

There is honey in this recipe. Not recommended for children younger than two years of age due to naturally occurring micro-organisms that could harm an infant/young child. But, safe once their bodies are old enough to have a strong immune system.

This is a post on making Electuaries. A traditional method of preserving, enjoying and preparing herbal powders.

I use raw honey in this recipe. It contains enzymes and trace amounts of minerals such as: Calcium, Magnesium, Chromium and Manganese. And, trace amounts of vitamins such as: B, C & K. It also contains amino acids and antioxidants. Here is more info about Raw Honey Nutrition.

It is a form of sugar so you can opt for stirring the powders into nut/seed butters or Coconut Manna. (I haven’t tried that last one but, it sounds like an idea that could work.) Also, ghee, maple syrup or agave syrup. Rice syrup… You get the picture.

I prefer nut butter or raw honey for the many nutrients they offer.

I always just eyeball this recipe. 👁️ I stirred it in the jar I wanted to store it in but, you can start with a larger bowl to make the stirring easier.

The ratio is 1/2 honey or other spreadable ingredient to 1/2 powders. More or less. Just add enough of each to make a thick honey paste. Not a dry paste.

I put the honey, in this case, in the bottom of the jar. Then add powders. Alternating layers until you have enough to fill your container. Then just stir or stir and blend in as you go.

Measure by volume… Teaspoon by teaspoon for powders and honey, for example. You can change your measuring amounts. Just keep it consistent throughout. Tablespoons, cups, etc.

I made just a 4 ounce size.

I thought this was funny. I was stirring with one hand while filming with the other. The mixture seems to be breathing out little puffs of powder.

The great thing is you probably have spice powders in containers or bags in your kitchen. Spicy herbs that come to mind are cinnamon, ginger, curry, turmeric, masala, red chilé, chili powder, clove, turmeric, cumin, garlic, Chinese five spice powder, etc. What spices do you use in your region, culture or country? Any food spices will work. 🌿

All these herbs above are aromatic and diffusive. They promote diaphoresis (sweating.) And, bloodflow throughout your system.

Have fun making your Electuary. I found the best way to mix the powders is to twirl the mixture with a fork until no dried powder remains. Scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl or jar to really mix it all together.

Adding some red chilë honey but also added red chilé powder as well.

It may combine just fine in a mixer or food processor but, will be sticky. I just use a fork to mix.

Obvious one handed blooper! But, the twirl method works best as long as you also hold onto your jar. LOL

Over a few days or weeks the powder may expand in the honey and it may look a bit dry. Just add more honey and stir in. Store in a cool cabinet or your refrigerator. Enjoy within 6 months. Use daily if you like. It also promotes digestion and spices are very health giving. This gives you another reason to add spices to your food.

I am still feeling warmed and tingly after my spoonful. Take a spoonful 2 or 3 times a day. For a warming aromatic that can disperse the inklings of damp colds and infections. Along with all the guidelines. Quarantining and making Electuaries. Keeping slim chances for that Novel virus to linger. That is my hope and with much soap.

I gave looking glass bear a nice soap wash for the event. So, my electuary is a thick cream consistency that will stick to your spoon without dripping off. Unless gravity finally takes hold. Haha!

My electuary contained~. hawthorn, red chilé, nettle, Angelica, tulsi, clove and mace (from nutmeg). red chilé honey, raw honey and a love of kitchen remedies and foodways.

Besides making Electuaries… Nothing beats the blues for me better than gardening. Whether you have an indoor pot, a sprouting jar, window box, container, community plot, field or orchard….or, if you forage and glean. I wish you many happy days of foraging, planting, tending and harvests. May You All Be Well!

Last year’s cilantro, catnip, hollyhock all thriving this early spring. We will get hollyhock flowers this year. What a treat!

Nibbling on the bounty of last year’s Thyme. Thyme and Rosemary powder would make a savory, spicy electuary. Dry and grind or use ready made dried spice powders. 🌿

Poppies are thriving here and showed up in our community garden space. We gardened alone today. A sign of the times and to Health!

Astragalus the Builder.

Astragalus membranaceous
Huang qi Plant Family: Fabaceae (Pea family) Commonly called: Astragalus

So yes, I have had this pouch of herbs for a while. I had about a cup of Astragalus powder left in it, for quite some time, but it is a root powder and was in good enough shape to use. Waste not want not. This will be a spontaneous post. So, going with that inspiration. Impromptu like most of life. We live our lives midst the errands, the care, the work, the occasional pleasant surprise and the sad times.

This is why I like sharing simple preparations with you and in a fun kind of way this is similar to my incense making blog in December of 2019. Except, this herbal dough is entirely edible instead of a tiny piece being merely edible lol!

Astragalus membranaceous has a long history of use. It is related to many other plants such as the infamous loco weed here in New Mexico. Loco weed is poisonous and also to livestock and can cause bizarre behaviors in the poor creatures before poisoning them to death. In other words don’t use the wild Astragalus growing in your area. And, keep your livestock from eating it.

Here is a photo of the locally occurring astragalus or loco weed. As I said this is called Loco for a reason! It is pretty as I love all the local plants. It would seem a good pollinator plant. And, an early bloomer in the high desert. A welcome sight that way.

Loco Weed

Astragalus membranaceous grows wild in Northwest China, Mongolia and other areas of the world in that proximity.

Astragalus is largely cultivated and, it takes at least 5 years for the matured root to be ready for harvest. Guido Masé, Vermont, USA herbalist, describes the 10 year roots to be excellent if you can wait that long! Astragalus, the medicinal herb also is known by the Chinese name Huang qi. This is Pinyin spelling. Where the Latin, Romanized letters are used to spell the Chinese word, such as using English lettering here instead of Chinese characters.

黄芪 Huang qi

Masé describes “…Huang qi… stands out as a premier tonic. It is said to enliven the earth energy of human beings, while also helping to fortify the protective shield, which, like a sword, repels invaders (pathogens) attempting to assail our bodies.”. p. 235 The Wild Medicine Solution., 2013. by Guido Masé (Great book!)

Astragalus root is traditionally used to tonify, build and nourish. In this way it fortifies us, gives us food and well being. It helps shield our organs and immune system and, has a special affinity for the lungs. It can also shield our periphery in making us less likely to perspire. Therefore, it is not recommended in acute phases of illness such as a flu or cold.

(consider its use as a shield spiritually for protection)

But, before any thought of flu or cold it is a good preparatory herb. As we always want to build and tonify ourselves to build our fortress: body, heart and mind to make it stronger. We need our bodies defenses to perspire with colds and flus as this helps us extinguish pathogens. So Astragalus is not usually recommended when we need to perspire through fevers.

It is more intricate than I can explain …. But in laywoman’s terms…. Astragalus membranaceous is used to build, tonify, fortify during peaceful times not war… So to speak… In our bodies. And, may Astragalus lead the way…

So, what comes to mind…. The every day tasks of making food, soups and teas.

Add the dried strips of Astragalus to your soup pot or put coarse shaved pieces in a muslin bag during soup cooking and remove when done.

I am sure many recipes abound as the energetics of Astragalus are sweet. Sweet in the bland, nourishing, polysaccharide way of this herb. This also means astragalus can be versatile to prepare. Especially the powder.

I have used Astragalus membranaceous powder in these herbal ball treats I am going to describe for you. In the 5 or so years since I first made the herbal balls they have become widely popular. Many variations exist. So, chances are you have made a version of these. This is a great way to use Astragalus in a recipe! And, a recipe that you can turn to time and again.

a student made these beautiful herbal balls in a class I recently taught

Rosemary Gladstar first wrote about making these decades ago. She has always been so accessible, real and revolutionary in her kindness, knowledge and sharing of herbal remedies, plant activism and awareness. Masé also has a good Astragalus recipe in his book similar to the one I share here.

Here is a YouTube video on Rosemary Gladstar having fun describing how to make these herbal treats she originally named Zoom Balls

One of my all time favorite books is Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. by Rosemary Gladstar, 2008. (Fabulous Book!)

Here are my Herbal Powerballs!

The following recipe uses herbal powders. I buy most of mine and am lucky to do so.

I also use a small ceramic suribachi with ridged surfaces and a wooden pestle to grind coarse dried herbs.

grinding roses in my suribachi

I also added this powder to my recipe

Use a half cup to a full cup of Herbal powders and spices or just go solo with one kind of herbal powder.

Add a half cup or so of a liquid form of sweetener if desired: honey, molasses, maple syrup, birch syrup, etc. or agave. (I would refrigerate maple syrup treats right away because of higher water content. But, they would be delicious!) The liquid sweetener also adds to the bulk of the recipe softening the herbal dough rather than a sweetener concentrate such as stevia liquid. (Which would only require a few drops)

Add a Cup or so of nut or seed butter then mix everything into an herbal dough. I added the soaked partially crystallized pieces of ginger, diced to my herbal dough.

Chop ginger and cover with honey with slightly loosened lid. After a month the ginger will be partially crystallized, less fibrous and delicious… Diced and added into anything you desire. The ginger honey is Divine also as you can imagine…💛

I also used some of this ginger honey in the recipe.

*Did you know fresh ginger (not dried) is one of the most potent anti-virals available. This goes for fresh gingered honey as well. Fresh slices of ginger simmered in water for tea are a great go-to for colds and flus.

Ginger Honey recipe I tried from Katja Swift and Ryn Midura’s awesome, generous herbal (not just for beginners:) Herbal Medicine for Beginners. 2019

Real life… Decided to post after the fact so this is real life Powerballs! 💛

Herbal Powerballs!

1 Cup Astragalus Powder

1/2-1 Cup Nut or Seed Butter or Coconut Manna.

1/2 Cup Honey or your choice liquid sweetener. Add in chopped nuts, dried fruit or honeyed ginger like I did.

Mix it all together until it forms a nice ball. Adjust if too dry or moist by adding more liquid sweetener or herbal powder. *Using raw honey adds probiotics, minerals and vitamins. (Sweetener is optional)

Roll it in extra herbal powder or unsweetened cocoa powder, dried coconut, more Astragalus powder… Customize it to make your own unique treat or use herbs from your country, region or culture.

*The herbal balls soak up the powder. You can re-roll if desired but mine usually are easy to handle and not too sticky. You can place in individual papers such as candy wrappers or mini muffin wrappers. I have folded cut pieces of parchment around each one too. Or you can just put all of your Powerballs in one container. *You can also just pinch of a piece as needed. Store it in a container in the fridge and people can enjoy a pinch as desired.

You can mix and roll this into a big ball (A Big Powerball!) and, take off a pinch and eat it that way too. Family style, help yourself!

I decided to add a mix-in of the rose powder I had ground in the suribachi and made a batch of mini Powerballs!

