Listen to Episode 27 of Herbology Talk where Stacey is a guest with Mary.
See what we’ve been up to the last couple months! Lots of Pictures!
Sweet End of Summer Events and Pictures!
Below are pictures of Arnica chamissionis a species of Arnica that grows very well in our area. Arnica is an amazing topical for strains, sprains, bruises and other soft tissue soreness. You don’t want to put it on an open wound or take it internally as an herb (same as Arnica Montana) however the flower essence is a wonderful option that way.
The Saint John’s Wort – Hypericum perforatum, is just starting to open up ! In many areas it is traditionally picked at summer solstice, but in Duluth “midsummer” is usually more mid July than mid June! St. John’s Wort is an amazing blood cleanser and wound healer, specific to the cardiovascular and nervous system. It has pain relieving, anti microbial properties. It is a specific for areas of the body that are profuse with nerve endings. It is a specific for puncture wounds- and the plant tells us that by the signature tiny pin holes that are in the leaves. You can see them if you hold the leaf up to the light.
Plantain came to my rescue last week when a wasp flew into the eve of the house and bounced back, and landed inside the back of my shirt! It only stung me hard once, thankfully. Luckily we have plantain tincture and got that on there right away as I was chewing up the fresh leave to put it on and pull the rest of the sting out. Didn’t even notice it after about 5 minutes!
We had a wonderful experience at Balsam Moon Preserve
Its always great when we can get together with dear family and friends.
May you be having wonderful experiences wherever your summer days take you!
last weekend where I lead a foraging group. We stayed in a rustic cordwood cabin, got to know some great new friends, learned about herbs, gathered and made a meal together. The students had a great time and felt inspired to keep learning about the herbs around them!
Our dinner- some of the foraged greens included, dandelions, sheep sorrel, wood sorrel, lamb’s quarters, anise hyssop, dill, violet leaves, bladder campion leaves. The biscuits were made using acorn flour, that Barb from Balsam Moon had made last fall. I brought the pickled ramps. We had Elderflower/berry and Rosehip Oxymel vinaigrette dressing. The wild rice was gifted from a friend. We made a decoction out of dried turkey tail and shiitake mushrooms, from last season’s harvesting and then cooked the rice in it, with some of the ramps, fresh oregano from the garden and some other seasoning. One of the best parts of the meal was the sautéed day lily roots and unopened flower buds- They went fast! Everything was sooo good and it was so hopeful to watch the group of strangers come together and work collectively to make their meal and have such fun doing it!
Its always great when we can get together with dear family and friends.
May you be having wonderful experiences wherever your summer days take you!
We had an abundance of wild ramps or leeks (Allium tricoccum) for fresh eating this spring. and I managed to get a couple of jars pickled for later this season!
In the same family as onions and garlic ,this plant grows in thick colonies in predominantly hardwood forests that have rich moist soil. These types of woods are generally quite shady in the summer. The leeks are what we call a spring ephemeral- they are done growing and have died back before the trees have their full leaf canopy.
Because they grow in a colony you need to be careful when you are harvesting them. You never want to take out an entire patch. If you are in a place where they are growing well this is not generally an issue. As you are digging you will notice that the root systems are intertwined and separating a portion of a patch takes some careful attention so you don’t damage the ones you intend to leave in the ground.
Many people choose to just harvest the edible leaves and keep the bulbs in the ground.
They have a taste that is both onion and garlic at the same time. Stronger than an onion in flavor, you can use them as you would either of these in all your recipes. I like to freeze some leaves to add to winter soups, etc…Easy to gather and store for winter, by chopping small and dehydrating. Many people also can them. Some like to can them with other wild spring foods such as ostrich fiddleheads and wood nettles, which makes a nutritious flavorful base for any winter cooking.
As a member of the Allium family the constituents are similar as well. Eating leeks gives you many vitamins and minerals to support your nutrition; vitamin K, manganese, vitamin B6, copper, iron, folate, vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, calcium, omega-3 fats. Leeks contain many sulfur compounds that are either similar to, or identical with sulfur compounds in these better-researched vegetables. The sulfur found in leeks, and other members of the allium family, play an important role in support of our body’s antioxidant and detox systems as well as the formation of our connective tissue.
Dandelions gathered while weeding out the vegetable beds. A good start….!
Dandelion is packed full of nutrients. It is high in vitamins D, C ,B’s, and A, calcium, potassium, magnesium, lecithin, protein, iron, sugar, and calcium, phosphorus, manganese, sulphur, aluminum, chromium, cobalt, niacin, riboflavin, sodium, tin, zinc, and ascorbic acid. Eat the greens fresh or steamed. The roots can be eaten fresh, sautéed, dried, roasted, made into tea, and so many other ways! The bright yellow flowers ( minus the green part) are sweet and colorful additions to your salads and sprinkled on top of other dishes.
Our trip to Marblehead so I could co teach with my mentor Margi Flint was full of learning and fun! Always an honor and a joy to learn from her and be in a group of other herbalists! Every time I come back with new understandings to help me be a better helper to you!
To Read the full post, view pictures, and learn about upcoming events, click here!
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See all the current news for November 2022 here:
November 2022 News
April
Healing Touch Practice Group
April 20th 5 to 730 PM
Energy for Life Connection
507 N Blackman Ave
Limited to 6
RSVP by March 13th to reserve your place!
218.591.2104
stacey@energyforlifeconnection.com
The North Central Healing Touch 18th regional gathering was a fantastic day of enriching self care.
Recording available at :
https://www.nchtcommunity.org/annual-gathering/2022
Registration for Course 2 May 14-15 early bird pricing ends soon! check it out –http://www.energyforlifeconnection.com/wp-content/uploads/april2leveloneduluth.pdf
I had the opportunity to speak at the state nurse educators conference at the DECC last week. It was uplifting to see the changes they are trying to incorporate in nursing education to include more holistic and integrative approaches to the students!
I also had the opportunity to be a vendor at both of these conferences- I still have lots of fresh topicals and tinctures for your needs.
Get them now while they are at their peak freshness!
