Plant Journeys

Rose Addicts Perfume Collections & Lost in Aromatics newsletter.....

2012-01-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

The Romantic Notions of Aromatic Journeys

January 26, 2012 Newsletter

Practical Luxury {What to do with herbal marc} and a Discount Code for you!

2012-01-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

Greetings plant lovers!

Today through January 26, I'm offering a thank you discount code for 10% off anything in my shop.

Enjoy this week's newsletter to find the code!

~~ How to use herbal marc, a sexy poem, and lovely photos from my hearth to yours ~~

The Simple Pleasures of the Pine Family, January Newsletter

2012-01-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

~ Pine Family Treasures ~

New Year's Herbal (Un) resolutions and Simple Ceremony

2011-12-31T10:29:00.000-08:00

May your 2012 be your most blissful, bountiful, and meaningful year yet.

(Click here for the New Year's Newsletter)

In deep gratitude to all of you for being you.

Christmas Quickie! (an Easy Oxymel Recipe)

2011-12-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

A blog post especially for Poppy Swappers!

~~~~~

Rushing at the last second? I won't even keep you with long-winded writing. My kids and I whipped up this beautiful, delicious, and easy oxymel yesterday for neighbors and friends ..... you can too! It took us less than an hour.

{An oxymel is an herbal preparation using a combination of vinegar and honey as the menstruum. It's delicious and very useful, as well as being a very forgiving recipe to make - anyone can make an oxymel (also known as "shrub" by some) at home}

Here's what to grab at the store:

1 case (one dozen) 8oz food grade sauce jars or canning jars
2 bottles of Apple Cider Vinegar, 32 ounces each (a total of 64 ounces)
32oz (4 cups) by volume of Honey
One large-ish chunk of ginger, enough for about 2 slices per jar (total of 24 slices)
One lemon (we used an in season Meyer lemon - yum!)

You will need dried (or frozen if you gather) elderberries, about half a cup's worth (maybe less). If you don't have some at home, see if your health food store has them in their bulk herb section. If you're stuck and cannot find them, don't fret - use little frozen blueberries or dried cherries! Oxymels are super-versatile - and for skeptical neighbors, they'll be healthy without even knowing why ;)

TO MAKE:

Add to each bottle/jar:

3 tsp berries
one slice lemon
two slices ginger

Mix the honey and vinegar together in a large container, and after thoroughly combined, pour it into each bottle, giving some head room at the top for a little swelling action from the herbs.

Label and give! Your recipient can opt to wait until it gets stronger and use it in a couple weeks, but with the fresh ingredients there will be a lovely taste after just one day.

Q: "What the heck is this for?" (Likely the very words from my neighbors lips when they get this)

A: "It's excellent for curing heartburn; take a little spoonful before and after your meal. It's also delicious on salads, and is a wondrous cough and cold remedy; sip a tablespoon in a cup of hot water! Feel free to strain out the herbs if you wish. Happy Holidays!"

My silly monkeys :)

Ta-Da!!

xoxoxo

Herbal Simple Syrups: Easy, Delicious Gifts!

2011-11-30T09:40:00.000-08:00

Yuletide is different for everyone. Some of us get excited and filled with joy at the many ways we can give, exchange, share, and create.

And some of us feel tired. Perhaps we have worked all year long and not gotten ahead yet, or perhaps we have a large family with all different personalities.

Perhaps we are stumped at what to offer our neighbors that would be lovely, personal, simple, yet not too freaky-deaky!

Herbal Syrups can provide a beautiful nature-connected gift that is simple, easy, versatile, and extremely cheap to make.

Yes, it has sugar. White sugar. So it's no good for those struggling with blood sugar issues. For them .... infuse the herbs into vinegar, oil, or butter ;)

Herbal Syrup

~ Start with a simple syrup in a non-reactive pot. A simple syrup is equal parts water and sugar. For proportion's sake, lets say we put 4 cups of water and 4 cups of sugar into the pot.

~ Next, add your herbs! Don't worry about exact amounts, just use common sense.

~ Add 1/2 - 1 cup of herb if it's really strong, like Nutmeg, Clove, Hot Pepper, or Garlic.

~ Add about 1-2 cups of herb if it's on the strong side, like Ginger root.

~ Add about 3-4 cups of herb if it's a medium and palatable strength herb, like Pine Needles, Peppermint, Cinnamon, or Licorice.

~ Gently keep the syrup at medium heat (always keep under boiling) until you reach the desired strength of flavor. This may take 20-40 minutes depending on the plant you've chosen.

~ Strain carefully (simple syrups can seriously burn) through a cheesecloth lined strainer into a large pyrex with a pour spout.

~ Bottle into food-grade bottles and label as desired.

White Pine Needle Syrup

Citrus Fruits are also fun to experiment with. I'm doing Meyer lemons this week! Keep in mind the sugar ratio though - if your fruit is going to add a lot more water content, you'll want to match that with more sugar. Otherwise it will not have the same preserving capability and will grow mold.

Traditional syrups are still valuable. If you have Elder berries, they make a wonderful purple syrup with flu-fighting properties. Pine needle syrup is excellent for lung congestion, and Peppermint is festive and helpful after a big meal. Ginger syrup is one of my favorites, and usually is a by-product of making crystallized ginger. However the syrup is soooo wonderful and appreciated at the holidays that now I make it for gifts!

Floral syrups are also lovely. Roses, Lavender, Jasmine, or Bee Balm flower syrups are all a welcome drizzle on ice cream, cake, or in a dessert cordial. How romantic!

Blends: Play around! Orange and clove make a classic pairing. Roses and Cocoa bits are decadent together, and traditional Chai spices can be combined to impress your Barista friends. (Ginger, Black Tea, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Black Pepper, Clove, and a little Nutmeg)

Vanilla Bean is perhaps, the shining star of all things lovely in the kitchen, and makes the rounds as a welcomed gift for all tastes. Pair with homemade vanilla extract, of course.

Love,

Ananda

Foraged Autumn Olives and Rose Hips, on their way to syrup together

This article was released for Poppy Swap! Where People and Herbs come together. Check it out!

Acorn - Rosemary Johnnycakes, A Simple Delicacy

2011-11-27T06:35:00.000-08:00

This post is my contribution to the Wild Things Round Up - it's Acorn month! Brought to you by Hunger and Thirst

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

November brings a nice bumper crop of wild nettles. Which, in my house, gets to become one with homemade chicken soup. And to accompany the soup, what could be more appropriate for this season of nuts? Acorn Johnnycakes!

I can't take a whole lot of credit for these, however I will say that I am proud of helping to cultivate a wee bit of primitive skill and resourcefulness in my kiddos. My twelve year old son came up with these luscious and simple cracker-cakes. We were completely blown away by how delicious they were, with the richness of the acorn meal, the crispy fried outside, and the soft, warm inside. The crunchy texture of the yellowdock seeds adds another layer of interest and wild nutrition.

Acorn Rosemary Johnnycake Recipe:

(Makes about 10-14 cakes)

3 C Flour (of choice - whole wheat, almond, etc)
1/2 C ground Acorn Four/Meal
1/2 C Yellow Dock seeds, whizzed in a food processor
3 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 tsp garlic powder
oregano and/or rosemary to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp, approx, of Salt
1 tsp approx, of baking soda

Add enough filtered or well water, or almond milk, to create a malleable dough, like play dough

Create thin patties, as though you were going for crackers. Fry them in a cast iron pan with a layer of unrefined coconut oil, on medium heat. Flip them once like you would a pancake. They will get toasty on the outsides and rise a little bit due to the baking soda. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the tops just before removing them from the pan.

Eat them warm! They are not so good once they have rested. But when they are warm ... ooohh la la so delicious! We ate them with big globs of goat cheese. m m m

Foraging friends ;)

Lady's Slipper Ring ~ Luxurious Herbal Self-Care Membership!

2011-11-18T15:04:00.000-08:00

If you haven't had a chance to check out my Private Apothecary Membership - don't wait! Enrollment ends soon!

Amrita Apothecary Lady's Slipper Ring

EVERY month you get: Luscious herbal skin delights at your doorstep, rich and engaging support content replete with self-care practices, activities, suggested reading, a checklist, and a recipe.

Plus a personal email exchange every month too.

We're already nourishing ourselves with goodies and pleasure-filled action!

For all the Juicy Details CLICK HERE

I can't wait to send your treasures!!!

Love,

Ananda

~~~~~~~~~
What women are already saying:

"I have just joined the ring and all I can say is WOW! I am excited and thrilled to be a part of this! Each month is packed full of simple, rewarding things to do to make you feel better about yourself and open yourself up to the true potential you really have. It's like a big hug delivered to your mailbox, followed by a gentle massage and a light, loving caress. Each month you'll receive suggestions and tasks to do that open up your mind and heart without being overwhelming. I'm already in love with this amazing journey of self worth and herbal love. If you are feeling a bit down, lost, misguided or burnt out, the Lady's Slipper Ring is perfect for you!"

-Kristine Brown of Dancing in a Field of Tansy

"Women friends, i have something really important to share with you. my friend Ananda Wilson, a true goddess, is offering this amazing program, the Lady's Slipper Ring, that includes not only her phenomenal luscious herbal goods, but the most amazing, heartfelt, deep self care program- perfect for those of us who are busy, give a lot of ourselves, and need extra support and practical tools for giving ourselves the care we need and we DESERVE! I've signed up for my membership and already am astounded and moved and so thrilled by the materials provided and the luscious goodies already sent out. She only has a few more spots to join in!!!

You deserve this. Really. If need be, Skip your latte each day to find the extra $$ you need to make this happen for yourself. Tell the universe that you LOVE yourself, respect yourself and treat yourself like the goddess you are!"

-Darcey Blue French of Blue Turtle Botanicals

~~~~~~~~~~

WOMEN: When we step into our beauty, truth, and power, the world shifts. It's simple. Love yourself. Lady's Slipper Ring guides you gently and consistently with conscious, pleasure based healing with powerful results.

TO JOIN

Medicine Trees

2011-11-12T07:01:00.000-08:00

Willow draping stories like waterfalls through the air

Chestnuts throwing daggers

Dripping perfume sap and resin

Broken limbs and torn ligaments

Ripped shoulders across the forest

Open, wounded, left

Littered medicine on neighbors lawns

Left for mulch and compost

Never taken for flu, tea, fire, scars

I scoop the drips from the branch

and dot it carefully on my daughter's incision

she says "thank you"

and I say "thank you"

to all the trees with giant scars

and take home the abandon medicine

for my chest.

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

Longing to create more meaningful nature practices? Called into the Forest to learn the Medicine of the Tree Nation?

Tree of the Month Membership: Druantia Clan

~~~~~~~~~

Struggling to put into practice all those notions of Self-Care? Need real tools to help you put YOU first? Longing for a woman's voice to remind you how beautiful and powerful you are?

Woman's Decadent Herbal Self-Care Membership: Lady's Slipper Ring

Eat Berries, Dig Roots, Hug Friends. Repeat.

2011-11-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

Chestnuts, sweet Chestnuts,

To pick up and eat,

Or keep until Winter,

When, hot, they're a treat!

-Cicely Mary Barker

Eat Berries, Dig Roots, Hug Friends, Repeat.
(November 8, 2011 Newsletter)

Pleasure Medicine ~ Your Pipeline to Source

2011-11-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

"Imagine a woman in love with her own body,

A woman who believes her body is enough,

just as it is.

Who celebrates her body's rhythms and cycles as an

exquisite resource."

~Patricia Lynn Reilly~

Pleasure Medicine Newsletter

Roots of Past, Seeds of Future (In-between is you)

2011-11-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

November 2 Plant Journeys Newsletter

Loam

2011-10-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

The last leaves of the Cottonwood

Hang on tightly, resisting the wind.

Cruel cold gusts push through the night

Stealing color and leaving mist in its wake

Roots take stock.

Maple leaves explode with beauty -

a plant that knows she works well with deadlines.

Flowers hide invisibly inside capsules of potential

luring animals to eat her flesh, so she may find

Loam to sleep under

for the winter

Until light and warm rain

Crack her heart open again.

Crock Pot Ginger Oil ~ Infusing fresh ginger root!

2011-10-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

This particular recipe (which I first posted about six years ago) has made a celebratory buzz this week, including an appearance over at the Poppy Swap blog! . So, I thought I'd give it it's own blog post for easy access and future reference.

Ginger oil is soooooooo yummy. It makes an excellent homemade gift for family, athletes, elders, cooks, and gardeners alike.

Enjoy!

CROCK POT GINGER OIL NEWSLETTER

xo

Ananda

Herbal Newsletters For You

2011-09-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

Greetings Plant Lovers!