Each one is hearty with Astragalus powder, do your lungs and tastebuds a favor with these Astragalus treats!

You can enjoy as is or spread a Powerball on toast or on a quick bread like I did here. Almond flour bread using flaxmeal and water substitute for eggs.

Eat and enjoy up to 3 or more Powerballs a day!

Powerballs are a great way to use up your extra herbal powders. They are the plant part ground (in this case the roots.) So, you get all the benefits there. Of course, you can encapsulate if need be. And, that can be very useful or necessary at times. But, popping pills of any kind will not necessarily make you healthy. Unless they are necessary and lifesaving of course! This post is more about building health rather than installing emergency scaffolding.

But, we need food to survive. It is both a necessity and a pleasure of life. The natural world sustains us and gives us the building blocks not only to survive but, to thrive.

The marvel of the natural world. Even this desert in it’s harshness contains beauty and succulence. Also sustenance. Cholla cactus here. A wonderful pollinator and food source for people too. The flower buds are a high source of absorbable calcium. De-spine and remove the glochids. They taste great sauteéd or steamed. Harvest with plenty to spare.

Another reason to make Powerballs they taste good! And, you can make them to your taste and preference. This is empowering! We can control what we take in and it can be delicious and healthy at the same time. No cardboard taste here lol. Health food has come along way. In fact, this is a treat unto itself!

That is why I like engaging my tastebuds. Not with the cactus spines above! Haha! And, did a picture of spiney cactus wake up your senses? I hadn’t planned it that way but, in someways it fits so well!

In a similar way, when we taste our food our body is getting information through taste and wakes up our digestive process, our life force. This in turn, wakes up and directs our bodily functions. Digestive enzymes such as salivary amylase starts in the mouth. We don’t necessarily have to swallow pills and miss this first step of experiencing taste. Especially with nourishing, food and spice herbs. In this case Astragalus can build by being incorporated into our food. Because, it already has food qualities, best used in smaller amounts… (the Powerballs being described here, soup broths, etc.) By nourishing, building and sustaining ourselves we build stamina. Like a well built house.

The pea family is a vast family of plants and trees that has helped people stave off hunger and fortify wellness for many ages like the edible Astragalus mentioned here. Build your body strong, for breath, life, body and mind. Heart. Strong lungs fortify.

Astragalus is a master builder.

One of the many Astragalus species (wiki commons)

This post is dedicated to Rosemary Gladstar. Upholding love as an element that pervades all being and uplifts as it strengthens us all. Thankyou Rosemary Gladstar! 💛

Tortugas, sacred site early appreciation hike before work unexpected early journey

a simple healing ritual… to uplift during times of loss. Love builds like Astragalus and strengthens us all.

Thankyou for joining me here. People from all over the world have visited my blog and it is an honor.

Blessings to you!

Cleavers, Edible Corsage.

• 

Cleavers

Galium aparine

Plant family:  Rubiaceae

Common Names: Cleavers Wort, Clivers, Goosegrass, Bedstraw, Catchweed Bedstraw.* Always be Absolutely sure when identifying plants. “When in doubt, leave it out.”

Cleavers grow in moist places, roadsides, woodlands, near disturbed areas such as trails

According to prominent herbalist, scholar, teacher and composer, Michael Moore and his book: Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West: There are many Galium species in the West. “The leaves of cleavers, roundly lanceolate, form a circular rosette of six or eight leaves; the bedstraw (native galiums) frequently have four leaves in a whorl…

(Cleavers beginning to flower)

…Leaves and stems of this featured species have bristley stems and leaves.

…This species also has loose and star shaped white flowers…with rather lacey, dense clusters of white flowers found in the native species. Galium aparine also develops seeds in pairs, covered in bristles, green becoming brown seeds in the fall.”

Native and Non native Galiums can be used more or less exchangeably as herbal remedies according to Moore.

Differences may vary and not all are edible, though many are. Research your species.

*Moore also says the Galiums should not be confused with carpetweed or mullogo.

It is recommended to forage cleavers during New growth or the tops of plants before they flower. Otherwise the plants have developed too much silica and are inedible.

The young tips, raw or boiled for 10-15 minutes makes a great forged food says Green Deane of

eattheweeds.com

He says that the seeds are prohibited or restricted in: Connecticutt, Massachuseets, Vermont and New York.

He also states that the seeds when roasted make an excellent coffee (no caffeine) substitute.

In the Canadian Provinces of Alberta, B.C., Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Deane also says they are considered a noxious weed there.

I have been happy to find cleavers near springs or the surrounding habitat, in at least 3, likely many more, mountain ranges of New Mexico. Not so far, in the lower elevations in this state unless near a spring or garden perhaps. After eating a few stems on a hike I went back to forage cleavers as a plant rennet. This one attempt at using cleavers as a plant rennet was largely unsuccessful.

I read on Monica Wilde’s site that Cleavers requires a long time to set as a

plant rennet

I have had success using fresh nettle to set cheese but, cleaver and my inexperience eluded me this time. One time fail is not uncommon so, I will try again when I come upon a hearty patch of cleavers.

This is the benefit of learning from each other in person. And, also for us to pass on traditions and knowledge to our lineage and each other.

I was feeling disappointed with myself that I had wasted the cleavers I had gathered. It was a handful of stems and, I would not have wanted to take more from the site where I had gathered. A handful of stems felt appropriate. I did learn how to transport them down from the mountain. A stem I had not eaten on a previous hike had all but withered away to a tiny, pitiful fraction of the juicy stem I had picked.

It loses a lot of its properties when dried and should be used fresh. Such as: the juice, chopped fresh for poultice, or tincture fresh. Also as Matt Wood describes: Maria Treben would add the fresh Cleaver juice to butter, keep in the fridge, as a salve.

The best way I found to harvest cleavers is simply to thoroughly wet a towel, ring it a bit and place your cleavers in it right after picking it. Then roll gently in the towel. Or prepare on the spot. (Wheatgrass juicer or tincture fresh, etc.)

a thicket of Cleavers, 3 leaf sumac and other plant neighbors

(photo aside: The thicket and bed of cleavers above reminds me of what Matthew Wood said in his book: The Book of Herbal Wisdom. He describes that deer use bedstraw to give birth and to rest with baby fawns.)

So, my Cleavers were in good shape when I brought them home, that is ’til I tried to make cheese with them. Ah yes, the learning curve! The patch I had harvested from, the stems were getting leggy and beginning to flower. It was like pick up stix that are all velcroed together. They stick together and to you. My little, intact bundle, rolled up in the wet/damp cloth, was all stuck together. All those little hooks clinging to each other.

The expression: “I got you!” came to me.

Deane explained that the Greeks called cleavers: Philanthropan which means (human) loving for its clinging nature.

Sheep herders are known to sieve milk through a basket shaped sieve of the clinging stems. This was done to clean the milk of any hairs, dirt or debris. Matthew Wood cites both Discorides and Linnaeus for historically noting this.

Cleavers has a history of use for easing hot swellings in lymph and infections such as drawing out a measles rash to resolve the illness. (M. Wood, re: Native American use)

It works for skin conditions, like eczema, lymph stagnation and kidney function. Wood describes: “In short, we may say that Cleavers cools, moistens, filters, detoxifies, and promotes transportation within the hidden waterways of the body.”

happy dance of cleavers, nettle and artemisia

In addition to foraging for green edibles like cleavers and its use as herbal medicine; I am happy the lost arts of ancient foodways are resurfacing. ( With great respect to people’s culture.) For ex., My father was born in Ireland and I am just learning about bog violet to curdle milk. Cheese making and its other fermented cousins are really speaking to me right now. I am exploring plant rennet again as well as ancient techniques for fermenting. Will keep you posted!

I am especially interested in learning how the original plant(s) can be used rather than a modern substitution.

The juice of cleavers is said to provide the rennet qualities. I wonder if instead of chopping and bruising the stems and leaves, perhaps a blender would work better. Strained out or in a fine mesh bag to soak.

Galium has a long history of being used in food and beverages. German Maywine is made by using Galium odoratum.

Galium verum’s flowers were used to scent and color cheese and butter.

Galium mullago is another drink made from flowers. Many species, different uses, check to see if edible, avoid older plants for food and Deane states that many Galium are endangered. Know your specific plants!

To some, Cleavers is only known as an herbal remedy.

cleavers traipsing toward the running spring

(A happy trio continued…)

I often found Nettle in the same habitat, especially in the woodlands on this hike. Nettle likes moisture too although I found it in the under story of Alligator juniper and oaks on a trail featuring under and above ground springs.

Nettle below a desert mountain oak with Cleavers in small patches nearby.

Cleavers with backdrop of a majestic Alligator Juniper, Juniperus deppeana. The tree below.

Mountain Spring

(Cleavers and Nettles, fast friends.)

My first introduction to Cleavers is akin to the name itself. To cleave. My herb teacher and plant guide gave us all a small crown of whorled leaves on a short stem and we stuck them on our and each others’ shirt collars.

Edible corsage. It’s bristly hairs cling to fabric , no pin needed.

It is a crisp, fresh tasting edible. It would make a great addition to salad, pesto or a smoothie.

As a fresh nibble, You can feel the texture of the fine plant hairs, the bristles but, I did not think that interfered much as it doesn’t last past the first one and 1/2 munches 🙂

The Story is a common one I am sure except The Mountain forests always enchant. Mossy glades and thickets. Meadow rue for faeries, so is said and Monkshood near wild Geranium. Monkshood is deadly poisonous its leaves of first growth often mingling with similar looking Geraniaceae. On this hike, I found what I believe are wild geraniums before flower with some cleavers poking through. I will watch these as they flower and how they flower to distinguish them from Monkshood. Never can be to cocky when it comes to Monkshood.

Cleavers in a stand of leaves~

There are a few different species of wild geraniums in New Mexico.

These leaves look similar enough to Monkshood: Aconitum columbianum that I will wait to see what flowers emerge.

I would not want to forage the cleavers when in doubt because of possible toxic plants nearby.

Better to wait.

Just a small patch of earth and what happens there can yield many observations, questions and insights.

Cleavers, what sticks with you?

Horehound Herbal Candy. Cough Drops. Plant Medicine and Confection.

Horehound
Marrubio vulgare
Family: Lamiaceae

It is fall and I deleted all my other horehound pictures. drat!

But, horehound is hearty. It has many green leaves still as well as sticky seed pods that orbit between leaf growth on stems. I have been picking up seeds, stuck on my clothes.

Horehound wants to grow other places and maybe I helped deliver some.

One of my favorite places to walk our dog, Fella, is here. Covered with patches of horehound. I have admired the plant for a few years in this beautiful locale, where it grows wild.

I knew it must be horehound although I think it looks less silvery than I have read described, and decidedly more frosted looking.

So, sometimes it takes time to decipher descriptions you read of a plant but, makes it all the more interesting a journey.

Horehound feels fuzzy, like wrinkled, crinkly velveteen. It has these beautiful, crenulate leaves, square stems and beautiful discs of seed pods.

And, it is in the mint family. Although more bitter than minty.
A good bitter for digestion.
I liked the taste though and would like to try horehound beer sometime. A traditional beer.

I always was curious about horehound candy as a child and on Western shows, children were sure to suck on a stick of hard candy, often horehound candy.

My grandmother, mother and aunts would get together around the holidays when I was growing up and make a type of rock or hard candy called beach glass candy. My mom grew up in an ocean town and I always enjoyed the baby food jars or other small jars filled with the bright, snipped bits of multicolored beach glass candy inside. All different flavors. yum.

My life is a little bit homesteading, off grid, work in an herbal shop and slowly I am teaching myself. All about plants, a bit of gardening, jelly and jam making, salt preserving food and bits of old time skills here and there.

I went through a sewing phase a few years back and would really love to find an old time Singer Sewing machine complete with treadle and hand wheel. The original off grid kind. 🙂

I’ve always been fascinated with candy making but haven’t done much. I’ve made chocolate truffles which were a blast and one batch of jelly tasted reminiscent of cotton candy. sugar, sugar sugar to bring it to gel.

But, horehound cough drops are my second attempt to make hard candy a.k.a. herbal candy…cough drops. The first time around I did not use a candy thermometer or the cold water test method so ended up with a taffy like syrup made with elderberries, which was frankly, delicious and gooey, but not hard candy. And, the second time was like a caramel! Maybe my thermometer was touching the side or bottom too much and the reading was off…

So hopefully, 3 times a charm!

With my second attempt, all that foam got downright daunting.
(I’ve read not to stir too much as air can get into the mixture and make it cloud over.) Maybe my pan was not deep enough or I stirred too much as it was foaming to the top so, I scooped some out at the syrup stage, all is not lost. The caramel or taffy consistency cough drops just don’t make it. But the cough syrup I scooped out of that batch is great.

Trial and error with herbs and candy. hard candy making…
guess they don’t call it hard candy for nothing! ha ha ☺

I have found and tried a simple, easy recipe that worked great.

I haven’t bought this much sugar, maybe ever but I had fun making hard candy. Herbal hard candy.
A cooking accomplishment for me.

It works best if you have a thick bottom pot. A thin bottom can scorch your sugar.

A greased baking tray is helpful.

Here is a fairly fool proof recipe:

and art piece ☺

Herbal Candy!

2 Cups white sugar
1/2 Cup strong herbal tea
1 ounce tincture (optional)
powdered sugar to coat candy when done (optional)
3/4 Cup light corn syrup.

A candy thermometer isn’t always foolproof but once I angled it and kept it off the bottom it worked best.

Cold water test:

Also drop mixture when you think it is done in some cold water. If it forms a hard ball it is done. It will be in thread form if not done.

Time to make the Candy a.k.a. cough drops if you like…
They taste good too, and, depending in what you add, room for creativity here!

Pour granulated sugar in pan
Add strained herbal tea and one ounce herbal tincture if you have it.
Whisk together off heat
Then turn on heat to medium using a thick bottomed pan if you can.
Add corn syrup, use wooden spoon
and stir too incorporate.
Don’t stir too much, lower heat if you need to to avoid scorching.
Angle thermometer to avoid hitting the bottom as this throws off the temperature…(yep)
listen to some good music 🎶…. wait a half hour or so, watch pot it can get foamy and unruly.
Eventually thermometer will rise to 300°
Some recipes say to bring it to 305°
but, I found 300° works better, so recommend that.
Add any food grade essential oils for flavor when temp reaches 275° fahrenheit. If adding color, add at this stage as well. Non toxic food coloring can be found too. Be careful of steam/reaction when adding essential oils or colors at these high temperatures. Some colors maintain better when removing heat at 290° but candy may be more sticky at this stage. I haven’t tried adding colors or essential oils since the cayenne, ginger and cinnamon added good flavor. And, I like the amber colored candy.

I tried transfering to a pyrex pitcher but the mixture hardened quickly off heat.
Yay! I broke the code but it was challenging. A helper would be good.

I made depressions in powdered sugar to act as a mold and also greased and lined a pan with a heap of powdered sugar too.

The powdered sugar also helps the mixture not to stick.

And it kind of worked. I broke the lozenges out of the thinner parts of candy. With the other pan I just broke the candy into bite size pieces. fun again!

Eventually I had more success pouring the mixture all at once instead of trying to fill each depression with the hot mixture.

That is where the greased baking tray would come in handy.

In the old fashioned way to break up hard candy, in about an hour just break it with the handle side of a butter knife.

Fun and satisfying.

Coat with powdered sugar by tossing it in a pan lined with the sugar or use a bag with powdered sugar in it and shake, if you want. It’s optional.

I mixed in powdered ginger too.

These cough drops…a.k.a. herbal candy contain many goodies….
grindelia, horehound and thyme tincture, and these herbs in the tea: red root, horehound, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger, thyme, and osha!

……………………………………………

sugar sugar sugar how about minus sugar recipes… here goes!

You can also make Sugarfree Lozenges!

Use slippery elm powder as the flour. Or marshmallow root powder. I wasn’t sure if marshmallow root powder would work but it worked great.

Slippery elm is on an herbal watchlist. Due to overharvesting and elm diseases.
An herbal friend has used Siberian Elm that worked well.

Look for cultivated Slippery elm or try marshmallow root powder. It worked well for me too.

Make an herbal tea, strain and
let the tea cool. Licorice tea or other herbs such as red root or osha would work well here.

Add enough tea to form a dough.
Mix and pat the dough into a ball.

Press or roll into shape.
Use small cookie cutters or a bottle cap or just cut strips into small pieces, lozenge size.

Dusted with powdered ginger, soothing to sore throats.

Slippery elm powder mixed with a strained herbal tea made from horehound, licorice, osha, red root.

Have fun with this! You can use the slippery elm as a method to mix lots of herbs.

Consider a happy mood lozenge.
Or a soothing tummy lozenge…
Possibilities are happily endless here.

Slippery elm, alone, has many health benefits: mucilage, soothing to gastric tissues, in combination with licorice can heal ulcers, helps heal mucous membranes -throat, etc.

Slippery elm lozenges are a fun activity to do with kids of all ages!

Try other herbal powders too!

This is the marshmallow root dough

And, the marshmallow lozenges cut into shape.

*A tip for drying lozenges. Mine molded. Even when dried for a few days. I recommend purified water, and drying on lowest setting of an oven til completely dry. Air dry first if you like.

Also honey or tiny amounts of stevia can be added to sweeten.

Lemon balm, elder berry and mints make nice flavor additions to counteract bitter herbs.

……………………………………………….

Hard Candy Cleanup Tips!

Clean up works best with very hot water. It dissolves the candy. Some people suggest adding vinegar to the hot water. Soap and a scrubby sponge helps. But hot water is the trick.

Careful not to immerse the thermometer into cold water after cooking with it, as it could break!

………………………………………………..

And the cough drops in a fun, recycled jar.

The herbal hard candy looks metallic but is a deep amber brown topped with powdered sugar and ginger.

They taste mildly spicey too. Not bad for medicine afterall.

And, horehound in a happy autumn field.

Fun with cough drops and lozenges, who knew?

Make Cheese with Nettles. An Herbal Rennet and Wonder Food through the Ages.

image

Urtica dioica
Family: Urticaceae
Nettles, Stinging Nettles

Nettles grow wild and can easily be cultivated. I transplanted mine from a thinned out patch from an herbal garden. They went into shock when transplanted and appeared to die. But, once roots took hold, they burst forth with life and vigor.

Nettles grow wild and can form high thickets near streams, rivers, shady areas with rich soil.

our container garden of nettles!

Nearby deer ate most plants in our container pots and also our small amaranth patch. We raised the containers to keep the bunnies and jackrabbits from munching our simple gardens. Our simple fences and dead cholla branches were nothing to stop the deer.

We are getting more acquainted to wildlife habits here. We hear the coyotes often and see juniper berries in their scat.

Owls, crows and hawks reign the skies, on hunts and thermal airwaves.

And, in autumn we are hearing different songbirds, on migration we think.

Last year, a favorite wild, clammy ground cherry, I liked to visit, got eaten down to the ground. I kept getting a message to pick one of the berries in its papery husk, to put it on my alter. I amost felt guilty for doing so, but heeded my intuition and did so.

(a gnawed off stem found on another hike.)

When I returned to visit, and saw the Ground Cherry gone, I understood the message and the temporary nature of all things.

The ground cherry became a much needed meal for a wild desert creature. I marvel at how wildlife exists, struggles and thrives in this desert environment.

And, I recognize the huge bounty I experience. Even if fellow humans might laugh or some acknowledge.

In perspective, to feed a herd of deer was an honor.

We read that deer live in the Ortiz, but hadn’t seen many signs. We live in the desert, canyon foothills. In the piñon and juniper ecozone.

So the hoofprints in dirt tracks along with our dinner salad garden gone, we knew for sure.

During a long weekend away, they ate amaranth, lemon balm, garden sage, catnip and peppermint… makes we wonder if they had good dreams those nights. haha!

Recently, on a hike up into the Ortiz, we saw two deer trotting on a ridge, along with fir trees and tiny groves of aspen on some of the peaks. Amazing to think of their treks for food, water and survival with mountain lions which rove for prey.

we thought this could be a mountain lion track…

In the peaks

In our garden, the two pots of nettles survived along with a mostly dead horehound plant. (the bitter and stinging plants were left behind.)

Which makes this post come alive. I used these fresh, growing nettles, for homemade cheese and pesto, even in fall.

Handled carefully because of stinging hairs on stems and the underside of leaves which can sting you. They are filled with formic acid.

And, I used about 12 tops of these nettles to make my homemade cheese. And, about the same number of tops to make nettle pesto! Both flavored with Herbs de Provence.

Here is the salted nettle tea I made. Add a tablespoon of sea salt to the nettle tea to further extract the nettle rennet properties.

Simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and cover the tea and let sit for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid. It will be a light brown color. This is your Nettle Rennet.

I’ve also read that dried nettles work as an herbal rennet too and dried nettles do not sting!

Use one Cup of the strained, salted nettle tea rennet for a gallon of cow’s milk. This is what I have read.

I had half a gallon and used 3/4 of it.

So, heat the milk slowly.

As it heats add the juice of one fresh lemon and spices.

Just before the milk starts to simmer and bubble, while stirring constantly…
add the one Cup of the Nettle tea Rennet.