As many of you know I began releasing a weekly newsletter seven weeks ago. Since seven is my lucky number, ( I was born 7-7-75), I thought I'd take today to provide you with the links of the newsletters thus far. :) In order to not miss an issue, I invite you to sign up (in the right side bar) so you get yours delivered free right in your email box for your reading pleasure and herbal inspiration!

(time sensitive newsletters not included)

In chronological order from least to most recent:

Honey Scented Summer Plants

Nourishing Herbal Milk Decoctions

Heart Healing

5 Herbal Power Tools for Fall

The Revolutionary Act of Drinking (wild) Tea

Aromatic Herbs (and two easy recipes)

October Apothecary (Pine Syrup!) and Enchanted Herbals

Crock Pot Ginger Oil

Roots and Seeds and You

Announcing: Plant Journeys Herbal Empower-Mentorship!

2011-09-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

Today is a chance to let nature remind you that we are not separate.

How will you take that chance?

~~~~~~~~~

Dearest Readers,

For the very first time in the herstory of my own plant journeys and teaching, I'm offering you a personal, long term commitment on this path.

**I'm SO deeply grateful** and excited to be able to bring to you this service and to help facilitate your relationship with nature and your own herbal journey.

~~Read on for the juicy details, and I'll see you on the other side of the wall of green!~~
Enrollment Closed! Please sign up for my free newsletter to stay in touch about future offerings.

Yours,

Ananda

Healing through the Heart ~ Recognition and Activation

2011-09-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

I stand rooted in my power.

There is so much heart work happening in the world today. If I think too long about it, or dare to watch a piece of news, I am overcome with grief, anger, disbelief, and hopelessness. The disconnection between our human bodies and the experience of love in its endless expressions is a gaping wound of humanity. We lack connection to our creator; both our sense of an invisible spiritual creator as well as our very real source of life and nourishment, mother earth.

Love employs healthy patterns, choices, and boundaries.

Many of us feel this pain in both its aspects, and many of us are re-connecting to healing ways of the heart. There is nowhere left to go, really, but inward to find our divine centers and to create a way of being in the world that reflects a deep, compassionate source of love. The barbed wires and flames and whirlpools we encounter, must be greeted with respect and an acknowledgement of its powerful ability to strengthen our heart muscle.

Love is the root of all healing.

Understanding the magnitude of our heart’s ability to accurately guide us, we can lean toward our intuition as a partner on the journey instead of running away from perceived fear warnings. As we move closer to ourselves and our process of centering, grounding, and feeling, we create a type of resilient security that allows for more authentic love to become available again. Moving towards our emotions and our Selves can be tremendously scary, and monumentally liberating. Creating daily practices of self-care which cultivate strength and safety are of immense and lasting value.

I am open to beauty.
I am an expression of Nature’s beauty.
My body is a story of beauty.

I breathe in from the trees, the ocean, the wind, the sweet inspiration of fire. I breathe out that which I no longer need, that which does not serve me. I retain in my blood the innate wisdom of my body, my knowing heart, and my ancestors. I bid farewell to invasive, inauthentic advice towards me. I listen intently to my body: Heart, I am listening, speak. Limbs, I give gratitude for your hard and loyal work, thank you. Lungs, you speak my truths and you have my permission to sing. Back, spine, organs, you are my beautiful inner dance of stretching and rhythm and change, I feed you and I am listening. Blood, you are my waters and I give to you liquids; waters, teas, soups, and minerals, I float upon you. Womb, mystery of eternity and connection: I am here. I am listening.

Healing is the act of nourishing wholeness.

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

This is the work I've been doing over the last few weeks, as I blended my herbal heart healing collection.
To purchase these beloved handmade herbals, simply click the photo to visit my apothecary.

Herbal Blessings!
~Ananda

The Honorable Exchange ~ Relationship and Wildcrafting

2011-08-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

If there's one strong imprint I came home from the Women's Herbal Conference with, it's a deeper commitment to my relationship with Nature.

As a wildcrafter, I'm very conscious of what I take, how I take it, and what I give back. I've always taught my students the factors in friendship that create honorable exchange. However I'm realizing, after some time spent in class with other wild plant tenders, that in this era, our giving back must be increased exponentially.

Karyn Sanders asks us: "What if all the herbalists gave back 7 times what they took. How would our world look in seven generations?"

And my mind exploded.

It's time to bring more than a ceremonial give-away when we harvest. Not that that isn't vital - it's that more than that is critical. Upon harvesting, I'll now be toting with me seeds, water, compost, rabbit droppings, and various items that not only feed the soil, but sow the healing seeds for the next century. I'll be encouraging the wild seeds to blow in the wind, bow towards the earth, swim in the river, or travel on the fur of a creature.... however their dispersal needs are met. I'll be watching more closely the communities, habitats, directions and neighbors of the plants, and their tribal habits for thriving. I'll be sensitive and active in meeting their needs, for they generously meet mine.

Herbalists: let us walk our talk. We are the medicine.

And the Elixir Winner Is.............

2011-08-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

TOMISHA!

You have won yourself a free two ounce bottle of my Hawthorn Flower Elixir! Congratulations! It won runner up for best tincture.

Your elixir will ship out tomorrow morning. Thanks for playing!!

xoxo

ELIXIR GIVEAWAY Contest!

2011-08-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

So last year I entered one elixir into the elixir bar contest at the Women's Herbal Conference. My Black Birch elixir. And to my sheer delight, it won! Well, the elixir category, anyway..... there are lots of categories and lots of winners :)

This year I'm entering six ... and YOU have a chance to win a TWO OUNCE bottle *with any order from my shop*. A handmade herbal worth over $25, for free!

Here's HOW:

1) GUESS which one will win:
Black Cherry Fruit, Peach Tree, Bee Balm, Honeysuckle, White Fir, or Hawthorn leaf & flower.
According to my children, these were the best ones to enter!

2) ORDER your choice of Handcrafted Herbal Collections from my PoppySwap Shop between Today and 11:59pm of Thursday (8/16 - 8/18 2011) and write your guess in the note section of your order, or email me:
PlantJourneys AT gmail DOT com.

3) Cross your fingers! I will announce who guessed the winning elixir correctly on Monday, 8/22/11, and mail it with the collection ordered by Tuesday, the next morning, with no extra shipping charge.
(Don't worry, if you don't win, you still get a free yummy lip balm with every order!)

Good Luck!

Fine Print:

If I don't win at all, I will draw a winning name randomly.

If multiple people enter the correctly winning elixir, I will award up to two people the free elixir, chosen randomly by name drawing if more than two have entered correctly.

Play on!

August Remembers

2011-08-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

August turns a corner.

Nights pull up the covers a little sooner

Crawling into moonlit slumber

Sprinkling heavy dew across the land

kissing all her creature's cheeks goodnight.

August remembers childhood trees

that held secrets on the edge of the playground.

Cool early mornings collect hopes and old dreams

in her humid body

and sweats them onto blades of grasses.

Full ripe fruits fall from limbs uneaten by birds

but devoured by soil.

Under the canopy of August

A circus of greens and pollen

Reckless perfection spilling down the hills

Anointing the rocks

Mating with potential.

~~~

Heron Flower ~ Blue Vervain

2011-08-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

August 1st shows towers of peaking blue wands. Tiny blossoms crown each flower spike like a parade of bride's maids. A wedding of water and earth perhaps; the swamp vervain takes spring's rain ponds and turns them to a masterpiece of wildflower magic.

Walking carefully through the lumps of sedge and mud, I'm slow - in case I get to watch the frogs. Mostly they hear me first and leap into the rivulets before I can see them close up. But their little "plop" makes me smile, and I've come mostly for the flowers anyway. The loosetrife is showy and narcissistic as usual. The boneset is just starting to open her sultry, creamy white blossoms. Goldenrod is pluming anew and sweetly collecting bees. The vervain is perfect.

Verbena hastata (Swamp Vervain, Blue Vervain) grows readily in wet areas, and those who know me know that I call her the Heron Flower; as she grows where the great blue herons wade. She keeps good company with boneset, alder, skullcap, water mint, and bugleweed.

While some experience vervain as dizzying, nauseating, or can't take more than one or two drops of tincture, I find that only happened to me when I chewed up (and swallowed) a whole leaf. Aside from that one little doozy of an afternoon, vervain has proven herself time and time again as one of the best tension dissolving plants I know.

She's a fiercely bitter plant, it's true. Not much is needed. 5 drops or so to start will do - in a little water please. She'll send her magic right down to the root of tension headaches, muscle spasms, stomach knots from stress, and in general just get you "out of your head". For those who get neck pain/tension so bad they can't turn their head, vervain is a valued ally. I find vervain incredibly helpful for when I'm trying to sleep but my mind is spinning with ideas. I make a list, take some vervain, maybe a little skullcap, and try again.

Vervain is helpful in relieving nerve tension. I've been using it a lot lately in my regimen to heal my badly pinched sciatic nerve.

Flues and fevers also move through more readily when assisted by warm/hot vervain tea. Nope, it doesn't taste great, but it's an excellent anti-viral and seems to have a talent for relaxing systems and body parts that are gripping tightly and won't let go. It keeps one calm and steady while wading in the waters of life, just like Heron.

Vervain shows some history of use on venomous bites; used to allay poisons and purify the blood. As such a strong bitter, it is effective against stomach parasites and proves a superb digestive aid.

As a fresh poultice, vervain can cleanse wounds and stimulate healing quickly, therefore a good plant to know while camping or hiking. I wouldn't hesitate to use it as a cool fomentation after a long day in the sun. As an astringent, it can help alleviate inflammation and itching from various ails of outdoor adventures.

Of course she is a fairy flower too.... in countless texts is stated to charm the home and family with health, protection, and enchantment. Spells to cross into the land of Fae are made using vervain - and on the other hand has also been sewn into babies clothing to protect it from fairy abduction. Either way you see it, she's a flower of presence; the truthful moment between past and future, between summer and winter, between letting go and moving on. A deep breath of now.

For a Midsummer ceremony, use fresh or dried vervain to cast your sacred circle; sprinkling along the circumference of your space. Place a bundle of vervain on your altar to honor the magic in everyday life. Tuck a sprig into your medicine pouch for visioning or meditation. A small posy in your oracle bag will protect and purify your cards or runes.

Tincture for medicine is simple to make; a jar full of blossoms and leaves, covered with approximately 70% grain alcohol and 30% pure water. Let steep for 4-6 weeks.

Vervain magic tiptoed her way into my herbals this week..... a magical ingredient in my Incantation Collection; a ceremonial herbal set; soon to be listed on Poppyswap. Keep your fairy eyes peeled ;)