In my case it made a big bubble when I added the Nettle Rennet. I stirred it gently and the curds formed instantly. The whey separated and the curds were all on top like the picture. You can see the spices too. I turned off the heat once the curds all formed. It all happened at this point really quickly.

I let the curds and whey sit covered for 30 minutes.

Then I lined a colander with a thin dish towel to strain out the liquid. -(the whey) People sometimes save the whey for cooking other recipes.

I squeezed out the excess whey and the cheese congealed quickly. I let it set for a bit, covered with the cloth.

I took the next pictures of the cheese just a few minutes later. A day later in the refrigerator the consistency was even more like a soft gouda. I was really happy with it. I might salt it a bit next time. I guess I am used to the salt in cheese. But, experiment because I really liked it and the salted nettle rennet may impart the perfect amount of salt for you.

This post by Monica Wilde truly inspires. Check out her recipes using a variety of wild plant rennets.

Wild Plant Rennets

In Cornwall, a famous cheese from an ancient recipe, called Yarg, involves using nettle rennet and nettle leaves wrapped around the cheese to flavor and cure it. The nettle leaf patterns are beautiful.

not too ironically searches for Yarg brought up pictures of pirates! ha!

More of the present day Yarg story here.

Thistle stamens can be used to make cheese rennet as well. Check out my blogpost and links on how to prepare thistles for food and to use thistles for cheesemaking.

thistles

You can also make a delicious pesto using nettles.

nettle pesto!

Super easy and fun to make Nettle Pesto. I have made pesto so many times, I often wing it but keep some basics in the ingredients too.

For Nettle Pesto, steam the tender stems and leaf tops for 2 minutes.

I then felt the leaves and stems for any sting they might still have and 2 minutes of steaming did the trick.

I dried them off with a towel then added olive oil, garlic cloves, juice of one lemon and hulled hemp seeds instead of cheese.
Plus, spices and herbs that suited my fancy at the moment.

Blend it up and voila!

I really liked this pesto and the rest of my cheese as a simple dinner.

I saved most of the pesto to add to tomorrow’s soup as a garnish.

………………………………………………..

The Herbal Goodness of Nettles!

Deb Soule, Herbalist and Biodynamic gardener and plant enthusiast lists Nettles as one of her favorite herbs.

In her book: The Roots of Healing.,
She describes many of nettles virtues and for being
a wonderful fresh green at the close of winter and turn of spring in Maine.

I enlist the many healing properties from Deb Soule’s book here, amidst a few other notes.

Stinging Nettles, just the name can turn some people away. The hairs on the stems and the underside of leaves can be quite formidable. The hairs contain formic acid which can cause painful stings when you touch the hairs of the plant.

This painful sting, is used in urtication therapy.… Urtication derives from nettles, its botanical name: Urtica dioica

Nettle Sting therapy:

Many people have taken nettle leaves/stems of leaves and hit or rubbed them on painful arthritic joints and areas. This brings a rush of blood to the area with subsequently less inflammation, relieving the pain.

Many people swear by this method since the pain from the nettles is temporary compared to the relief they feel within their arthritic joints.

If you get stung by nettles and need to relieve the pain, crushed/bruised plantain leaves or yellow dock leaves, placed on the sting, make an effective remedy.

Nettles are high in iron and greatly help those who are anemic. Steam new tops of nettle leaves or make a tea from fresh or dried nettles. Fresh leaves made into a tincture work best.

Nettles are vitamin and mineral rich so are a tremendous health ally.

Nettles are an excellent tonic for the kidneys and adrenals. In many cases, regular use of nettle tea or tincture can reduce the risk of kidney stones.

Nettles also nourish the liver and blood. And, improves elasticity of veins, helpful for hemorrhoids or varicose veins.

Nettles also strengthens the plasma membrane/outer membrane of cells… making them less vulnerable to inflammation and allergic response.

Nettles work very well in Menopause formulas. Especially when added to these herbs: oatstraw, red raspberry leaves, borage leaves, and siberian ginseng (eleuthero root)

Does your dog scratch and dig at hot itchy spots on his skin? A nettles wash can help.

Likewise, nettles is good in formulas for eczema and skin problems.

The astringent nature of nettles lessens: nosebleeds, uterine hemorrhages and bleeding from cuts.

Drinking cool nettle tea decreases inflammation in kidneys and bladder.

Nettle teas and tinctures have been shown to decrease painful conditions like arthritis and rheumatism for people and animals.

Nettles are commonly used to decrease allergies.

Deb Soule also suggests to let fresh and/or dried nettles to sit over night in a glass jar/pot, of cool or room temperature water, to extract the most vitamins and minerals from nettles.

Drink this health rich tea as is or gently heat and then steep for 15-20 minutes.

For many health benefits and as remedy, 1-3 cups of nettle tea a day for several weeks or months is recommended.

Please seek good counsel outside of this post to determine the best course for you.

And nettles greens, cooked or steamed can be eaten as often as you delight in. lucky us!

Sources:

Include wise stories and counsel from plant wise friends and from Nettles themselves!

Posted Links with gratitude

and this book:

The Roots of Healing. A Woman’s Book of Herbs. by, Deb Soule. Carol Publishing Group, 1995.

And, what else did I do today? Learned to use a chainsaw to harvest our own wood. Sawing dead trees by hand last year is something I will never forget.

Here’s to You and all You Inspire!

Yarrow a Traditional Healer. Fire Cider Warms the Hearth.

Yarrow in the glory of late summer.

But, now It is fall. And some Yarrow remains in bloom but not all.

In this post, I will show Yarrow growing in tidal grasses near the ocean, in New England meadows and two different mountain ranges of New Mexico.

Yarrow is part of an old Gypsy remedy to fight colds and I will discuss that here. Also, Yarrow is a traditional healer whose use spans centuries.

In the herbal and foraging world trademarking is taking place on who can sell age old remedies. But can age old remedies truly be trademarked?

I believe that the spirit of age old remedies is to be shared by all.

I will share a much loved remedy for making fire cider. That is in trademark controversy right now. But, part of blogging is to share my passion for plants and foodways. So thankyou for taking this journey with me.

And happy wellness to you and yours!

And, I never realized til yesterday that Aspen leaves can also turn red amidst all the golden yellow leaves of fall. Red aspen leaves and the recognizable gold.

Much of the Yarrow but, not all has gone to seed. It is the third week of fall. I love to depict Yarrow in its various growth phases so you will see that posted here. Plus that is how I first identified yarrow. When it was dried on the stem past fall.

I have been searching for a yarrow story to tell. One of my own.

On a recent trip to New England, leaving New Mexico, I thought I would miss the blooms of yarrow in the mountains.

My first trip to the ocean back east and in the tidal grasses of the beach I saw Yarrow… I got to see it bloom afterall.

(Yarrow has feathery leaves. In this photo, covered by other grasses and leaves of nearby plants.)

(Basal leaves are larger than this stem leaf and first year’s growth will show these feathery leaves growing in patches. (more photos in post)

Sometimes yarrow is confused with Queen Anne’s Lace which has one umbel per stem. Yarrow has many varied florets that cluster to the top. Side view photos of Yarrow will show that.

At the ocean, Yarrow grew along with Queen Anne’s Lace and nearby beach roses and rosehips.

Queen Anne’s Lace above

And, a few yards away from the Yarrow and Queen Anne’s Lace were the beach roses and rosehips.

……………………………………………….

Yarrow

For an ally it surely seems and has been, all over the world for centuries.

Achilles, who Yarrow is named after, was a Greek warrior and was said to have been dipped in yarrow. (an herbal yarrow bath?) He was held by the heel by his mother. As the story goes, the only unprotected part of him was his heel that did not get dipped in the yarrow.
He was eventually slain by an arrow through his heel.

(I used to run and my track coach always warned us to take care of our Achilles heel as it is a weak spot right above the back of your ankles…)

Achilles used yarrow to staunch the bleeding of his soldiers wounds. It was used in the Civil War for that purpose. And many avid hikers, outdoors people, foragers and herbalists, young and old alike, know this to be true… that yarrow staunches the flow of blood from wounds.

Indeed, the ground up dried flowers and leaves make a very effective styptic powder to curb the bleeding of minor cuts and wounds.

A small vial of the powder makes a handy item for your first aid kit.

Rosemary Gladstar, Herbalist, explains how:

“Sprinkle a small amount of the styptic powder directly on an open wound to slow the bleeding.
To stop a nosebleed, sprinkle a small amount of powder on the inside of the nostril that’s bleeding. The powder will usually slow or stop the flow of blood within minutes.

You can also take powdered yarrow internally to help stop the flow of blood. Stir 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of the powdered yarrow (or yarrow tincture, if you have it handy) into a small amount of water and drink it down.”

I filled an 8 ounce jar with dried Yarrow flowers and leaves. I plan on grinding the leftover dried flowers and leaves, minus the stems, for my own styptic powder for my first aid kit.

I dried these in a paper bag. Another way is to gather a few stems together and dry upside down. When the stem breaks and snaps cleanly, the herb is dry.

Keep out of direct sunlight and make sure there is airflow. You want to preserve as much of the color and fragrance, a.k.a. volatile oils and healing properties.

Also Gladstar lists major healing
herbal constituents of the versatile yarrow:

linalool, pinene, thujone, camphor, azulene, chamazulene, proazulene, beta-carotene, vitamin C,
vitamin E and flavanoids.

*Safety Factors:

Yarrow is generally considered safe but can stimulate uterine muscles so is safest to avoid during pregnancy, especially early stages…

*Although it is often used at childbirth to facilitate labor and to stop excessive bleeding.

Yarrow is part of the Aster family, the hugely abundant Aster plant family. People with sensitivity to chamomile or other plants in this family may develop itchy eyes or a rash with yarrow also.

Other Uses of Yarrow:

(photo from my garden)

As described by R. Gladstar,
C. Hobbs, L. Gardner, M. Moore and J. Green:

Yarrow is: astringent, anti-septic, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, anti-spasmodic, styptic/hemostatic, vaso-dilating, and bitter-promoting digestion.

No wonder one of its nicknames is: cure-all

Yarrow helps relieve:

-menstrual cramping, use yarrow before period starts and during to prevent/lessen cramping
-excessive menses or when menses is slow to come
-relieve fever by increasing it slightly, to make fever more effective, decreasing length of fever
(diaphoretic)
-reduces inflammation
-helps normalize inflamed and irritated states of the digestive tract
-eases symptoms of cold and flu
-eases painful stomach and digestion
-aids in poor fat absorption
-its vaso-dilating and diuretic function aids in hypertension
-when body needs diuretic function
-fresh root tincture helps sore teeth and gums

Yarrow leaves makes a good green in salads. I recently enjoyed some fresh green yarrow leaves as an herb with my hiking lunch of baguette and hunk of swiss cheese.

And, I have been enjoying using a tablespoon or so of dried flowers and stem leaves in my stir-fries along with coriander and other spices.

I will probably make a broth of yarrow and ginger etc., for a spicey yarrow root soup. Have you tried a yarrow broth for soups. The tea is so aromatic and woodsy. I love it!
Try a little of the herb and adjust by taste from there.

Another trip up the mountains before it gets too icy or cold to do so. Although snowshoe-ing in the Sandias was fun in the spring!

It was a crisp fall day in the Sandias. I improvised and used my funky hat as a foraging bag. I couldn’t resist when I saw all the vibrant, feathery yarrow greens growing everywhere!

I am happy about the Yarrow leaf tincture I made. But, it could use a top off of brandy. So, off to get more. It is funny all the times I have bought brandy at a liquor store for making herbal tinctures. The few times I have mentioned it to clerks or owners of these places they have often looked at me with a smirk on their face. And often will say: okay ma’am… have a safe day out there. Funny, I like to think I am spreading the word about herbal remedies and plant and foraging magic out there, albeit in my own quirky way.

The best brandy run was the day the woman behind the counter said that was the best use for brandy, with herbs. friends, we find each other!

I hadn’t intended on harvesting Yarrow. But, at the very start of my hike, I spotted a forgotten bloom, picked and abandoned by a fellow human.

I picked it up and carefully put it in my pocket. A reminder of yarrow as ally and that I have much to learn from this beautiful, flowering plant, so present in the mountains surrounding where I live.

(the discarded bloom of yarrow above)

I noticed the small stem of flowers on a rock whose color pattern strongly resembled the flower. I picked up the small stem of Yarrow flowers and this led me, not to abandon, but to continue my exploration and story-journey of Yarrow.

It seems I have been intending to write a post about Yarrow for some time.

This was the nod and reminder I needed.

Yarrow nudging me to take its path.

A humble yet powerful plant.

aptly named: Cure-All

Herbal Beer and Wine:

Yarrow has a longstanding use as food and as a beer and wine beverage!

Yarrow was traditionally used instead of hops in beer and was said to induce a mild elating effect as compared to using hops!
It also makes a good herbal wine.

I found this recipe, along with other wine recipes, online.
I haven’t tried it yet but, it is on my, can’t wait to try it list. Looking forward to Yarrow’s blooms, next
mid-summer and early fall.

This recipe by Ernestina Parziale has many good herbal and fruit wine recipes.

Yarrow Wine

Yarrow Wine Ingredients:

2 to 3 oz dried yarrow flowers
2 lemons, quartered
2 oranges, quartered
3 lbs sugar
1 gallon water
½ oz baker’s yeast or 1 pkg wine yeast

I’ve read wine yeast makes a less cloudy wine.

Place all ingredients (except sugar, yeast and water) into a crock. Pour ½ gallon of boiling water over the contents of the crock. Leave for 2 to 3 hours, covered. Boil half the sugar in 1 quart of water for 2 minutes and add this to the rest while still boiling. Mix well and when cool enough, add yeast. Cover again and ferment in a warm place for 10 days, stirring daily and covering immediately again. After 10 days, strain out the solids and wring out as dry as you can. Place the strained liquid into a gallon glass jug. Boil the other half of the sugar in the remaining quart of water for 2 minutes and when cool, add to the jug. Cover or fit a fermentation lock and continue to ferment in a warm place till all fermentation ceases.

Yarrow wine sounds interesting and good along with the other flavors of orange and lemon.

Digestive Bitter:

Yarrow also makes a good digestive bitter, either alone or mixed with other bitter herbs such as gentian root, dandelion leaf, etc.

I have made a yarrow leaf tincture for the purpose as a digestive aid.
I made it as a single tincture, since it is good for digestion and has many uses. Including its good use as a remedy for bleeding, inside or out, bruises, injuries, etc.

Yarrow Preparation Uses:

Yarrow can be made into:
a healing infusion, as a therapeutic bath for bruises and muscle soreness and/or cramps; as a tincture; medicated oil; a compress for bruisings and bleeding; and also as a salve or lotion.

Yarrow as part of a formula for ulcers can relieve inflammation. Also as a formula for relieving urinary tract infections, yarrow can serve an anti-inflammatory role.

Also, yarrow has diuretic properties which assists the clearing of a U.T.I. infection.

I have also read that Yarrow has mild mood enhancing properties.
Try it and let me know what you think. Herbal teas generally help me feel better, and affect my mood in a positive way because when I feel better my mood follows too! 🙂

Yarrow is an old time remedy for flu and colds. It is traditionally paired with peppermint and elder flowers.

This is a traditional remedy. And I want to share it. I just learned of it a few years ago. I am a late bloomer, like Yarrow that blooms throughout late summer into fall. Some plants past gone from the season next to vibrant blooms just begun in the fall.

A time tested, remedy…centuries old, passed down in families, by neighbors and friends, gardeners and gatherers…

Yarrow leaves and flowers, along with peppermint and elder flowers helps your body fight illness. This tea is immune enhancing and diaphoretic, helping your body sweat out impurities and illness.

Rosemary Gladstar calls this her
Gypsy Cold Care
tea blend.

Deer from the nearby Ortiz mountains ate my peppermint, lucky them!

So, I bought the peppermint and elder flower from the herb store I work at and added some of the dried yarrow I harvested recently.

Now I have my own Gypsy Cold Care formula. Writing this blog today I have been drinking it throughout the day to feel better.

For better healing effects drink smaller amounts… a quarter cup per hour while healing a cold or flu.

Gypsy Cold Care formula, passed on in the herbal tradition. A Gypsy Herbal cold and flu care formula that a well known and loved Herbal teacher and writer has passed on to her readers. And from me to you and back again. We can all learn and share so much with each other.

And, I am sure so many of you out there have your own tried and true recipes and remedies. Kitchen medicine!

Goldenrod and Yarrow above

………………………………………………..

I had some helpers making this Fire Cider 😉

Fire Cider!

Fire Cider is based on an old time remedy use of vinegar. Vinegar, in this case, apple cider vinegar, extracts many healing and delicious qualities from herbs and vegetables.

Herbal vinegar was recommended by Hippocrates and many apple cider remedies have been popular over the years.

Rosemary Gladstar has published and shared what has become a very popular healing, spicey vinegar. It is known as fire cider. A fun name for a spicey, healing cider that really knocks out a sinus infection or cold or flu.

It is currently under trademark controversy by a small herbal company that claims to have invented it. That wouldn’t be such an issue except they have trademarked a popular name for a traditional remedy, the name, Fire Cider, itself. Claiming sole proprietory ownership over a common herbal remedy. That means people who sell Fire Cider at farmer’s markets, herb shops, co-ops, etsy shops are getting sued. That would be like sueing someone for making and selling products by name, such as: elderberry syrup or horehound cough drops or the like.
People have been traditionally making, sharing, caring, bartering, gifting and selling these remedies for a longstanding time.

I wanted to inform people on what is going on because trademarks have their place. But, not when herbal traditions are being co-opted and bargained out of existence… in my opinion, anyway.

Here is a link to learn more and get involved if you want to. Plus there are more fire cider and remedy recipes in this link to enjoy.

Free Fire Cider!

*UPDATE: Fire Cider Won in the fall of 2019. A great accomplishment and benefit to all kitchen remedy makers out there! Check out both articles for the history and court case battle won!

This is based on Rosemary’s recipe and this is how I made my own Fire Cider.

-Peel and Chop/Grate one fresh Horseradish root.
-Coarse chop one onion
-Chop 4 or 5 garlic cloves or per taste per jar
-Chop/Grate ginger
-add couple dashes of cayenne per jar
-top off with Raw apple cider vinegar. (avoid white vinegar)
one Tablespoon chopper yarrow leaf and flower(optional)

I made two jars about 16 ounces each.

That’s it! let cure for 4 weeks, otherwise the veggies get too mushy. Strain it and add raw honey, just a bit to sweeten. Heat vinegar to warm, to help honey to blend best. But, not too hot as to kill the raw properties of vinegar and honey.

Also, the vinegar and veggies can be made into a delicious chutney.
Check out the recipe in the free fire cider link above.

Take a shot glass to fight off a sinus infection. Or use with food. Be inventive, let me know what you tried!

All my raw, chopped veggies…. ready for the vinegar!

……………………………………………………..

And, more of the lovely Yarrow, in many stages of growth cuz I love them all!

Sources Include:

Posted links and these book sources:

Medicinal Herbs. A Beginner’s Guide.
by Rosemary Gladstar, Storey Publishing. North Adams, MA., 2012.

Grow it Heal It. by Christopher Hobbs and Leslie Gardner, Rodale Books, N, Y., New York, 2013.

The Herbal Medicine Makers Handbook., by James Green, Crossing Press, Berkeley, CA., 2002.

Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West., by Michael Moore, University of New Mexico Press., Santa Fe, NM., 2003

May Yarrow find its journey along your path as well.

Growing Yarrow

and admiring last Summer’s dried golden blooms overlooking a cliff of the Sandia Mountains.

Goldenrod. Queen of Wands!

Goldenrod flower buds and blooms

Solidago spp.
Family: Asteraceae
Habitat: Roadsides, meadows, disturbed areas, also in mountains

40-60 species alone, grow in North America.

I always appreciated the sunny spread of blooms, especially in the meadows behind my grandparent’s house.
I grew up, as many of us did, hearing that Goldenrod caused hayfever. This is a myth as it has sticky pollen, pollinated by insects…and not airborne by the wind.

Ironically it helps reduce allergic response and can be used as a remedy for seasonal allergies.

Goldenrod growing in the Sandia mountains of New Mexico.

And, the Goldenrod that I found growing in New England.

The golden rod with its fiery, golden blooms
radiant
cheering
healing
vibrant
and vital

Reminds me of the suit of wands in the tarot deck.

And, I adore this image!
She is Goldenrod incarnate!

Can be purchased at Polyvore.com
Artist: Cabaret Voltaire

golden wands of fiery, passionate light. The New Mexico mountain blooms shown in this post, smell infused of honey. One species, Solidago odora, (not shown) the leaves and flowers smell like anise.

Here is the goldenrod infused oil, that I made in New England. It started out on my parents front doorstep. Infusing away, during sunny days. Then before my flight home, infusing amidst jars of tinctures I made…in a box…along its sundry postal trip… to the rural post office 8 miles from where I live. Gleefully, I pick up my herbal remedy delivery, that I collected and made myself…

Not finished solar infusing yet…, onto the bumper of the camper, we call home.

There, on the sunny bumper ledge, infusing by sunny day, starlight and …moon phases…herbal oil infusion journeys with radiances of summer heat and light in North central New Mexico.