Heron Flower tall and graceful

Crowned with flowers fancy

Cast aside the dark or doomful

Guard our wellness pantry

~~~

Sciatica: Top Ten Natural Ways to Ease the (Horrible!) Pain

2011-07-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

Greetings friends!

This past week I've been in training: an experiential intensive on Sciatic nerve pinching, otherwise known as Sciatica.

It all started on a day that consisted of seven hours of continuous driving. Three days later, another six hours of driving.

But truth be told, it started before that. It's a spot that, muscularly, has given me a history of irritations. As a former dancer, my piriformis muscle has seen better days. Problem is, I'm an overly busy (stubborn?) mother of two with more important things to worry about than a nagging pain in my butt.

Until I came home from my hours of driving, that is, when the pain skyrocketed to new and unknown heights. Tears shed down my face without permission, and I relegated myself to the yoga mat with slim hopes of stretch and release.

I got through one night. The next night was spent pacing in the dark, wincing with agony, trying desperately to find some position I could lie in to sleep, even if it meant the hard floor. My search was fruitless.

The next seven days I spent in bed, barely able to move, waited on by my family, and digging deep for the healing gifts.

Chances are if you're reading this you aren't so much interested in the details of the week, but are scrolling down to find the remedies you might find some relief in for yourself. This is in no way meant to replace professional help - please see someone who you trust. I'm simply sharing the natural remedies that are assisting me.

DEALING WITH ACUTE SCIATICA

Goals:
**Reduce Inflammation (& relieve pain)
**Release Muscle Spasm
**Balance Body Structures & Systems
**Nourish

1. ICE

Please ice. Two large ice packs, placed one on the buttocks area and one across the front hip area. Sports medicine recommends icing for 20 minutes, followed by heat, every two hours.

2. HEAT

Heat applied after icing in the form of a heating pad or (if you can get there) a very hot bath for 20 minutes. This alternating of temperatures increases circulation and opens energy channels in the body which greatly assist the healing process. If you have someone in the house who can simmer you up a pot of bath herbs, by all means!
Herbs to use would include Alder, Willow, Yarrow, Rue, Birch, Lemon Balm, Chamomile, and any other of your favorite anti-inflammatory plant.
1-2 cups of Epsom salts added to your hot bath will also help. Feel free to stir in a few drops of essential oils (listed later in this article)

3. HERBS

Anti-inflammatory herbs and herbs specific to the nerves can help a great deal. You will need to determine your dose based on your sensitivity to herbal tinctures, what medications you might be on and whether it is safe for you to combine them, and your body weight as a general guide.
Personally, I need a higher dose of herbal tinctures when experiencing an acute physical ailment. Doses that would never be listed on a bottle. You may be more sensitive and require much less. Any of these herbs can also be applied topically.

Tinctures/Extract/Elixir form Herbals:

Willow - Salix alba, allied spp. -This classic anti-inflammatory pain reliever doesn't taste so good (but who cares when something hurts, really) and can be a wonderful ally.

Black Birch - Betula lenta -This acts similar to willow but is delicious and can settle the stomach as well.

Wild Lettuce - Lactuca virosa, allied spp. -This extract varies for folks. For me it is helpful in settling pain. For some, it is very sedative and can induce sleep. This is generally a smaller dose herbal.

Skullcap - Scutellaria lateriflora, allied spp. -This classic herb deserves note in anything mentioning nerves. It's a gentle, effective herb which feels like an internal calm. It's natural habitat is along riverbanks, nestled into sweet spots of tranquil shade and water. I love skullcap when my physical body is acting up in response to emotional stress, anxiety or overwhelm. Those who suffer from insomnia can be greatly helped by Skullcap.

St. Johnswort - Hypericum perforatum St. Johnswort is specific to nerve restoration and has remarkable pain relieving qualities. it is also available in homeopathic preparations. Use internally and externally in generous and frequent amounts.

Mullein Root - Verbascum thapsus - Lucky for me I had actually made some a few years ago! The following uses I learned about from my herbal friends Darcey Blue, Kiva Rose, and Jim McDonald. It can be used specifically for sciatica, as well as for structural maladies like when your "back is out" or something feels "tweaked" and is causing pain or spasm. I have been using this in 5 drop doses, about 3x day.

Rue - Ruta graveolens - Rue is listed in homeopathy as a specific remedy for sciatica. Although it is general understanding that homeopathic remedies and herbal preparations do not behave the same way when taken, I personally feel deeply connected to the preparations I have made and prefer to take them instead, simply adjusting the dose (usually lower) as needed. My Rue tincture is made from a plant I acquired some years ago at the Women's Herbal Conference and have tended since. If you are good at muscle testing or with a pendulum, you might find your correct dose that way. I am taking 3 drops 2x day.

4. ACUPUNCTURE

It HELPS, I promise. Make an appointment and go. Have someone drive you and carry you if necessary. Especially if your acupuncturist also uses Moxa and herbal remedies. Accupucture

5. MASSAGE

If you're in a situation similar to mine, stretching will be out of the question. Massage can offer some immediate comfort as well as assist the muscles out of spasm. Deep tissue massage or localized deep pressure massage has proved most effective for me. A friend or partner with a steady elbow or strong thumbs are the best. It's likely you will know exactly where you want the pressure. Once a day after the hot bath is ideal, as more than that will perpetuate the superficial bruising that is likely.

Massage and acupuncture will also assist in restoring the numbness or "lame" feeling you likely have in your toes and/or leg.

If you have another form of massage that is your favorite, by all means try it! What I'm finding is that I must take the "all of the above" mode of healing in order to address this. No one remedy is enough on its own.

6. OILS & LINIMENTS

Frequent applications of nerve healing, anti-inflammatory, and muscle relaxing herbal infused oils provide additional help.
I started out the week by using my pain killer salve. It provided some help, but upon the advice of the Acupuncturist, I switched to using straight St. Johnswort infused oil, to which I added a little bit of Roman Chamomile essential oil. The difference seems to be that the pain killer salve directs itself primarily to muscle tissue and is more warming in nature, while the concentrated St. Johnswort oil directs itself primarily to the nerves and is more cooling in nature.

Herbal infused oils are wondrous preparations that can be made at home by steeping herbs in a carrier oil for 4-6 weeks, and easy to acquire from home herbalists online. Or perhaps you are lucky and have a nearby apothecary. A few herbal infused oils in addition to St. Johnswort that are helpful are:

Chamomile, Birch, Mint, Brahmi (Gotu Kola), Lavender, Clary Sage, Goldenrod, and Yarrow.

Essential oils as most of you know are different than infused oils. They are the pure volatile oil of the plant obtained (most often) through a distillation process. They are *highly* concentrated and require attention and care when utilizing. The safety and quantity of application varies widely from plant to plant. Essential oils are meant for external use, and can be diluted appropriately by adding a few drops to your chosen herbal infused oil.

Chamomile e.o. (in this case I'm using Roman Chamomile, not the German blue) is highly anti-inflammatory and incredibly soothing to the whole body and spirit.

Clary Sage e.o. is known for it's pain relieving ability and is often used in the case of severe injury, muscle spasms, and debilitating PMS.

Lavender e.o. Many people find Lavender to bring them "home". It's comforting, healing, and widely used to help restore homeostasis and heal on'es spirit.

Peppermint e.o. Cooling peppermint can aid in bringing swelling down and will increase circulation without increasing heat. Peppermint is also good at breaking up stagnant areas of the body, creating movement and energy flow in stuck spots.

Liniments (herbal extracts in alcohol, vinegar, or glycerin meant for topical use) can also be used. I would recommend the same set of herbs as above, however here we can add Arnica - the quintessential bringer of circulation, famed for it's ability to speed the healing of bruises, sprains, contusions where no skin is broken, and various injuries to muscle and bone. Arnica liniment can be applied generously, as well as bathed in if you have the bulk herb, and is also a valuable homeopathic remedy.

7. SLEEP

Extra sleep is needed to restore the balance of the body in all ways. The muscles have a chance to relax, the nerves have chance to rebuild, the temperatures in the body have an opportunity to balance and perform their optimal roles. Dark rooms with no artificial light provide the body with the purest of sleep.

8. HYDRATION & LUBRICATION

My husband banned me from coffee for a good 5 days. Although it wasn't too bad, for I needed to replenish the waters and internal lubrication of my body, so I complied.

WATER is awesome, INFUSIONS even better. In the case of sciatica, our goal is to hydrate, reduce inflammation, and nourish the nerves. Here are some delicious nourishing herbs that are specific to these purposes:

Linden flower/leaf - Tilia spp - Yum! This slippery flowery goodness is a gourmet treat for the nerves. About any plant in the Malvaceae family will offer the same benefits; marshmallow, hibiscus, okra, rose of sharon.

Milky Oat tops - Avena sativa - Oats, especially the milky oat tops, are exceptional at restoring nerves.

Lemon Balm - Melissa officinalis - A strongly aromatic herb, you may want to halve the quantity for an herbal infusion, or simply enjoy frequent cups of tisane (aromatic tea steeped only for a few minutes, like a tea bag). Lemon balm settles anxiety and is wonderfully balancing to the nervous system.

Licorice root - Glycyrrhiza glabra - is sweet and settling. It helps restore the integrity of mucous membranes in the intestines, and can help alleviate pain and swelling. It is nutritive and only a small amount is needed in an infusion; about 1 tablespoon to a quart.

OILS are integral to nerves. A fat deprived body is a body whose nerves are starving. Foods that contain high quality fats and are nutrient dense should be included daily, such as salmon, sardines, grass fed butter, organic bacon fat, coconut oil, avocados, whole eggs, grass fed organic cheeses, olives, and grass fed organic organ meats once a week. Bone broth from grass fed animal bones and miso are also highly effective components of a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory diet. For further guidance on real foods, see the Weston A Price foundation.

9. BREATH

Deep belly breathing brings oxygen to every cell in the body, and exports what is no longer needed. Breathing deeply is a simple and powerful tool, allowing you to initiate healing without moving, without help, and without costing you a penny. Using your minds-eye, you can also direct you breath into afflicted areas for localized healing.

10. RELEASE

Beyond the practical, lies the secret you. Checking in with your thoughts and present internalized stressors can reveal areas of panic, fear, or tension which may need to be mentally or emotionally freed. Maybe this is a little esoteric, but who cares when you're flat on your back in agony! There's no side effects here. Release can be assisted by breathing, chanting or mantra, affirmations, self-dialogue, self-love practices, loud moaning, or journaling.

Louise Hay on Sciatica: "Probable Cause: Being hypocrytical. Fear of money and of future. New thought pattern: I move into my greater good. My good is everywhere, and I am secure and safe."

And lastly......... a note on OTC's (Aleve, Advil, Tylenol, etc.). This is up to you. Use prudently, care for yourself well, and keep a dialogue going with your health care professional. Some folks react differently to each kind, and require different quantities. I can't give any advice on this (I'm a plant person!) but I'll say that if the pain compares to giving birth (as mine did) - do what you need to do. I can count on one hand the times I've needed to take an OTC anti-inflammatory, and unfortunately this past week is one of those. In fact, I may never know if it even made a difference, but I'm happier to keep the focus with my plant allies and absorb the healing wisdom my body is offering my during this journey.

Today is day 8. I've been measuring my pain level from the start (which I named a 10), and my steady pace towards healing has shown about one number lower per day, with little dips up and down. I'm hovering between a 4 and 3 today, with little signs of a 2 and rare moments of 5. Walking is difficult; my leg feels lame and I don't have 100% muscle control (similar to how the experience of walking when your leg is asleep feels). Pain is aggravated when sitting in a chair, and better when applying any of the above therapies. I've kept my spirits up for the most part which I have to believe helps. In a couple days, I might be able to entertain the idea of stretching the muscles involved, and as a former dancer I have a plethora of stretches to choose from. You can use yoga resources for poses that help the hips, sacrum, and buttocks release.

Yet most healing of all to my spirit, to no surprise, is hobbling my wobbly self out into the sunshine to feel the grass on my toes, bury my face in my monarda flowers, and suck in the gift of sun rays.

~Ananda

Feel free to share what works for you in the comments <3. Re-post freely, in article's entirety please.

Surrender to the Roots (and grow anew)

2011-07-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

She lay her troubled breath at the feet of the towering tree

Surrendering to the roots' thirst she releases her tears

Pouring over into the clay she spills her lost hope

letting her bones melt into the cups of mother earth

her flesh becomes dirt

her blood becomes water

her hardened pain becomes crystal

Turning in time all the mothers before her

listen, and let go

an avalanche of old wounds

and as they fell they carved spectacular

sculptures in the mountainside

transforming history into magnificence.

Storefront Launch at PoppySwap!

2011-07-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

Come visit my store at PoppySwap where you will find my limited edition handcrafted collections of seasonal potions, elixirs, aroma-wear, and unguents. A little incarnation of my woodland wanderings and imagination combined with over 15 years of wildcrafting and making herbals.

Blessings and Gratitude,

Ananda

*please forward freely, including all text and links shown here. <3 thank you <3

My Resinous Heart

2011-06-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Being not quite in the forest in my new living space, I'm acutely aware of how much I soak up by returning to the trees. The last two days I've been called into unfamiliar places, but upon entering I remembered my belonging.

The air shifts as the sun is filtered by leaves, trunks, and brush. It's cooler, more moist, and the smell is poignant. Perfumed with pine resin and warm summer loam, I breathe deeper in the forest. I feel my gait slow down and my senses sharpen. I being to notice details, like teeth on the leaves, and the shades of green dancing before me.

I'm enchanted by the way the sun shines through the needles, as if today is the only day I'll see it shine just so.