Goldenrod oil can help heal wounds, especially those that need a cooling and stimulating action to heal. I like to make salves out of my herbal oils.

Goldenrod mixed with plantain makes a good remedy for stings and skin irritations.

newer growth with flower rays

and narrow leaved plantain, a little beat up from lawnmowers next to a highway… but narrow leaved plantain, nonetheless!

Also, Goldenrod has a longstanding and effective use in relieving sore and achey muscles.

So does nearby growing Snakeweed, also in the Asteraceae family.

Snakeweed below, I’ve talked about it before… an age old respected remedio, for arthrits and achiness, here in New Mexico.

Dry wilt your fresh herbs for, at least, a day before infusing oil.
Double boil slowly to infuse the goodness of all the goldenrod properties…
Or try, as many of you already do, solar infusing.

My first experience along with making carrot seed oil.

Quite a pleasure to infuse oils by the sun, lunar and starry skies.

……………………………………………………

Edible Uses:

Goldenrod blossoms make excellent fritters. Similar to Elderberry blossom fritters.

The tender leaves can be cooked as a green.

You can use the Solidago odora, with licorice/anise scented leaves to make an herbal tea jelly.
This type of Goldenrod has translucent dots on its leaves when held to the sun. This imparts the leaves with the anise flavor.

When Colonists dumped British tea in the harbor, this delicious spice tea was an ingredient in what became known as Liberty tea.

Make your own Liberty Tea Blend and define liberty as it relates to you!

Use equal parts of Sweet Goldenrod (anise flavored species described)
Betony, Red Clover, and New Jersey tea…(also known as Red Root) species name: Ceanothus americanus.

New Jersey tea tastes a great deal like green tea.

Can’t wait to mix up a blend of this health giving, tasty tea!

Long before liberty tea, Native Americans used the Solidago odora, as a medicinal and as a flavoring in medicinals.

This oil, extracted from the leaves and flowers, has also been used in perfumery.
This is giving me good ideas for making hydrosols. You can make your own simple still for hydrosol making. See the Herbal Medicine Maker’s Handbook. by James Green

Habitat: Solidago odora grows in open sandy soil throughout the eastern U.S and midwest, south and through southeast Texas.

Other varieties of Goldenrod can be used to make a jelly too.

Here is a recipe:

(2 Cups fresh plant and 4 Cups water. Boil water, take off heat and add herb, steep for 10-30 minutes.)

If using dried goldenrod use half amount of herb.

Take just 1 Cup of the Goldenrod tea
add 2 Tablespoons pectin.
Heat tea and pectin and bring to a roiling boil.
Add 3/4 Cup sugar all at once.
Stir and boil 1-3 minutes until it passes the jelly test.

Pour into jelly jars.

If using species other than the Solidago odora, consider adding a 1/2 tsp of anise or other flavoring… or just as is.

The rest of the tea can be used as an iced or hot tea. Maybe with some lemon and sweetener to make an herbal lemonade! Customize your own yummy drink blend 🙂

………………………………………………………

Goldenrod has a long history of use around the world as an Herbal Medicine!

Nicholas Culpeper, a 17th century, English herbalist, describes in his book that Goldenrod is ruled by the planet Venus. Here depicted is the birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, 1486., one of my favorite paintings.

image

According to Culpeper, Solidago fragrans, “It is a balsamic vulnerary (wound/skin healing herb, also for)…hurts and bruises…a safe diuretic; few things exceed it in the gravel, stone in the reins and kidneys (and kidney stones with pain and soreness… also with) bloody or purulent urine; then its balsamic healing virtues co-operate with its diuretic quality, and the parts at the same time are cleansed and healed.”

Also, he states that it is an excellent wound healer, inside and out.

Also, it helps to “stay the immoderate flux of womens’ courses, ruptures, ulcers in the mouth or throat…” and in preparations as a wash for venereal disease.

A tea of young leaves, fresh or dry, he recommends for these healing purposes.

Also, he states that Solidago angustifolia, as a decoction and rinse, helps set loose teeth.

More cited herbal uses:

According to the excellent website by Plants for a Future., the common species,Solidago canadensis, is excellent for kidney problems, allergies due to its quercetin constituents, its root can make an effective poultice for burns, flowers and buds chewed and swallowed soothe sore throats, saponins of the plant are specifically anti-fungal against candida overgrowth, and more uses described in link above.

Specifically, it is described as being:
antiseptic, hemostatic, febrifuge, kidney remedy, styptic and useful salve.

Matthew Wood, p.p. 468-470, An Earthwise Herbal., states the uses of Goldenrod, specifically Solidago canadensis, and S. virga-aurea.

Properties of Herb:

“The root, leaf and flower… are predominately bitter and pungent…(with) traditional use as a carminative” and digestive aid.

It is aromatic and contains essential oils which aids in allergies… also quercetin does, and especially helps with carryovers of lung distress with bronchitis that remains as a factor.

He describes it as a good stimulant to kidney function as a remedy after stressful situations or even psychological events.

Susun Weed suggests making a healthfilled Goldenrod herbal vinegar! Vinegar extracts many wonderful herbal properties and can be used every day in food preparations…talk about gourmet salad dressings and dipping sauces, marinades!

Wood, also describes an affinity that goldenrod has for healing scalp irritations and scabs as well as leg wounds. And, leg wounds particularly because of its healing effects on kidneys.

Specific Indications:

-For being tired and worn out, can’t process issues that life brings.
-allergies, conjuctiva, specifically useful for cat allergies
-acne in sheets of small pimples on face
-cold stomach, inactive digestion
-edema, swelling, dry scaly skin
-purulent conditions of lungs, mucosa, skin,
-exhausted and tired lower back, tired feet, tired worn out kidneys,
-dark scanty urine
-early bladder irritation
-edema and purulent sores on legs
-dry scaly patches- scalp and legs
-old, inflamed purulent wounds, gangrenous wounds.

Harvest leaves in fall and tincture fresh in alcohol.

*Check field guides for native species near you. It can resemble some species of senecio, and other look a likes… And, it is in that vast plant family, Asteraceae… that I had trouble keying out less common species.

So, I presented more characteristic species here. Asteraceae, yellow rayed species no less, what a workout!

Dosage: 1-3 drops, 1-3x a day.

For allergies, my Medical herbalist friend suggests to try 30 drops a day, 3 times a day… if drop dosage above does not yield effective responses.

I do want to learn more about drop dosages.

Caution: Goldenrod can heal conjuctivitis but, if excess of drop dose above is taken, (1-3 drops per day…) can cause conjuctivitis!

Can heal or cause conjunctivitis.
I respect this powerful and gracious healer. Goldenrod!

Thankyou Matthhew Wood for your compehensive knowledge and view!

I am grateful for all references in this post and am interested in Your Uses of Goldenrod too. Please feel free to share your experiences with Goldenrod if you would like to!

Goldenrod makes colorful dyes!

Harvest from more common species and strong stands…or from your own herb garden of Goldenrod.

For Yellow to Gold dye: use flowers and flower buds, alum or chrome as a mordant; simmer or solar dye

For orange dye: use flowers and buds, a tin mordant; simmer the dye

For a tan dye: use leaves, alum mordant; and solar dye

for an olive dye: use leaves, a copper mordant; and solar dye

for a gray dye: use leaves or flowers, an iron mordant: and solar dye

……………………………………………….

Wanting to add some color to the vibrant hue of goldenrod and all its story, I have briefly touched upon…

I wanted to share some poetry I found, highlighting Goldenrod in the first line.

It was written by a woman who was a classmate of Emily Dickinson and a friend of Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Helen Hunt Jackson’s poem:

September

The golden-rod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.

The gentian’s bluest fringes
Are curling in the sun;
In dusty pods the milkweed
Its hidden silk has spun

The sedges flaunt their harvest,
In every meadow nook;
And asters by the brook-side
Make asters in the brook,

From dewey lanes at morning
The grapes’ sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
with yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather,
And autumn’s best of cheer.

But none of all this beauty
Which floods the earth and air
Is unto me the secret
Which makes September fair.

‘T is a thing which I remember
To name it thrills me yet:
One day of one September
I never can forget.

by, Helen Hunt Jackson

She also became an activist in the 1800’s. She lived from 1830-1885.

She was especially moved when she went to hear a lecture in Boston, as part of a 4 year lecture tour by the Ponca Chief Standing Bear.

Standing Bear and his wife Susette Primeau and their son.

image and info

He argued against the cruel treatment of his people that were forcibly moved from Nebraska to Oklahoma territory. Up to one third of all people died due to starvation, disease and illness. They were moved too late in the year to plant crops and were denied promised goods and agricultural equipment.

Chief Standing Bear also sued in U.S. District Court, in 1879, that all Native Americans are “persons within the meaning of the law and have the right of habeus corpus.”

On May 12, 1879, Judge Elmer S. Dundy, ruled in agreement of Native Americans existing in right of habeus corpus. He stated that the federal government had failed to show a basis under law for the Poncas’ arrest and captivity.

This was a landmark case legally for Native American rights.

The case was called:
United Stated ex. rel. Standing Bear v. Crook. Crook was the General holding Standing Bear and his people under law control.

After this ruling, Standing Bear and his followers were freed by army release and given a return of lands restored to them in the Niobrara valley of Nebraska. A state park and many other tributes are in honor of Standing Bear and his achievements.

After the lecture, Helen Hunt Jackson sent everyone in congress a copy of her book: A Century of Dishonor. It described and detailed the deplorable action of the U.S. government against Native Americans. The book exposed the U.S. government’s violations of treaties and gross misconduct and harm against American Indian tribes. She also got involved in Mexican Native rights in California and this resulted in tourism and interest in the area based on her novel Ramona.

She was a prolific writer and activist, who eventually moved to Southern California from Massachusetts.

Helen Hunt Jackson, poet and activist.

Little did I know how much history I would learn from looking up this sweet poem about Goldenrod and the time of September.

A poem, that was popular to recite at the turn of last century, by schoolchildren.

……………………………….

Goldenrod, Queen of Wands, a golden spectacle of fields and roadsides, open areas in mountains and meadows.

A healer to kidneys, U.T.I.’s, sore muscles, wounds, and more.

A wonderful natural dye.

Mistaken for an allergen but actually a cure!

The Anise scented Goldenrod once imported to China as tea.

Goldenrod, good to get to know you.
For many years to come!

Bibliography, including posted links and sources:

Nicholas Culpeper, Culpeper’s Complete Herbal.

Edible and Useful Plants of the Southwest., by Delena Tull.

An Earthwise Herbal., by Matthew Wood

Yellow Evening Primrose: Walking with Bear Tracks.