I'm teased by the shapes that could be wood or animal.

I'm reminded of lineage at the rock walls.

I love everything about the forest. The smell, the mystery, the trees, bushes and forest floor plants. Everything right down to the dirt, cones, and litter.

The conifers are two-toned right now, as they don their shiny new tips. These white pine tips are excellent browsing for the wayward herbalist.

Several of these tips soaked in vinegar provide a delicious source of bioflavanoids.

I walked a little deeper into the woods, where there seemed to be a deer path just clear enough for me to follow. I could smell water and crushed sweet fern. The Mitchella carpeted this seldom trodden area.

Even the rocks stir memories.

Being a smallish human, a large stick is always good to carry.

The ferns are especially lush back here. Dappling the feet of the trees and inviting in fairy folk.

They cascade down the hillside towards the water.

Wild blueberries everywhere.

Shapes only crafted by the trees themselves.

Tiny new lives are protected.

New friends introduce themselves.

Lifelong loves rendezvous.

Far away the outline of the trees is deeply green against the fluffy clouds.

Sit spots in secret alcoves are my favorite place to accomplish my journaling.

I heart trees.

Into the Mystic...

2011-04-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Misty spring mornings conjure images of Avalon. It hangs low over the newly budding land and drips along the banks of the river. It called me out to the bridge, a new place I've not yet been.

The bark on the trees glows in the moisture like freshly wet silk.

Striking features are illuminated.

And dew quenches baby leaves.

A bridge between worlds, I walk into the mist with no expectations. I hear the rippling water and hazy breath of the forest. The smells floating are of watermint and cress.

I open my pores to the humid touch.

And gaze quietly at the heron.

Aspen

2011-04-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

Populus tremuloides: Quaking Aspen.

A shimmer in the lace of the woods. Stark not-quite-white bark reaching tall, slender as paintbrushes. Hues of dull apple green tint the air suggesting ghosts of winter. Fruits hang in servitude. Claw shaped buds once sticky with resin crack open in silent celebration of solar rays. Catkins dust pollen generously like confectioner's sugar.

Tribal marks in the landscape, streaking vernal pools and river bends. Songbirds take solace in the graceful, knobby arms. Powdery thin skin breathing in the sky, breathing out spring. Sturdy cracked ankles and fallen twigs. A beaver feast, beaver home. Canopy for forest flowers.

Child of the great Willow family, traits like cousin Gilead. Pain soothing oils mark faint stains on old clothes. Bark tea sipped by Grandma, rocking in her chair in the humid twilight. Bright eyed child running wild, too wild; binds strong fomentation along a fractured wrist. Aspen whispers in April. Quakes in May. Shimmies in summer. Autumn's yellow skirt is too short.

Trembling in visitations with breezes, shaking off nerves and fears. Warm ground holds steady. Papery hearts tickle with sound. Bitter thoughts warding off facades of humans. Innocent soils shared, enough is plenty.

Great roots holding hands. Waters cleaned, turtles hide. Rich in history, stories of thaw, freeze, and burn. Morels play in May while ancient cultures multiply in microscopic millions. Fairies weave tapestries of mycelia and set them out to catch raindrops. Leprechauns tell jokes under thunderclouds. Fast in the wind fly cottony seeds, carrying with them a biodegradable future. Small wishes of mayflies copulate.

Bent beauty, leaning ways, graceful unison. Spring fever cured and summer whims commence. Aspen reaches inside for strength, determining each color to paint the skyline. From all four winds of the continent, she dazzles the land. Hold her tusks as the animal of wisdom and courage. Travelling native, you quiver elegance.

Beltane Invocation

2011-04-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

I'm calling you, wild

I'm coaxing you out of your snow-shell

with my breath and green eyes

and longing for your leafy taste.

Demulcent rivers, swell.

Shocking bright eyelashes on trees, blink.

Dirt from the bear is shaken off,

exchanged for bird seed and carrion.

Breaking skies, pussy willows, tease.

Kingfisher rattles and steals.

The field is alive with change.

I wrap hope around my neck and walk long walks

with friends

who find nettles.

I eat the pollen laden alder catkins

inviting in every nuance.

The herons are feasting in the low waters

where phragmites glows like giant wheat

hiding eggs.

Stomp loud little bunny, wake her up

Shine hot bright sun, melt her heart

Cry in trills and thrills little peepers

sing her back

Apply Ally

2011-03-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

Along my journey..........

I've started more cider......

I've humbled myself with a child-like journal cover......

I spent afternoons reading and researching ......

I began some of the preparations.......

Tinctures, oils.....

of leaf and twig........

And learned a lot so far.....

about my apple ally.

Her fruit most markedly as food, her bark and leaf as medicine, and seeds as fertility charm and potential tree. I've baked her up for dessert and smothered her recklessly in local whip cream. I sliced her up and braised her with chard for dinner, and stewed her with pears for a compote. I've started a mother vinegar and have yet to discover it's success. What I'm loving about my ally choice, is how intimately it is involved with my other current obsession: fermentation. For thousands of years people have been fermenting apples; apple peels, apple juice, apple sauce, and adding apples to other fermentations to ensure it's yeast activity.

And in love? Apple is always in love. Oh the love! I can hardly begin to recite the history of affairs the apple has had. From ancient Celtic fertility rites, to Eve, the Apple is the quintessential love fruit. And being the easiest, most accessible libation for old farmers to make and keep on hand, the credit for amorous behavior is no surprise.

For many, the apple in raw form causes terrible stomach discomfort. True for me. But the moment it's processed into sauce, sparkling cider, butter, or cooked, the problems dissolve. I've yet to come across concrete explanation for this, but I can make educated guesses.

In tea-medicine, the twig infusion was the most palatable. It quickly reminded me of the delicious appley-sweet leather kind of flavor I find in good-quality bacon. Without the bacon flavor. I'm a fan of both.

And interestingly, the twig infusion is incredibly soothing to the gut.

On my dresser I have six seeds from an apple I ate. They are drying, and I will attempt the impossible challenge of trying to sprout them. Perhaps. I wonder. Really, I'm charmed in my curiosity.

The Apple of my Ally

2011-02-12T18:31:00.000-08:00

A ferocious slurry of winter has thrown itself at us. We've been snowed at, iced on, shoveled half to death, and collapsed upon. A few of us have snow-shoed and snowmobiled our way to some joy, and some of us have sworn off stepping outside until it's gone. Whichever side of the fence you're on, there's no denying this winter's intensity.

I've been on the inside of the fence, well, doors, of this winter. While I'd prefer to practice my newly acquired ability to nature walk despite freezing temperatures, I was not prepared for teasing zero on most of the days, with a few feet of icy snow to boot. So inside I've been, concentrating on hearth and home.

Like a tiny volcano, the mist of apples swirls up from the opening in the green glass bottle.

The lady at the market was selling these fine treats along with savvy-sales reasons why I should buy them. When I told her with delight that I was on my way home with a carriage of apple cider as a novice cider-maker, she perked her eyebrow and tested me on my "right apples".

Indeed her fancy cider tasted similar to a fine white wine with a little sparkle to it, I won't deny. But for my first round of apple cider, mine was arguably better. It was sweet, oh so appley, sparkled like an opera gown, and made for an exceptional birthday toast for a dear friend. And, it cost me under $4 for a gallon.

I bought a bottle of the fancy cider from the apple cheeked lady, if not to appease her woo to bring my carboy to be filled at the farm, or to prove that I was willing to compare. (Or - just because I really wanted some cider with my venison for dinner). But I did not put my 3 gallons of sweet apple cider back. I brought it home and filled my little glass jugs, and set them up with a kiss to ferment.

The fizz and bubble snake down from the lip of the green glass bottle to the lip of my wide mouth crystal wine goblet passed down to me from my Grandfather, a fine wine-maker himself. I sip, slowly, intentionally, inviting in the lineage of libation.

Magic is undeniable in the fermentation process. If there's such thing as a yeast fairy, I believe in it. The transformation from one sweet farm thing to a sour sassy healthy one is like a good date that turns into soul mate material. Keeps you wanting more.

My first round of cider kept the neighborly company of a lacto-fermented herbal infusion-soda and a mead. The latter two went bad. The mead, because I used tap water which had just enough chlorine in it to inhibit proper fermentation, and the lacto-soda because I failed to strain the whey well enough. Bummer.

But the cider - oh my. Oh my. After just a few days the magic starts; the bubbles begin, and the fragrance is like pie. Then on goes the airlock and then begins the battle of waiting.

After a week, the whole family enjoyed the sparkling, pro-biotic beverage with dinner. After 10 ish days, the alcohol began and it was just for mum n dad, and privy guests. By two weeks, there was a mere two glasses left, and the hardness began to set in, like the taste of sparkling white wine, and it was truly exquisite.

Someday I might have the "right" apples, but for now I am very happy with my wrong ones. Whatever this orchard is giving to the local market is blossoming beautifully in my home and I have no complaints (other than I need some more carboys).

Fermented foods and beverages are a new part of my herbal journey that I'm delighted to be on. Not only is it a nourishing commitment to our health, it's a new way of knowing plants, and a dimension nearly lost to our western culture. It is also a fight for the health of our water.

I'm spoiled by amazingly good well water. Here at my new abode, the water has chlorine. Not very much at all, perhaps even undetectable to someone not paying attention, but I smell it and feel it acutely. My hair is drying out, my skin nearly cracking, and I gag if I drink the water from the tap. Water is essential in all the ways I can think of - it's the root of all life - and being a life form and a river lover and plant lover and mama, water is indefatigably important to me.

My fermentations agree - hence the rotting of my mead. I'll soon be taking a trip to the town hall, for more information on our water source. Being in a small farming town, I really wonder what is shed into the sources, the land, our faucets.

I give my belly a rub of love as dinner makes it's way into my body, back into life.

And in everything there is a spiral. Everything is connected. That spiral of mist from the cider tops, to the birds going crazy outside my window the past several mornings. They come in noisy flocks to forage from the white ground. They squawk and chirp and flap. They devour! For all over the ground lay bite sized crab apples.

They relish them; a delicacy in the scarce month of February, the meat of the apple is deep sustenance, and reason to celebrate.

Soon it will be mating season for the little winged ones. What better to prime their fertility than wild little apples? Can you blame them? Apples have been a symbol of fertility and love for centuries.

As I watched these little creatures dine, I thought about this. About apples. The apples in stories, in myth, in medicine, and in my glass. I thought about the apple tree that was the seat of so many of my childhood fairy tale moments; perched on her branches eating cinnamon powder from a toothpick; dreaming of what my life would be when I grew up. I loved the act of climbing the apple tree. How nimble and strong my little body felt! How clever I was to perch and teeter just so on her branches. How sweet the oval leaves of spring were on my fingertips, the delicate blossoms in my nose, and the bitter, astringent meal on my tongue as the fruits appeared. I always tasted them as if one year they would arrive with sweetness, and they never did.

The land at Great Hollow is an old apple orchard. The trees still give apples, and the flowering is intoxicating. If I knew better how to prune them, I would have. I always adored their gnarled beauty and admire their accessible nature. When last spring's storms knocked down a large couple of branches, I pruned them to take home.

For this year's plant ally, I'm choosing the apple tree. It's a daunting plant to pick, really, for it has a history larger and deeper than I can ever know, and a breadth of enormity. But if I've got all year, I can learn at least a little, and maybe not run out of curious notions. I'll be starting my journal soon, and feverishly catching up on my tasks. I love that apple provides such a variety of preparations beyond just your basic ones. I love that it's a food and a medicine, a love potion and a dessert, a sour fermented vinegar which can even hold other herbs, and a sweet, sparkling hard cider.

I'm anticipating a grand seduction, and perhaps a grand surrender.

Here's to you, great granny apple. Cheers

I take the last sip slowly. The sparkle has settled and the sweetness has opened up like warmed honey. I am contented, warm, and lovingly sleepy.

Giveaway Monday – Cottonwood Pendant by Mulberry Mudd

2011-02-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

Giveaway Monday – Cottonwood Pendant by Mulberry Mudd

Oh my oh my.... so beautiful. What a lovely tribute to a very special tree..

Nourished Kitchen ~ Nourished You ~ Radical Food Meal Planning (and a wee rant)

2011-02-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

(note: Sorry about the banner size! I can't change it so just go with it :)....)

I knew one day there would be a way. I've struggled with figuring out how to consistently feed my family real food for so long - I've done everything in my power - but with so little we are given these days it's an uphill battle.

1) We are not given the wisdom. We are far away from our lineage, our extended family, and most of us have lost our culinary heritage altogether. We've lost our personalized strains of cultures passed down through generations and cherished for centuries. We've lost the familial connection we need in order to learn how to prepare food.

2) We've lost the skills. Even from non-familial sources, modern life for the most part deprives us from learning skills that originate from the food itself - the seasonal timing of food to table, of egg to breakfast, of meat to freezer, of kvass to glass. These skills are all but extinct. What used to be every families right, is now an expensive novelty food from the specialty grocer. If we do come across authentic diy ingredients, we rarely know what to do with them.

3) We've lost the time. We are so overwhelmed with trying to pay bills, keep on top of our jobs, getting caught up in projects, caring for children or parents, or being distracted. We scarcely make the time to figure out how to prepare food, how to build a good grocery list, shop intentionally, and then ... prepare it all! It's a big job - that's why women spent so much time in the kitchen.