Oenothera spp.
Family: Onagraceae

this species: Oenothera hookeri

I like the name.

Yellow Evening Primrose

Habitat: Sea Level to 9,000 feet. It is common in mountainous areas of the U.S.
It also grows along streams, fallow fields, watersheds, roadsides, wet areas.

Evening Primrose in New Mexico.

Medicinal Use:

According to Michael Moore, Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West.,

The Root can be chopped fresh or dried, covered with twice its volume in honey. Boil this slowly. It makes a soothing and somewhat antispasmodic cough syrup.

The top of the plant can also be used similarly.

Diuretic effect
Some laxative effect
Can suppress skeletal and smooth muscle pain, in particular: the reproductive organs.

Evening Primrose is variable in its effects due to particular affinities a person may have with the plant. Effects differ also according to species and habitat.

It is recommended to try it, since some people respond particularly well. And it is a fairly common plant and does well in gardens. It may even pop up as a volunteer as it has at my workplace’s herbal garden.

Recommended Dose:

One to Three teaspoons of the root or leaf in tea.

The seeds are highly nutritious and contain amidst other things: linoleic acid and varying amounts of gamma-linoleic acid. (GLA)

When the seed capsules open at the top you can tip the branch and the capsules will release seeds into your container.

Michael Moore, herbalist, suggests to grind the seeds and add to flaxseed oil. Keep cold/refrigerated or just grind what is needed at a time.

Evening Primrose Oil contained in the seeds has many touted health benefits for autoimmune disorders such as: eczema, psoriasis, scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis.

For some people, the plant’s overall positive effect on organs such as liver, spleen, and musculo-skeletal systems helps people feel better, thus is mood/state enhancing.

Foraging Tips:

The whole plant is edible. The roots are peppery and like a turnip/parsnip when raw. Often boiled.

Young leaves are best, do have hairs. Good as a potherb.

Seeds are edible, see above.

The flowers have a mild cucumber taste. We found them delicious and very pleasant tasting.

………………………………………………………….

Fun to read about, exciting to find!

Evening primrose… A plant I have been hoping to find. I found it this year. My friend, in Massachusetts, has some in her garden and I spotted some on a favorite mental health and nature enjoyment walk.

My father died recently and I flew home, by wings of an airplane, to visit him, help with his hospice care and be with family. From the base of the Ortiz mountains to a suburban town, southwest of Boston, Massachusetts.

10 miles from the ocean.

This area, charming by means of cranberry bogs and small New England ponds. Grass lawns, woods, occasional spots of enclosed meadow flowers. And a fire access lane filled with wildflowers, milkweeds, wild blueberries, huckleberries and Evening Primrose!

Along a humble path- access lane (divine to me) that was a 5 minute walk from my parents home.

While my father was in the hospital, before or after visiting him there, I would often walk here or to the nearby pond for a few minutes.

lifesaving

And John’s Pond, with cranberry bogs across the way.

a diary style picture of myself, at the pond, in the lifesaving chair…early in the day before families arrived to play and swim.

My dad was clean, re-positioned, comfortable and loved. Final days of hospice care at home. These short walks, the equivalent time of a brief bath or shower, really saved me. And was not understood by everyone.

Before my dad came home for hospice care, and in the between times of waiting to visit him at the hospital… in New England,
I wildcrafted herbs.
And did I ever!

I even found an Elderberry tree in a recess and dip in the woods, a few yards away from my parents house. The irony did not escape me. Elder.

I got a lot of satisfaction, too, harvesting plantain from my parents’ lawn.

New England, where I turned the experience of loss into healing.
On so many levels. As we all do.

I did it in a way that brought me relief, joy and sanity. Making Herbal tinctures, salves, herbal oils and herbal tea jellies and wild berry jellies.

jelly

I shared the jellies (made jellies for the first time) and showed family how to make medicated herbal salves… which we also used on my father for the arthritis in his neck and back.

The nature spirits guided me and helped me cope.

I was so happy to find Evening Primrose in New England which brought my search full circle to my original home.

I feel that plants choose their times of alliance in the wild and gardens. And, I am grateful.

Thankyou to this New England Evening Primrose!

Imagine my happiness and joy when returning to New Mexico, shortly after my father’s funeral, I found Evening Primrose growing in wild stretches near the lake dam I was camping at. Nature spirits truly divined a magical experience!

And I was welcomed back to New Mexico with flying colors. Literally.

Near the fields of Evening Primroses, I also saw bear tracks. A mother bear with her cubs. Truly awe inspiring!

evening primrose herbal uses

FES Evening Primrose Flower Essence Uses

Thankyou for taking this plant and animal track journey with me. Plants as allies through all of our experiences. And, Evening Primrose led me to the Majestic Mama bear and her cubs.

Grateful!

And, my bountiful tincture!

tincture where you are
:)❤

Sources: Posted Website links
and this book source specifically:

Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West. by Michael Moore, Nuseum of New Mexico Press, Santa Fe. 2003.

And, the beautiful desert primrose I found this year alongside desert roads…

a happy return

Herbal Tea Jelly. Queen Anne’s Lace.

image and information on Queen Anne’s Lace!

QAL above

QAL above

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daucus carotus
Family: Apiaceae also known as: Umbelliferae
Common Names: Queen Anne’s Lace, Bird’s Nest, Wild Carrot

Queen Anne’s Lace… see the tiny, purple floret? The floret is an identification factor.
(The leaves you see are from nearby plants, not from the Queen Anne’s Lace.)

I will label each Queen Anne’s lace picture as: QAL

Queen Anne’s Lace in its first season has a delicious root. It is a wild carrot and, is believed to be the precursor to the modern carrot. Its flowers are edible: can be fried, made into an herbal tea and an herbal tea jelly.

But, it is important to note that it is in the plant family: Apiaceae.

A wonderfully interesting group of plants. Many of which, resemble Queen Anne’s Lace.

The Apiaceae family has made a huge contribution to culinary and herbal endeavors. A boon to our wellbeing!

*Foods and Food Herbs: Parsley, Carrot, Anise, Chervil, Coriander, Caraway, Cumin, Dill, and Fennel.

Medicinal Herbs: Angelica, Osha and Queen Anne’s Lace are popular healing herbs in the Apiaceae family.

Queen Anne’s Lace, Herbal Medicine

I will also talk about using Queen Anne’s Lace as food in this post.

*Not to mention that many, if not all, of the food herbs listed above have healing properties and can be used as herbal medicine.

As well as being delicious additions to our food.

This always gives me a sense of lineage to herbalism and I am grateful to all of our foraging and gardening ancestors.

I think of herbs and their use as a continuation of food as medicine. A common legacy we all have which includes food herbs.

Everyday herbal medicine.

Herbs as Food. Herbs as medicine.

QAL above

…………………………………………………………….

But, Some plants in this family of plants, Apiaceae, are Deadly Poisonous.

Luckily, we know this and have traditions of knowledge to draw on.

For ex., Osha is known as a healing plant, in the Apiaceae family.
I would need to go with someone who knows where to identify it accurately. I have knowledge to look for purple spots, parts and splotches, etc re: water hemlock. But, foraging and herbal wildcrafting has a tried and true tradition of learning from those people who know from hands on experience. Never mind the fact that Osha, in this case, is illegal to pick in certain areas or on the edge of its ecozone or habitat, so should be respected and left alone.

I’ve heard it is difficult to cultivate. Has anyone out there had success cultivating Osha?
Just a curious sidenote…

Luckily, Queen Anne’s Lace is common, although poisonous look a likes can grow nearby and vastly outnumber the Queen Anne’s Lace.

So foraging areas can differ! And, it is considered a noxious weed by some… so be aware of poisonous herbicides or pesticides in foraging areas.

……………………………………………………

QAL above

I love the tenacity!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I grew up with Queen Anne’s Lace and have been studying its poisonous look a likes for more than 2 years. It is essential to be able to IDENTIFY Queen Anne’s Lace accurately, everytime!

QAL above

Do not pick a plant you think is Queen Anne’s Lace until absolutely sure.

So, I suggest to stay clear from foraging this plant until you ABSOLUTELY can positively I.D. it.

An essential strategy, anyway. to wild harvesting a.k.a gleaning… foraging…picking…harvesting…
herbal preparing, touching a wild plant, (for ex., consider: poison ivy)

or touching a garden plant…

As it turns out…Poison Hemlock is an escapee from being landscaped into flower gardens. It has now become naturalized.

So, be like me 🏃avoid the foraging risk until you know for sure!

Here’s a quick note on purple spots, splotches or streaks for some of the poisonous related species, which aids in distinguishing Queen Anne’s Lace.

These poisonous members of the family have purple splotches on their stems: Giant Hogweed (also hairy stems), Poison Hemlock smooth stem), Water Hemlock (smooth stem)

Some Queen Anne’s Lace identifying characteristics:

hairy stem
*compound umbel
often white or cream colored flowers
often has small purple floret in center
root smells like carrot
carrot like leaves, (careful here…for ex, Fools Parsley has similar looking leaves.)

*here you can see the grouping of secondary umbels, forming an umbrella shape, which comprises the whole compound umbel.

QAL above

QAL above

QAL above

Here are Queen Anne’s Lace Leaves:

QAL leaves

QAL hairy stem

Once you know the differences you can differentiate between both edible, medicinal and poisonous members of the Apiaceae family.

Here is a picture of Poison Hemlock:

Poison Hemlock above 🙋💀

image of Poison Hemlock & more info

Another similar plant that is DEADLY POISONOUS…Violently Toxic, as it is described… is the Water Hemlock.

Water Hemlock above 🙋💀

image and additional info

Water Hemlock

Sometimes Water Hemlock is confused for other plants such as: Queen Anne’s Lace, *Wild Parsnip, or Elderberry, etc.

🙋⚠

The sap of Wild Parsnip above-
can cause skin burns and scars.

Wild Parsnip…Poison Parsnip image and info

Also, Fools Parsley’s leaves and flowers look a lot like Queen Anne’s Lace:

🙋💀

🙋💀

images source of Fools Parsley and Info.

This is not an extensive list of poisonous look alikes. I will label and include positive I.D. pictures of Queen Anne’s Lace.

I grew up with Queen Anne’s Lace. I always loved the meadows and fields that contained it. Through a slippery slope of information, we children were told that it contained arsenic. Not true according to what I know… but in an inadvertant way…it may have kept us safe from accidentally poisoning us from a deadly, poisonous look a like!

QAL and its classic bird’s nest shape

Here is Green Deane’s excellent post about differentiating between elderberry and water hemlock.

Plus, some great I.D. tips on Water Hemlock… a deadly poison.

………………………………………………………

Queen Anne’s Lace seeds have been used as food, a spice, a facial oil and a contraceptive. I have, thus far used it as a facial oil.