4) We've lost our food. Literally. We've lost thousands of varieties of produce. We've lost our dietary diversity. Humans are designed to eat an incredible array of roots, animals (and animal parts besides boobs and butts, hellooo), flowers, leaves, spices, fruits, legumes, and on and on. We're designed to follow the seasons and be connected enough to the land to detect and honor our food source. The average diet today is devoid of a GIANT helping of flavor, nutrition, and sensory satisfaction. We don't own our food, we don't grow our food, and all too often food is not even cared about.

5) We don't like it in the kitchen anymore. It sucks. We as women want to do other, more rewarding things in the world, and be PAID for our worth. Being at home, cooking and cleaning up, has become a dirty, unrewarding job. At least it did for me. Feeding my family was exhausting, feeding myself was an afterthought. I did my best since I knew about healthy foods, but I didn't enjoy it.

Yet there's a moving wave of new, extreme importance. With the onslaught of GMO foods, child obesity, food fat misunderstanding, animal cruelty on careless farms, and foods shipped from other countries which we can grow ourselves, there's a whole handbag full of reasons to be a badass food mama.

I've changed my mind over the last few years. Watching my children grow strong and healthy with good food, lots of time out of doors, and the freedom to learn their own hunger instincts, has been encouraging. Watching them gain a passion for cooking and good food has been inspiring. And the thought of being a radical food renegade who eats wild, foraged, local, loved, REAL food, just plain turns me on.

I adore the diversity that arrives at a farm market. I adore the vibrant, self perpetuating bubbly vats on my counter. I adore the myriad crops the local farmers still save seeds for that Monsanto hasn't touched with their greasy, evil, nasty, sicko suicide genes.

I like my food edible, thanks.

OK so why the rant? Obviously you noticed the banner at the top, right? Yup - this, for me, is the golden key that I needed. I need a teacher-organizer-shopper all in one, and I need it on a tight budget to boot. Oh - and this time, I'm going to have fun. I am totally excited to start this journey with my family, and grateful for the guidance.

I hope you'll hop on the badass food mama (or anybody) renegade eco-bandwagon too and purchase one or more of Jenny's super-awesome offerings at Nourished Kitchen by clicking on the banner- I think you'll love it, and you'll support me too (I get a little coin from the affiliate program!).

Food activism, just as much as grassroots herbalism, is a radical, political, life-saving act.

(Now if I could just get myself to like gardening.....)

Oh - P.S - need some anger to motivate you? Vandana Shiva's videos are enlightening!

Eat well, eat slow, eat together, dear readers.

Evil Snow Charm

2011-01-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

Clearly I'm having commitment issues with the colors of my blog design. What can I do? All I see out my window is white. I've never seen this much snow in New England since moving here almost 20 years ago. However it feels more like a real winter, as the winters I grew up with in Iowa were laden with accumulated snow tunnels along the roadsides and driveways, prohibiting all safe driving standards and visibility before turning. I remember clearly the wicked gnawing wind at my cheeks as I walked, in part, backwards to school.

The filthy plowed snowbanks towered beyond my head, only white again upon a fresh layer from the snow Gods. They performed exceedingly well as igloos and forts, snow people and temporary storage for party beverages. My mom would fill plastic popsicle-makers with orange juice, place them in the blanket of snow on the back porch, and within a few hours they were frozen enough to eat.

Moon boots were where it was at. Along with a full length hooded down coat and a ski mask, you could produce enough close-loop sweat and snot and hat hair to effectively humiliate yourself at the school lockers while rushing from Inuit garb to uniform code with barely enough time to thaw before asked to hold your pencil. My hair was long and always froze into icicles. I remember the prickle of goosebumps irritated by navy-blue cable tights and my surly disposition to the inability to wear pants and sweatshirts in protection against the drafty blows of the old brick school building. The windows were large and the fields of snow carried on for acres upon acres, decorated only by the sparse prints of a few desperate animals and the curvy wake lines of the wind waves.

I knew the white stuff was slowly watering the daffodil hill, sure to be blooming soon enough. I knew the winds blew around the seeds from the few trees we had. I knew, every year, that winter only lasted one season, but somehow I never managed a level above loathing for the evil Iowa winter.

Today I have more of an adapted ability to tolerate (even sometimes appreciate) the winter season, and a few more coping mechanisms. One of them, obviously, is taking out my restlessness on my blog. Being snowed in for a month now, with more snow every week or more, I've been forced to examine my daily habits, and begin stirring up my deeper visions of my days here on this Earth. The obstacles have been many; job struggles, our dear friend in the ICU, and the challenges and surprises of raising a teen and a tween, spoon out hearty helpings of swearing, intense gratitude, reflection, tears, and fear. And with each inner and outer blizzard I sit with the feelings and inquire.

Inside my icy chrysalis, I dream up ways to prioritize and practice what's important to me, and intentions I have for my Journey with the Plants. Winter is, after all, the dream time. it's the sleep of the year, the nighttime of the soil. In the womb of nature, we must root for the sweet starchy sustenance of our own spirit.

I dress up for no reason other than to add interest to an otherwise timeless day. I put on a little black honey lip gloss and show up for my journal pages. I've got some good ideas, sketched out in my favorite colors, and intimately connected to the goals I already have in motion. I'm imagining another branch, just a snowdrink at a time. With a little research and some continued time, I just might accomplish it, we shall see. I've certainly had enough ~~scarification~~ stratification. I figure whats a little more time waiting in the dirt?

As an aside, since I seem to muse more than make here at Plant Journeys, I'll throw in a little naughty herby-ness for you.

Snow Cream

1 big bowl of fresh, clean snow
1 Tbsp chocolate syrup
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tsp vanilla extract
Drizzles of herbal elixir of choice: I like black birch or white fir.
If you don't have an elixir handy, you can harvest some tree twigs and make a strong infusion. Just cool before using.

Stir it all up and enjoy.

P.S. Don't eat yellow snow.

Images of a Snowy Winter

2011-01-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

Shifting Moon, Love Moon

2011-01-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

"Moon in my hand", photo: Sage Wilson age 11

My dear friend, Ji-Ling, reminds me of the sacred practice of naming our Moons each time she becomes full again. In fact, as I begin this post, a beautiful (I'm sure of it) email awaits my eyes, certainly about this moon and her poetic and personal interpretations of it. I anticipate the read and the closeness I feel when I read other's lunar whims.

This Moon for me is the love moon.

I'm re-learning to love from a deeper place - I'm re-learning what it means to be a friend, a support, an open ear, and a member of a family. I'm learning bit by bit how to help my children learn, too. These are vulnerable and tender lessons but so very worthy. I trust that, like the grinch, my heart pangs are merely from growing, and sure enough - soon enough - the love will be even more than I imagined.

In my waiting, I ponder and dream. I am temporarily homebound without a car and simultaneously iced and snowed in, awaiting the completion of more arduous tasks which await my attendance. In the meantime, I deepen my quietness, make dense teas, and ask questions. How can I be a better friend? How can I speak my truth and leave judgement behind? How can I reach out and tell my distant family members that I care, despite never being able to travel to see them. I long to make heart connections with the people who mean so much to me, in an overly-busy and stoic world.

In my waiting and shifting I play with my blog colors, like a painter might paint the background of a new picture, or a dancer might change costumes for a new piece. I try little things to encourage my creativity.

I long to heal the suffering body and spirit of my dear family friend. I long to sooth the fear and longing of his wife. I nourish myself so I may nourish others.

My practice for this moon is to activate love.

What is your Full Moon moon this month, dear readers?

The Tree Year ~ Winter Birch

2011-01-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

As part of my devotion to mother nature and my love for plants and trees, I am participating in a wonderful project. This year is the UN International Year of the Forests, and this weblog project, The Tree Year, is a beautiful way to get people to pay attention to the trees and to share their findings.

A whole year of observing one tree? Oh my. That is a very tall order. Not because I don't want to spend all year observing trees - its just that only one tree would be near impossible for me. So while I will forgive myself if this expounds into a forest itself, I will, at least, begin with one kind of tree. Sort of.

I have spend my fair share of time devoted to the Black Birch tree, because it was abundant where I was living. In my new abode, there are less black birches, but copious amounts of white, paper, and grey birches. They are absolutely stunning to me, and I know I will naturally be watching them each day and hopefully learning a bit about their magic and medicine. I have paid tribute in my title photograph. I intend to keep the title photo reserved for these trees for the duration of the tree year, and will be posting observations and learnings from time to time. I hope you will be inspired to be a part of the tree year, too.

So far, I am mostly just absorbing their presence: they rarely get gigantic like the mighty oaks, but some of them do manage to get pretty muscular and big. I think my first order will be to learn more clearly the difference between the species, as they are more tricky to identify in real life than they are when looking at pictures in a book or on a website. Especially considering it is winter here, with no leaves to assist me. Many of them grow in groves along the edges of mixed woods, where there is dappled sunlight and usually good water supply somewhere near, like a river, although they don't seem to like wet feet as the willows and alders do, but more the rocky hillsides and clearings. Some of them stand alone as ornamental trees, highlighting colonial homes in the area.

The decomposing birches offer plentiful food for a variety of woodpeckers. As you can see, the different shaped holes indicate different types of woodpeckers. The rectangle shape in particular is that of my favorite, the grand pileated woodpecker. Little ladderbacks and downy woodpeckers look at home with their matching colors of grey, black, and white.

And although I haven't come across any yet, birches are the main host for a wonderful medicinal mushroom known as chaga. These winter colored trees seem to take good company with the scrub pine, beech, hemlock, oak, and maple trees. There is plenty of moss and a beautiful red soil I am learning is a red sandstone.

The birches I see here, in Massachusetts, are so elegant. They stand with this delicate snowy skin as if the North Winds are never far behind. Like the bones of the forest, all wise and standing strong like Grandmother. I know this tree - this trio - has much to teach me. And so I watch and listen.

The Gifting Season ~ The Underbelly of Yuletime

2010-12-07T06:29:00.000-08:00

For many including myself, The holiday season is a challenge. From the over commercialization, mass spending, circulation of toxic toys, useless gadgets, empty foods, and immense garbage. The expectation whether self imposed or externally commanded, often leaves us simple Earthy folk feeling drained and defeated.

We have also taken brave steps towards insisting on a season of nourishment rather than disdain. Many of us have taken bold steps in asking our families to downsize gifts, making them homemade or more personal, such as gifts of time spent together, planting trees in our children's names, giving gifts of health such as massages or yoga retreats, and focusing more intently on each others' passions in life as inspiration for these gifts.

There is also this funny thing we feel called reciprocity. I know I'm not the only one who feels this intense, burning requirement for equality. Although I'm immensely grateful for the many gifts that come my way in general, specifically at Yule I feel anxiety around the exchange; whether I will leave feeling as though I gave as much (or as good quality) as I received. These expectations are daunting.

I have not found a solution, but little by little I work towards a more empowering time. I want to see joy in my children's eyes, not because they have just opened a wii or a wad of cash, but because I finally had time to make cookies with them. Or because we chose a little tree together and cut it down in the freezing cold and drove back with it nearly flying off the car.

These are cliche - I know - the moments we look for on TV and give lots of lip about. But they're harder to get than we think. We cover them up with icing and candy canes and ribbon - for what reason?

Perhaps because we can't achieve our deeper expectation, our deeper hope, and the failure is unbearable. We feel cheated out of enough time or money or creativity to make it happen. Or perhaps because when we do reach it, it is so powerful it nearly hurts. Perhaps because the feelings available to us at times of truthful giving and receiving, should we be willing to feel them, open rivers of unshed heartache and longing for love and connection in it's many forms.

Yule morning for me is painful and beautiful. It brings me face to face with my unmet goals, my growing children, my aging eyes. It's also humbling; the sweetness of colored pencil cards, feathers wrapped in cloth, coupons for snuggling up and reading together. Long, intentional hugs.

When I melt all the overly sweet, fake frosting of the holidays away, I'm left with something just sweet enough, and just filling enough, without the sugar crash.

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

In light of gifts for plant lovers, consider these valuable resources for the tree-hugger in your life......

Beautiful Handmade Herbals from:

Blissful Botanicals (My Mama:)

Blue Turtle Botanicals (amazing Darcey Blue)

DreamSeeds (Teton Herbalist Kristena Haslam)

Invaluable reading/resources:

Plant Healer Magazine (which includes yours truly, waxing poetic about Witch Hazel)

Herbal Roots Zine (a resource I favor for myself and students alike)

Herb Mentor Membership (endless applicable information for all herbal people!)

We'Moon Calendar (My all-time favorite datebook and daily inspiration)

Mountain Rose Herbs (for bulk herbs and herbal supplies)

Of course - finding local farms for things like winter CSA memeberships, wilderness programs for nature awareness and primitive skills, an invitation to a local Red Tent Temple or drum circle, or fresh organic meat from a nearby farm, are incredibly valuable gifts which directly reflect original meanings and traditions of this season.

May you come closer to your heart, your truth, and satisfy your deepest needs for connection this holiday.

My gift to you, dear reader, is a little poem of Witch Hazel which didn't make it's way into Plant Healer Magazine. (consider it a teaser for the article that did get published ;) enjoy......