For more info on use as a natural contraceptive start here:

contraceptive

QAL above and Goldenrod and other wildflowers

Queen Anne’s Lace has a native species also referred to as Wild Carrot. Its Latin name is:
Daucus pusillus

Here is a picture:

image source & more info on Daucus pusillus

QAL above

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JELLY TIME!

I think I am going to make my Herbal jelly like this next time:

recipe for herbal tea jelly by the Ball jar company

Acid, such as in squeezed lemon juice, helps jelly to gel. Check it out.

lemon juice helps jelly gel!

I had the happy pleasure of making my first ever canned jelly. I made it with Queen Anne’s Lace flowers.

Hence, all my cautionary notes about poisonous look-a-likes!

I made a strong herbal infusion. I used 3 cups Flower heads chopped up. They all smelled carrot-y and I was absolutely sure each and everyone had hairy stems and were all Queen Anne’s Lace. A few were even a pale pink which is unusual but part of the norm.

I felt inspired to make an Herbal Tea Jelly out of Queen Anne’s lace when I found many recipes online. And, many jelly making enthusiasts out there!
Like You! 🍥

(The Pectin I used… and introducing Goldenrod for later posts. As some of you know, and I have recently learned, Goldenrod is not a high allergen like its reputation indicates… and when solar infused in oil or made into salves or liniments, it is great for relieving sore muscles!)

and more jelly making…

Here is the gorgeous rose pink colored tea I made from the Queen Anne’s Lace herbal infusion.

I made sure to sterilize all jars, lids and rings… even though they were new.

Make your herbal tea.
Boil 4 cups water.
Let it cool for five minutes.

Then add and submerge about 20 Queen Anne’s Lace flower heads (2 Cups packed)
Steep the tea for a half an hour. Then strain it.

Use 3 Cups of the tea.

Then stir and heat up
one package of pectin along with

1/4 Cup of lemon juice to the Queen Anne’s Lace herbal tea.

Bring it to a boil….not too slowly or the pectin will dissipate. Go for medium heat.

Once boiling I added the organic sugar.
(I added 5 Cups sugar. similar to mint jelly recipes I found.)

For less sugar,
3 and 1/2 Cups plus 2 Tablespoons is recommended by other jelly makers.

Adding the sugar slowed the mixture down.
Then I brought the mixture to a boil again.

Let it boil for one more minute and it is done.

Do the jelly test if you would like it to be more certain.
Although, the above method worked well for me.

Jelly test

poured into jelly jars… leave, at least 1/4 inch space at the top when filling the jars. Leave room for it to vacuum seal.

Then canned in boiling water bath for 6 minutes….for time required just above sea level. Technically, 5 minutes boiling time for hot water canning at Sea Level. I am in New England, right now, not too far from the ocean.

Boil with, at least, 1 to 2 inches of water covering all the jars.

Screw the bands on all the jars… just tight enough to close. I read somewhere… not too loose…
Fingertip tight, like closing a Mayonnaisse jar. Just til you meet resistance. This was super confusing for me… “finger tip tight”

Some of my bands were loose after canning in boiling water, so not sure if that is normal. But all my lids were properly sealed and I tasted the jelly from the canned jar… yum! lemony and light! A special treat as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Or a delightful filling for a layer cake. It is really good!

I’ve given some jars away and eaten some but, here is the jelly I have left.

Be sure your lids have properly sealed. If they haven’t vacuum sealed on their own after 24 hours of cooling down then they can be used as refrigerator jelly. Or recanned if done right away, just after the 24 hour period of cool down, and opportunity to vacuum seal on its own.

Check by pressing the center of the lid down with your finger. It should be depressed, concave. If the indentation pops back up into a bubble then it did not seal properly.

Also, hold jar up and look horizontally across the lid to make sure it looks flat with center not popped up or bulging and slightly indented in the middle. Then you know it is sealed. Also, tip jar on its side with band off to make sure seal stays on, etc.

I did all the tests above. Here is the top of the lid properly sealed.

The lid shows the indentation and is flat. 🙂

I am grateful for ediblewidfood.com’s recipe for Queen Anne’s Lace jelly.

see link below

I felt better using 5 cups of sugar that I found in the mint jelly recipe inside the pectin box. Because mint jelly is also an herbal tea jelly.

ediblewildfood.com

learn2grow.com or I like to say… Jelly for Days. Great Herbal Jelly recipes and fruit juice combos and jelly ideas! savory or sweet!

Jelly is a traditional form of preserving herbs and fruits.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am also going to soak these Wild Carrot seed heads in oil to extract their skin benefitting qualities.

Dry wilt or completely dry the seeds when soaking in oil.
Water and oil don’t mix.

Wild Carrot essential oil, extracted via steam distillation, is a highly concentrated oil. It takes huge volumes of plant material to distill a few precious drops of essential oil. So, I harvested 15 seed heads (“bird’s nests”) of Queen Anne’s lace. Then, I am going to soak (macerate) them in a solar infusion of oil in the hot sun, for a few weeks. Then, when strained this oil is especially good for sageing skin. I read that in one of my Rosemary Gladstar books and I love the term: sageing. It feels apropos, and with a lot more luster than sagging!

QAL above

QAL above

Queen Anne’s Lace Seeds above

And my solar infusing herbal oils. One is the Goldenrod and the other is the Queen Anne’s Lace seed heads!

Herbal fun!

QAL above

Queen Anne’s Lace,
Happy Sigh Here

Cholla Flower Buds, Singing to Plants and Planting Songs.

Cylindropuntia imbricata

Family: Cactaceae

The Cholla cactus used to be considered in the same genus as the Prickly Pear cactus but now is in its own genus.

There are different types of cholla but I harvested Cholla buds from the fuschia flowered cholla growing all around where I live.

It is commonly called cane cholla.

Cholla grows primarily in the Southwest U.S. it has been naturalized in parts of Australia, where it is known as Devil cane.

Cholla flower buds are high in soluble fiber and have more calcium in two tablespoons than a glass of milk. Many people are lactose intolerant or have digestive issues with dairy or allergies. So plant sources of calcium make a lot of sense!

Cholla flower buds are an excellent plant source of calcium.

And here is a bit more health focus about Cholla flower buds which are high in soluble fiber as well as calcium. Also a good amount of iron. Protein is 6 grams per serving!

source

Soluble fiber….what is it good for?

“… Soluble fiber, which dissolves in water, can help lower glucose levels as well as help lower blood cholesterol. Foods with soluble fiber include oatmeal, nuts, beans, lentils, apples, blueberries.” ………
…….And Cholla Flower Buds!

Cholla flower buds are eaten for taste but also to stave off osteoporosis and help with diabetes and blood sugar management.

Go Cholla!

I admit there have been times I have looked out at vast fields of Cholla growing with wonderment. But, also a sense of overwhelm. The desert is gorgeous but tough to live in. Now I feel more connected to Cholla. Not only as a prolific and adapted cactus but as an amazing food source. With all your thorns and abilities to thrive in the high desert, I presently call home… you beautify my life with your flowers, thorns and silouhette against blue skies and storms, Cholla.

You nourish me.
You drew me near.
With respect and tongs 🙂
I need songs…
I gathered from your spiney stems.

6 Cholla flower buds to add green bounty to my beans.

In my tanktop and cutoff jeans.

Sweat pouring from my forehead. I took a break from domestic tasks, and various mind chatter.

You nourish me.
Cholla, called me near.
And the ants…
Ants thrive here too.
And were called by Cholla to survive, thrive.

I am just one human surrounded by dozens of Cholla and countless ants swarming for nectar.

Grateful for the green I have for my supper

Cholla

More meanderings than poetry but I think you know what I mean.

Twice today, I have heard of the importance of singing to plants. And, for the tradition, of so many traditional peoples of the world, who sing to plants… when growing them, foraging, connecting with, and making plant medicine. 🍃🎵

Cholla flower buds are a traditional food of many Pueblo peoples.

Buckthorn Cholla grows near the Tohono O’odham people although most if not all cholla flower buds are said to be edible.

The Hopi people, the Tohono O’odham, still gather Ciolum, Cholla flower buds, for a delicious and health giving food source.

The next link features a woman singing to Ciolim. She talks about coyote. How coyote will be upset. Because she got up early to harvest the wonderful Ciolim.

Or maybe someone sleeps late. Coyote is happy to get the Ciolim early in the morning.

Ciolim helps balance blood sugar.

The woman in the video says that leaving traditional foods behind has caused health problems. Returning with respect to these foods can help restore health balance. And she is one of many, who each year, respect and forage Ciolim.

It is often boiled after removing spines by rubbing against metal screens or colanders. I burned the cactus spines and fine sharp hairs, called glochids, off with my small stove. Then I boiled the buds for 15 minutes. They do taste a bit like asparagus. They are Okra like. Though, I personally like them better.

Of course, fried… could be really yummy too. With a dipping sauce. Maybe some Sumac spice in the batter?

Local foods and spices. Fine dining foraging style!

Here is a recipe I found that is simple and looks good.

Be sure to de-spine the cactus. Both the longer spines and barely visible glochid spines. I burned mine off, then boiled the buds for 15 minutes.

-De-spine Cholla flower buds and/or new growth stem joints.
-Make a batter of Cornmeal, whole wheat flour or other flour, salt & pepper, spices
-Roll pieces in batter and fry in oil

There are still a lot of cholla buds near me. I would like to try this recipe.

Also, you can de-spine them, boil for 15 minutes then dry/dehydrate them for future use.

My father, when he came to visit me, cut a stem of Cholla and replanted it when he got home. They re-plant really easily. Just let the stem piece scar over for a few days. Then stick it in soil. It should take to re-planting easily.

Would you like to grow your own Cholla from seed? Check out this great site. And, you can buy a jar of Cholla buds too!

nativeseeds.org

Songs to Ciolim!

Also a wonderful site above of empowerment and community for the Tohono O’odham.

Also today I heard this podcast from Mountain Rose Herbs. Rosemary Gladstar talks about many wonderful things including connecting to plants through song.

And listen to her community herbal song ❤

Funny, I was so happy in my garden this morning, I was singing to my plants, before I learned of these songs and traditions today.

Here is some fencing we made by dragging branches of dead cholla over to protect our container garden.

A beautiful flute song.
A Hopi Corn Planting Song based on traditional music.
Played and recorded by Eddy Herier.

listen

The dead cholla makes a beautiful wood skeleton which is often used as a walking cane or ceremonially, and religious use. Also in art.

Here is the remnant of some of that beautiful cholla skeketon.

Thankyou Cholla for making my skeleton strong.

Sources include posted sites and:

Edible and Useful Plants of the Southwest. by Telena Dull,
University of Texas Press. Austin, 1987.