~~~~~~~

Witch of the Woods

Ahhh the sun in my eyes

Through eyelashes of Hazel

She

The Witch of the woods

Winking at me, flirting I think

With her coppiced heart

And divided wholeness

Whose reckless ways

In tandem bloom and fruit and flower

And when ready

Explode

So far as to reach the riverbank

On the opposite side

With her I go

Through the veil of October

Riding the winds of the wrinkles in time

As I laugh through my lines

And I see anew through the gauzy tricks

Of Fall and of Fey

And her mischievous way

Wands of witch, divine waters

Flowering pretty, her petals cool

I am taken to dreaming

In my hazel-eyed mind

Holding the hands of change

I sip a sunlit cordial of wishes

Of rolling like her wavy margins

In the wake of summer

In the wake of unrealized hopes

In the wake of release

I float along in her astringency

And wit

And wait for ripening time

When I can explode

And reach the other side

Too

Turkey Day Medicine Bag

2010-11-25T05:39:00.000-08:00

On Turkey Day I'm grateful that I'm not the one cooking the meal. I will be contributing my spiced-apple salad (previous post) and some gourmet cheeses. But really what I'm packing up this morning are a slew of remedies for Holiday's inevitable maladies.

Here's what I'll be toting in my medicine bag......

Black Cherry Elixir ~ For those with the nagging cough, and those with hot burny digestions. I use black cherry quite often to steady my heart rate and settle my nerves.

Kava ~ For my son mostly, who's indigestion is also nervous and painful, accompanied by a frustration of having to socialize. I combine it with the black cherry elixir, and sometimes peach.

Peach Elixir ~ Also for hot, irritating digestive complaints and temperamental personalities. For those who just feel pissed off most of the time, and if they don't express it outwardly, they end up with UT problems or ulcers.

(for an exquisite profile on peach, please visit Kiva :http://animacenter.org/persica.html )

Black Birch ~ For the people who feel uprooted, not "at home" and are finicky about getting around to putting some kind of food on their plate and then maybe even into their mouths. Great for teens and Elders. (Birch plays a key role in forest succession. Think of it as a transition remedy) Also for tension headaches.

Crystallized Ginger ~ For the unmoving, tired, slump on the couch after eating. Along with a hot cup of:

Dandy-Blend ~ An easy way to get dandelion root into people who would not otherwise take the tincture. It's a super yummy beverage that's easy to make and does the trick. Sweeten it with just a little honey instead of sugar, but don't drown out the bitter flavor - that is the medicine!

Echinacea elixir ~ There is always someone who is ill with something they don't understand. It's a little insurance for this statement "I don't know! It's weird. Its like... (---insert strange metaphor) .... and I just can't get rid of it."

St. Johnswort ~ For the blues, for the bruises, for the teary-eyed. For the nerve pains in the hip and back. For my own sanity.

Mugwort ~ Artemisia vulgaris ~ This one for cold, crampy digestion, especially liver stagnation, or anyone who can't get warm but shouldn't take ginger for it's too hot and dry. Mugwort is a woman's best friend :) Mugwort is also supreme as a pre-digestive bitter before a meal.

Alder ~ A new plant ally for me this year, I've been using it for lymph congestion with great results. So this will go for anyone who shouldn't eat that gluten filled biscuit, but does anyway. It will also go onto my poor daughters face which is swollen to the hilt with a wicked case of poison ivy.

Peppermint elixir ~ for teas or stuffy noses and little ones.

White Fir Elixir ~ purely for pleasure. I like it in my coffee.

For external use, I'm packing Witch Hazel tincture, Chaparral oil, Pain killer salve, and lip balm.

I already have a basic first aid kit in the car, so I usually have Osha and Yarrow already.

Need to grab a few survival items for your

Blessings on this day to all of you, and may you have very happy tummies.

Plant Healer ~ A Journal of Traditional Western Herbalism ~ Open for Subscriptions!

2010-11-22T14:51:00.000-08:00

I'm immensely honored and inspired to be a contributing writer for the premier issue of Plant Healer Journal. This promises to be an articulate, rooted, and outspoken voice for us Plant People, as well as a calling to the world at large who suffers at the hand of profound disconnection. My hope for this journal is many-fold. I hope people with flora curiosity will dive in head first. I hope that us herbalists will finally have informative, dynamic, applicable, and delicious reading we can count on. And daringly I hope that some people in a little corner of the political box, will close their greedy wallet and go eat some weeds, and realize that we are more sane than anyone for doing so. And maybe pull some strings on our behalf.

But back to the simple hopes ~ I feel really lucky to be a part of a resurgence of home and community herbalists who are so passionate about plants and healing, and who are getting back to the ground in their practices. I hope that this magazine, in it's unprecedented content, sells wildly.

Below is a clip and link for the original article.

~Ananda

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

Subscriptions Open Today For

Plant Healer:
A Journal of Traditional Western Herbalism

Get the Premier December Issue
& 5 Exclusive, Free Video, Audio & Visual Bonuses!
$37 yr.(4 Issues) – Go To:
http://PlantHealerMagazine.com/subscribe

please continue reading this article at it's original source:

http://bearmedicineherbals.com/planthealersubscribe.html

Spiced Apple Salad and the Healing of Food

2010-11-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

Obviously it's been a long time since I wrote about herbal medicine or plants in general. It isn't because I have not been working with them, in fact I've learned monumental amounts. It's just, as my mom would say, 'anacana' - translation: on account of nothing. In other words, it's just because that's how the cards have fallen.

Often in life I feel like the ideas I have are brilliant, but then I'm not fast enough at pursuing them and they get used up by someone more savvy or opportunistic than I. Such is life.

In addition, I'm time compromised. And we all know how that goes, I don't have to explain.

So my post today is a little different but every bit relevant. It's about food.

As long as I can remember I've dubbed myself as "hating to cook". Which has made it exceedingly difficult to feed two growing children, a husband on occasion, and daily, myself. Growing up I learned simple basics to my benefit: how to cook soup, eggs, and make a great sandwich or salad. But that's it. Jump forward to having two small children and absolutely no idea how to not burn meat, shop frugally at a grocery store, or make a meal while managing children, you've got a recipe for a dis-empowered kitchen wishes-she-were-a-goddess woman.

I've burnt countless chicken breasts. I've ruined plenty of rice. I've eaten dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner. It wasn't until I made a commitment to cooking that anything changed.

But it wasn't easy. I'm a very busy woman! I work part time, take my children to learning co-op, I teach plants, I teach dance, and I try to write now and again, and I've got an apothecary and a household to manage. So you can see it's additional pressure to feed good meals to my loved ones.

But... I love food. I've never had any "food issue", so I don't have any eating stuff to deal with. I love food of all kinds and have always had the taste for healthy, well rounded foods. I love to eat and have always been active and never had any weight issues. So again, my problem was solely the fact that I HATED COOKING.

It was arduous. Laborious. Boring. Painful. Hopeless. Confusing. A waste of time.

And while I cannot say it's all better now, I can say I've come a very, very long way.

I'll mention here my Medicine Woman Mentorship. I'll mention it because one of the main thrusts is being in touch with one's senses and the birthright to take good care of ones self. Within my lesson work (and I'm still near the beginning) I am asked about my commitment to myself. It was clear to me that by not feeding myself, not engaging my senses and nourishment through the very basic human actions and needs, I was avoiding nourishment, pleasure, and pro-active healing.

The other note I'll make here is that my husband, as well as my children - miraculously - have a gift in the kitchen! Yes, my kids have been lucky to receive amazing cooking lessons from close friends/chefs in my community, and to learn plenty from Dad, but they just have it - the patience, the instinct, the love, and the uncanny ability to read and understand a written recipe from a cookbook. This has been (while slightly frustrating) an unsuspected inspiration.

And so within both my MWM as well as my monthly women's circle, I declared that I needed to both embrace and cultivate my inner Kitchen Goddess. I needed to find the woman in me that could infuse my food with both magic and skill. This was couple of years ago.

It's been a long journey and I'm still at it. I have a lot to learn. I've held to a Soup-Monday tradition for a while now, which helps keep me learning new recipes and by making it a routine I can count it as a required activity rather than something unimportant. I have tried my best to invite my hunter friends to feed me locally hunted venison, teach me about the animal and the different cuts, and had some healthfully harvested roadkill such as groundhog which was hit cleanly by an employee while I was at work. I've tried with the help of a talking thermometer to learn how long to cook meats, and I've enjoyed the benefit of finally cooking chicken well even if I'm not spoken to. I've cooked roasts, fish, acorn oatmeal, roasted potatoes, and many other dishes to a "T".

I'm proud of myself. While I cannot say I want to spend every day in the kitchen, I can say I'm no longer scared of it, and sometimes even really love it. Like today when I invented this spiced apple salad to take along for lunch tomorrow.

Sometimes eating disorders are not about getting fat or skinny, they are about not knowing how to cook, and not having the time in this fast forward life to do it. Sometimes they are about fearing the GMO's and learning to get outside to forage and to find local CSA's, farmers, or hunting. They really are about healing our relationship to eating, nourishing, taking, feeling, life, death, growth, creativity, and the intimacy therein. They are about consuming - the kind of consuming that was known before it was evil.

The moments I take in the kitchen, when given the time and spark, are sensual moments not too unlike my herbal potions or dance movements. They are moments that use to deplete me, and now feed me. And my family. They are organic, sensory, delicious moments.

~~~~~

Apple~ Spice Salad

5 ripe cubed apples

1/3 cup slices almonds

1/3 cup chopped dried cherries

1 Tbsp chopped crystallized ginger

1 whole fresh squeezed lemon, or more if desired

3 Tbs herbal infused honey (I used sage and monarda, you can use what you like)

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Stir well and enjoy

~~~~~

October Hips

2010-10-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

October hips have ripened

They'll go into jars and bottles and liquids to soak

in a honey-brandy cloak

but others are not to be harnessed for such uses.

They dangle on canes and wave temptingly

slow with a seasoned swagger like Marilyn

wearing flame red

on a bed of blue sky sheets with white fluffy

pillows and spooky moon nightcaps.

From arms in the wind they shimmy

in rhythms from the far east

with bronzed skin and burgundy skirts

they quiver in Autumn induced showers

and sighs

with long legged undressing thighs

of cherry bark trunks

and spellbinding skies.

October's sweet bribes

like a wine tasting for my eyes

and reprieve from redundancy

gemstones on mountains

elixirs of beauty..

On tiptoes of petioles

hips ripen sweet after frost

into memories and jars they will go

to be sipped, and savored,

forever not lost to my taste

for lusty sips of earth on my lips;

October's hips

Storm

2010-10-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

Living at the tip of the lighthouse

on the edge of a crashing ocean

I shut my eyes tight and hold on

to the salty metal bars of the balcony

and face the stormy slap

I hold my breath

push my feet into the concrete

and imagine I'm a lightning bolt

A part of the storm itself

absorbing the charge like a battery

and storing up strength

For the long and thrashing ride

Giveaway Monday – Clay Pendant from Mulberry Mudd

2010-10-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Giveaway Monday – Clay Pendant from Mulberry Mudd (Via Herbal Roots Zine)

2010-09-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

I should be sleeping

but I smell rain

the cicadas sing

as the metallic air

stings the night

and the humid croak

of frogs kiss the wind

As my potions red

and brown cascade along the counter

I know the coughs will go away

even with the stormy weather

I take my potions sweet and bitter.

As the water bubbles

I add oats, cinnamon, and clove

with cardamom and ginger

spicing up the brew.

It will be pouring by the dawn

I hope for rainbows.

Hollow

2010-09-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

Wilderness Skills kicked off our first day of courses back at the Hollow today. The land smells of honey and hay and is showing the first colors of Autumn. Despite being busy all day, the breathing of the land filled my heartbeat with rhythm, grounding, and solace. It was good to be back.

The Skills posse is small this year - just the four die-hards and their devoted mentors. How I love their familiar faces and newly grown vertical inches. How I love their glowy eyes and sighs of "finally" when they return. How they bring the stories of the land to life.

I long sometimes to go back and ride a day in their boots. And vicariously I suppose I do. As they pressure flake, swamp-walk, groundhog skin, cattail eat... I feel if nothing else at least the next generation will be able to make a fire and feed me if necessary:). Even if only theoretical - it serves a profound need of mine to see a few children into adulthood with some valid Earthskills.

Despite not hiking the trails today, the land seemed to come to me. The wild grapes line the rock walls, the chipmunks chirp outside my office door. The amaranth punctuate the meadows, and the wild cucumber; unruly with spines.

Irreverent choice?

2010-09-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes staying authentic means pissing people off, disappointing them, or involuntarily shattering their images of you. It's not done maliciously. It's not done with spite. However it is haunting if you've attached your own self worth to their approval. But life is not an unspoken barter of worth. In the end, what matters is how you feel about your choices - are they bringing you closer to your truth, or closer to others' agendas? Are you actually breaking an agreement you made - or simply breaking someones made up expectations?

And yet it is so often that on the other side, if we as humble humans are open enough, we can realize a place that contains the richness of composted illusions and fears. We can come to a place of compassionate support and mutual honesty. We can come to a place where we find the breakdown is a gifting of deeper strength. We can discern the beautiful edges that may have lined the old structures well, and take them with us for new trim.

Herbal Roots Giveaway Monday: Clay Pendant

2010-09-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

Giveaway Monday: Clay Pendant

Stunning!

I have a couple of Rebekah's herbal pendants myself and I adore them! I of course *must* have the rose one, lol, but whoever wins this treasure will feel the same I am certain.

Return to http://www.herbalrootszine.com/2010/09/giveaway-monday-clay-pendant/

and Share - tweet - FB - blog etc for a chance to win!

Time With Trees

2010-09-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

I love trees. They make my heart flutter.

I've spent the last couple years just adoring them; gathering some knowledge, practicing recognition, and making medicines. And of course I continue, as it's such an ongoing process.

My most treasured learnings thus far have been from Black Birch, Black Cherry, Hickory, Witch Hazel, Alder, Sassafras, Willow, Apple, Linden, Cottonwood, Juniper, Locust, Pine, Peach, and Elm.

In fact I would venture to say that collection could cover quite a panacea. I nearly feel sad for states with less abundance and varieties of trees!

As I marvel through my plethora of tinctures and elixirs overflowing their allotted counter and cabinet space, I ponder what I might share with my readers. Some days words just don't cut it. How can I possibly tell you what my black cherry elixir tastes like, or how unusually warming and comforting my black birch elixir feels?

What I really want to say, is go spend some time with trees. Smell the bark of the cherry trees. Taste the leaves of the birch. Draw each part of the tree. Watch what creatures love it for home.

Log how long it takes for the leaves to turn color, then fall. Get to know your trees.

I could pontificate or get esoteric; sharing about my thoughts while gathering black cherries. How they spoke to me of balancing labor and fruits of labor. How they coaxed me into a pleasurable rhythm as I collected, making the work easier and the reward greater. How I knew we had more rain than New Hampshire by the size and moisture in the cherry. How the Natives prized them for lung and heart conditions.

But will those be your thoughts? Wisdom you can own? Maybe not. Perhaps the cherry elixir will clear your cough the way it does mine - but my time with cherry can't replace yours, no matter how profound it was. My wind and sky and temperature on that particular day will be different. My heart was listening for wisdom applicable to my own context - and why would a friend tell all their friends the same advice?

Perhaps I can sell a bottle of my willow tincture, even filled with all the energetic magic of my time while I gathered and prepared it. But what if, instead of downing some while driving, you took that tincture while sitting under a willow tree?

So there is a part of me that wants to arrive here, for all you lovely readers and plant friends, and announce a grand medicinal realization - it makes me sound professional, wise, and well-studied. It would make me feel as though I just gave everyone some great gift of myself or stamped success on my day. But I'm not sure that today I need approval; what is greater in my heart, when I really listen, is a desire to sit under a tree with the glinting sun on it's blades, hear the lessons meant for me, and know that some others out there in the world are getting their very own session of tree healing too.

Funny thing, this.....

2010-07-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

It's a funny thing

vulnerability

How it makes us stronger and weaker

in one stroke

It's a funny thing

this emotional ride

how it takes us downriver

towards a relentless tide

How we push up against truth

until it slams back against us

like a revolving door

Cracking us wide

open

It's a funny thing

this, being open

like the hat of a busking musician

we risk no return

while we pour out our heart

and soul

and personal composition

and we wait to find out.

and so it comes in

that ineffable tide

salty with reality

kissing us again

each night

no matter how far we push it away.

we come back to the shore of our being

and remain open,

vulnerable.

It's a funny thing

truth

how it shakes us to waking

and smarts like a burn

yet somehow is the balm

for what was really an old wound

and we stay in it

resolved

to our tremendous

capacity to feel.

Weeping oceans onto carpet

and grief into bathtubs

we pour

all our reins into liquid.

It's a funny thing this feeling;

how it leads us to healing.

Ancient Heart, Modern World

2010-05-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

Wherever did my insides go

away so far with laughing leaves

on turning winds of Autumn air

oh where could my desires be

inside so deep, asleep?

No. They stir

they squirm inside their

circumstantial shackles

hard they push but quietly

In leaves they dare not make a rustle

in the snow they dare not crunch

Lest I wake the bossy world.

I stalk my dreams in camouflage

I track them silently.

I watch them from a shadowed cave

a purgatory's slave.

Sit still my dear and watch these plants

it makes no difference - your dresses or your pants

watch this plant until it shows

you where inside your soul

you lost

your heartache nerves

and chose to be this numb, this scared

and ask how you can be repaired

And get up off your ass and act

with sharpened blades of Self

Just do

what matters to you. If you see

the dance in a song and you want to move,

move

if you see the medicine in movement,

then heal

if you are sick and tired of redundant linear grace

the pirouettes of symmetrical faces

then be the grit. The noise. The mismatched perfection.

Disgrace to us our pigeonholes of women's lines and curves defined

if we accept these roles - these holes - then we are still confined

I spit on billboards hot with exploit

I spit on mini skirts

I shit on all your subjugation, all your secret tabloid worlds.

I shit on all your tampon governments.

Inside

I scream

to be recklessly beautiful

to let my thighs dance free and wild and ripped with muscle

to show the leaves I know their route

from life to yellow flight and forest floor death

Uncurl like ferns and fingers

Ripen like flesh and fruit.

I hurt inside, to love without

rules.

My back aches to bend in arcs

like rose canes drenched in blossoms

Fastened by roots.

But I lack the thorns.

All those eyes of expectation

all those red pens marking

yes or no, good or bad, right or sin.

All those chasing egos on my skin

and ropes of judgment cast.

These artist shackles keep me locked

in bars of iron, barbs of heart. Inside I wait

for freedom's gate.

For safety's key

and fearless walk.

Guts and Sass

2010-04-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

Maybe life just takes some guts and sass

To rub blindly up against the rough bark of a dream and laugh

at the furrowed trunk of growth and the rings

of years sustained amidst the pains of sins

pulling so hard on those reigns of belief, chaffed with will

power, your muscle of dreaming still

holds fast

without fail

without steering you

wrong

Maybe the chains of life's confinements

are glass and foil.

My dagger dreams come sharp

committed, mapped

like yours do

not trapped - they are wild, enraptured

entranced.

In this life we need guts

and sass

to run towards those mirrors of glass: they are lies

and trash. Run buffered by animal tallow and run

fierce

like Buffalo. Pierce

the shadows of crumpled foil and run

wild with dreams of your own

Recklessly owning your

own vision.

Sludgy Lung Elixir

2010-03-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Spring tends to evoke maladies of the lungs, especially in those who are of pitta - kapha constitution. Something of the watery-warm thaw creates a synonymous action in our bodies. Of course it isn't the only way in which our bodies bring us back to the awareness of the fact that we are inseparable from all life on Earth.

A simple elixir of Earth's healing herbs can bring us healing and relief in our lungs, whether a viral and swollen throat or painful, persistent, spasmodic cough.

Lung Elixir

To a 1 Quart size mason jar add:

1 Tbsp Cloves, dried

2 Tbsp Elecampane root, dried (double for fresh rt)

4 Tbsp Wild Black Cherry bark, dried (double for fresh bark/twig)

6 Tbsp Cinnamon bark, dried chips (if you have fresh cinnamon you are lucky!)

1/2 Cup Ginger root, fresh sliced (1/4 cup if dried rt)

Fill the jar of herbs 3/4 of the way full with brandy or alcohol of choice.

Fill the remaining 1/4 of the jar with god local honey.

Apply label with details and record in your herb journal or calendar.

Variations can be made to your liking, for example you may want to add a little fresh turmeric if you tend to get bronchitis or if viruses set into your muscles and make you ache all over.

If you're making this for your children, you can add dried elderberries and reduce the amount of ginger and elecampane to improve the taste and add the immune and lung strength of elder.

If you have a favorite lung herb, of course you can be as creative and intuitive as you wish. If this sounds like too drying of a remedy for you, add it to a demulcent mallow, violet, sassafras leaf, or elm infusion and sip it that way. Remember that our mucilage carries our antibodies, so befriend the good snot and keep it working. And remember too how slippery cinnamon can be.

If you need immediate relief, these same herbs at approximately 1/4 of the recipe can be steeped in 2 quarts simmering water for 30+ minutes and drunk as an effective decoction.

Allow one moon (month) for the extraction of your elixir to take place. Sing to it, shake it, admire the changes. Set it out in the full moon to absorb the healing powers of the water element.

Use small amounts in hot water or tea as needed.

Happy Spring

Make it Your Own

2010-03-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

What's there that I missed?

In the mist the whisper

the list of the missing

things I ditched

and left? Or things

I feared and ran

from before I landed

in quicksand in locked

eyes with danger or wit

too great, never mind

fate. I hate

the longing that haunts

and shows up to taunt

my every blinking

breath, my wanton

heart

I sew words in hopes

of a better suture

My life's true suitor

green in curly scapes

in summer

shapes make their ways

through my daze

Dancing plays

and tumbleweed

where's the feed

for souls

like me

Lost in wondering

singing silent

where's the insatiable quest

the drive in my chest

the blindness to test

Lest I wake in another life

with tails untied and tasks

untried

Denied of dreams

of rose petaled streams

of bamboo leaps

and leaf colored leotards

Scribbled in air

scripted in sinew

imprinted on eyes

on karma's long thighs

How the waiting narrates

story lines

arabesque lies

of no pain but inside

as the pages they flip

on waiting's hip

I trip up and hiccup and

skip

ballerina

run

flat face first into muscled tree arms and soar

beyond writing OR

So write AND

dance-pick flowers-make life all yours.

Betula

2010-03-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Betula

Saplings all over my yard

I reach my heart out

Listening for hers

I can taste her tingle

just by thinking

She opens

says hello

says 'welcome daughter'

we start again

Fearless

in the arms of Mother

and the sky of father Sun

we re-create

I am sweetest

on a warm day

after a deep sleep

I am strongest

with my family all around me.

I am most happy

when there is sun on my skin

and space for me to claim.

I am versatile

but never a pushover

I have my place in this world.

My Medicine is new

and it is old.

I heal the wounds

unhealed by time.

Open your heart, child,

we are all in this together.

~~~~~~~~~~

Song for Together

2010-03-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

The water-like ripples of the bird songs wake me

lifting my eyelids from their slumber

like a miniature sunrise

My quaky bones stretch like cold birch limbs

into the courting air of March

humming silent murmurs to the hidden flowers

My heart reaches for the melted ground

where the leaf litter crumbles

into muddy compost

Yet my ears still search

for the calling home

for the welcoming.

Where's the village song?

Where's the calling down

of the rain

and the blissful chant of the grain?

Where is the Daughter when the Mother falls ill

Where is Grandpa when the Son's heart breaks

Where is the feeling of together.

Far away we fly

on metal wings

slicing through flocks

to get to the beach or the jungle

"to see the world"

To see that it's true in some ways

in some pockets far away

that we do call with our voices

the rain, the sun, the agony, the blessings

We sing in the spring

And chant our mourning

until the haunting dissolves

And in our pocket here

where bounty is expected

and freedom reigns

we wake lonely

with the bruising of far away pains.

Where is the Daughter when Mama falls ill?

She's flying overseas calling home on her cell

Where are the Grandpa's with stories to tell?
They're back at the homestead; abandoned home-shell.

We're selling our souls to the mortgage Gods

and breaking our backs to feel worthy.

We're starving for wholeness of wheat and of tribe.

We're selling our fancy new knowledge

for what? Cars? Fashion? Pride?

I rise from my sleepy blankets and listen

for that call of the red bird

to sing me back home

to the vision of whole

where I can rest my birch bones.

Where the sunrise is sung

up by children

and the stories are still told

where the trees are known from each season's skin

and the senses stir wisdom from deeper within

I call out my voice to the wandering souls

to the hearts lost on the islands alone

to sing yourself home to the land

you call home

and sink in to the flavor of each moment born

How we long for the leaves to speak

to us

for the roots to tell us when to plant

How we long to belong

to feel safe

and yet free

How we long to sing

our wild heart song

to the wind and hear her call us hers.

How we long to shed our costumes of "independence"

and fall hopelessly in love with togetherness.

Work in Progress II

2010-02-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

I wonder if the reason

we - artists-writers-herbalists-soft underbelly mamas -

don't get the work in the world

we wish for

is because we are so damn busy waiting for

approval.

waiting for the right business to hire us

(affirmation)

for the right school to say you graduated

(it's official!)

for the right business partner

(I can't do it without a scapegoat)

or whatEVER

and we keep getting only some of what we need.

MAYBE we keep waiting for that special validation

with the right hours and perfect situation

because we are to damn scared to say

I'm good at what I do

I take responsibility for my learning curve

I have the right to make my hours,

create the structure right for me,

to be unique

and excellent

and at the mercy of no one else's

approval

besides my own.

Maybe we would prosper if we decided

we were so passionate at what we did that we were

always

learning more

and maybe we would prosper

if we had the guts

to shamelessly

self promote.

We wouldn't want to be confident, now would we?

That would be arrogant, presumptuous.

How can you have any objectivity towards yourself?

I am good at what I do.

I love what I do.

I care about my work.

I can make my own hours,

meet my own needs and those of my family,

take care of my home and the land I love,

and I deserve to make good money for it.

Without overworking.

Without extremism.

Without selling my ideas

or pride

or leaking out my well of energy.

There is room in this world for good people to prosper.

We are good at what we do.

Red Tent Temple

2010-02-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

I'm linking this from our Red Tent Temple blog for those of you who may only be following this one, in hopes of greater awareness and publicity.......

http://spiraltraditions.blogspot.com/2010/02/red-tent-temple-february-21-2010.html

xoxoxo

I believe

2010-02-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

I really believe,

that if we start gathering together

again, not just to eat,

but to feast on homemade goodness

of all kinds;

foods, crafts, knowledge, art,

skills

and in the affirmation of friendship we form

alliances of wealth

through sharing

through teaching,

through doing,

the momentum of community will

gain force

authenticity

and power.

And the more powerful the people

and families are in their hearts,

their homes,

the less we fall

prey to consumption, despair.

I really believe that when we gather with

those who ignite our curiosity,

respect, and compassion,

that it's a fine gift given

of sharp tools

to make a structure we

can hinge our future on,

all while baking bread in a room

filled with side-splitting laughter.

Work in Progress

2010-02-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

Alive I am in this body in this life

and although I see through story and strife

I illuminate my shadows and forge my way

through tangles of uncertain days

And in ways I think why

have I not just arrived

at the place I expected to be

With the land and the dough

and the titles to show

with a homestead that's perfectly run?

Why is it that still I'm just simple and real

with a list that's only half done

So where is the feeling

of arriving at being

of presenting the world with ME

Is she hiding? Or waiting? Or side stepping, skating?

Pretending to need to know more?

Is she scared of the walls and the

candy striped halls

of society now in it's pretentious malls?

Where is the ME, where is the YOU

that's says who the fuck cares

if I've done algebra two

What about the ME in the middle

of working on little

things that make hearts go aglow

and seeds that are planted

and small wishes granted

and words that help others grow

what about days where the magic

is normalcy,

stories of self are a fog

where the dishes go dirty

and laundry's a heap

where's the beauty in you on the days

you feel cheap

Where's the beauty in us if we don't grant

success until debts are maxed out and our

credit is fat, when our school's made out

rich

yet our jobs are a bitch

and we're still not connecting to Earth.

What's success in my skin

if I'm expecting to win

something that was never a race.

What's glory in the eyes

if I'm living disguised

and not willing

to be in this place.

Every moment a muscle

worked stronger by reaching

and weaving together in grace

and in grieving

reclaiming the normal unglamorous me

as daily life sculpts what we

are supposed to be

WE already are works

in exquisite progress,

a malleable, unfinished success.

Water

2010-01-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

Sweet water

happy tears

pouring down their rattle song rushing

snake river, falling

minerals

moving Earth wet

living belly warm

womb fluid

given in

abundance

landing in our place

space filling up round

quenching wells

swelling seeds

deep under

thunder rocks

of soil drinking

gulping mouthfuls

pushing out through veins tiny

rivers inside roots

boots covered muddy

joy

day of rain splashing

every where you are

we are

water ways, life's

liquid maze

amaze me sweet water

pour my goblet

all the way, all the ways

full

My Photos in February's Herbal Roots

2010-01-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

I'm simply delighted that my photographs of Willow will be featured in the upcoming edition of Herbal Roots Zine.

If you have not yet encountered this enchanting, all-ages, magic portal into the world of herbs and herbal healing, well get on it! You will NOT find this quality and quantity of grassroots herbal learning anywhere else for this price.

Kristine your work in the world is beautiful and invaluable. I'm lucky to share my Willow photos with you!

dinner

2010-01-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

There is this thought

that the more we wake up

the more joy infiltrates

the more bliss dominates

but how am I to believe this?

I eat

my dinner

and watch

my family

laugh, and drink

and make silly jokes

and I feel how much I love them, how much I fear this moment

to change

so it's easier to block it out, find something wrong

than to let my heart swell and break with the truth

that the love in this moment of laughter and health

is more than my little heart can hold

or my eyes can see

and so they fill

with tears

of discomfort

of fear

that this moment will pass today

or someday forever

be gone

from my lense

my glove

my table.

My children

chubby-cheeked, sweet eyed and sassy

My husband, strong and willed, optimistic

my skin clothed and hearth warm

that the need in my belly, should it not be filled

with this I could die

loveless, empty

void of blessing or luck

or worse

robbed of what beauty had given me so generously

right now in this moment

as they laugh and eat

my attachment grips me

tight

and I run

to the bathroom where mirrors are small

enough to avoid

and far where small sounds of weeping cannot

be heard and the cloth

of tissues can sweep away the open wounds of my strangling love

dumping me in the lap of the moment

revealing pain as truth and love

as duality. Moment as short.

Children as miracle. Husband mortal. Self;

permeable.

Belonging

2010-01-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

I never thought

the moment would come

"Oh shit" I said

inside my head

as my heart grew from grinch to grin

and water swelled

in my eyes.

I squeezed the steering wheel

as I felt the white pines

watching me

and the juniper listening,

celebrating

with frosty bitter blue fruit

jewels on her boughs

and the white birches reach, drinking

in the January sun while it lasts

as the bald eagles cavort

and the jagged mountain sides pour

with thick still ice

While I drove down

interstate 84

West

with my children in the car

and the smell of this particular place

and time

in my nose,

Home

landed in me.

I'm here.

This land is me. My body

responds now

to it's changing light

the curvy hipped roads

and gazelle winter trees

The decent of Autumn

and revelation of summer

Her greenery, her cycles

my teacher.

I never thought

the moment would come

when Connecticut called me

home

and I would accept.

Yet in the time it took

for the next snowflake

to melt on the hood

of my red Saturn

(which is terrible in snow)

the spirit of this land

thawed my icy heart

as my mind sped

a film in my head

and showed me visions

of all the plants I've come to know

and trees I've wept upon

and rivers carrying my prayers

roots and nuts that are now

my hair, my skin

the hills who hold my walk

the rocks who tell my story

and the collective of

that movie

surrounded by the people keeping

me loved.

"Oh shit"

I thought

"It's here?

Not Tennessee? Or Virginia? Or

Asheville North Carolina? Costa Rica?"

She says

at least not right now.

You are here

with me

you are here

come in.

White Pine Oblation

2009-12-05T18:22:00.000-08:00

Your Magesty

I am listening.

I am at your service.

Guide me right for healing.

What lovely cones you bear,

with jewels ancient and glossy.

What fragrant sweet perfume you wear,

your needles sewn with care.

You are regal, yet humble,

a forest sorceress.

You heal and feed,

and soothe every need,

A ministree, you are.

My Queen,

I see the peace in your arms

as you stroke the winters chill

as you caress away the ills.

I feel the cure in my throat

as a tingly coat

and a balm to my every wound.

Your spell casting gaze

and owl hiding ways

I honor and offer you praise.

May I speak for you, touch for you

weave a fancy tale

for you, lead me through

the labyrinth of troubles

with your color of emerald;

a poultice on my soul.

I am listening, speak

whisper, to me through your shape,

body, sap, seeds, and needle. Roots like

lovers to rocks and branches like whirling dervishes

reaching yet bowing

floating yet steadfast

ever green yet evolving

prehistoric yet prophecy,

Commanding presence and quest,

seeker and song.

I am listening, opening, to you

My Emerald Queen.

Landing

2009-11-19T14:34:00.000-08:00

There's an ember in my soul

smouldering with sweetgrass

and red cedar

stoking me onward

keeping me breathing

There's a mist in my song

gifted to me

by velvet leaf and translucent idea

A mountain in my eyes

melting snow and staring down detonators

making mistakes

missing the roots growing before them

within them

There's a forest on my skin breathing

mushrooms in and branches out

of slippery mossed rock body under sky

over ancestors and between worlds

There are ferns in my back curving

perfectly into cliffs over hemlocks under laughing

rolling children in between times and moments

alive with river rushing thrill and trill and hoot

and loam

There's leaves in my trees and toes

akin to evergreen joy

under whispering bark above nut covered ground in

between gifts

Hooked on Hickory

2009-11-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

Shagbark Hickory ~ Carya ovata ~ "the oval nut"

I've fallen madly in love with the Hickory tree.

I'm not sure exactly when it began, but a series of events has slowly lured me in.

Of course, I have always admired this beautiful , eccentric style tree for it's likeness in my mind to the Lorax. I wonder how on Earth I missed the telegram that the nuts were edible. Even with the ten acre parcel of land my parents owned when I was a child, which they dubbed "Hickory Haven", I was too busy with the Mulberry trees.

Last December, our Homeschool staff member brought back a bushel of Pignut Hickory nuts and with the students he made an intoxicating warm Hickory milk. Yet since the nuts were from Tennessee, I dismissed them as a local harvest possibility.

About five weeks ago I sent my Jr. Herbalist class to scout an appropriate habitat to plant the Bloodroot cuttings we were learning about and propagating. They returned with a confession of partial distraction after planting, when they discovered a mast of nuts on the ground and proceeded to target one another. My son, who happened to be involved in the aforementioned Hickory milk project, knew the nuts and announced they were better to eat than throw. Of course that resulted in children shape shifting into squirrels and filling pockets and packs so full that they all returned heavy and looking even more like hamster cheeks.

I watched one student sit himself down and feverishly smash a nut and pick out the meat, little by little, as though it were the most exquisite thing he'd ever eaten. I just watched, trying to figure out what nut it was. Of course, the kids already knew.

A little over a week ago, I went out behind my beehive looking for sweet fern. I'd been enjoying this as a lovely, Sage-like tea, and wanted to dig a root for my friend and mentor Kiva Rose, so she could plant it in her garden. However, when I got there I saw that my memory had not served me, and what I have growing is Maidenhair fern, not sweet fern. So I puttered around in the woods for a few minutes and took some photos of the trees.

I'd recently been lamenting about our New England acorns and the fact that I really don't even try to use them for they are so extraordinarily bitter that they require several leaching steps before they are palatable enough to use. Bother.

Slowly did I walk back from the beehive, as my camera often elicits slower walking, and what did I see before my very eyes?

A nut.

Light hazelnut in color, and a pretty oval shape. I picked it up to ponder. Towering in front of me were three, beautiful Shagbark Hickory Trees.

Something in that moment clicked and I wish I could remember what words accompanied my epiphany, but next thing I knew I was tickling the leaves all around me and filling my basket with nuts.

As I gathered, the squirrels around me took it upon themselves to target me with falling twigs, Hemlock bits, and nuts, just as the children had done to each other. This spirited, mischievous play was clearly part and parcel of Hickory's message. Go on, get a little nutty. It's fun!

So who, then, would I ask how to prepare these morsels? My kids, of course. "Smash the nut and boil 'em. The bad ones float to the top." I was instructed - correctly. I have to interject here with honor for our previous instructor and co-founder of our Whole Earth Home-school program, the wonderful Ethan Elgersma, and his sweetheart wife Melissa, for bringing back those nuts from the South and teaching the kids how to use them. Will they know in their hearts the wisdom they gifted has grown and flourished? Perhaps, like the Hickory, many of the seeds they have planted won't bear fruit until 15-40 years have passed.

My daughter was the first to crack the nut with a heavy bread knife. This quartered the nut nicely, but as we soon discovered, the nut needs a better smashing to render a good strong brew. It turns out our lucky rock, a quartz from the riverside which fits nicely in the palm, was just right. This same rock is a beloved tool in my apothecary, as it holds layers of grape leaves so they stay submerged in brine, and used similarly to other fresh, floating plant material.

Now it's a treasured nut smasher, and has been working diligently, day after day, for the last 8 days.

From the moment I first inhaled the steam of this brew, I knew I was hooked. There is nothing like it. It's rich, maple-y, hazel-nutty, and utterly mouth watering. Not to mention, free for the gathering in my very own backyard - now that just takes the cake.

Lucky for me, Kiva has been making exquisite creations with her native acorns, and so along this journey I have had the blessings of like-minded inspiration and side-splitting laughter to accompany me.

If you have Hickory trees near you, well get to it because the season is closing and those squirrels and chipmunks are very busy.

Hickory Brew

~1 part smashed hickory nuts, shell and all

~3 parts water

~Simmer for 30 + minutes

~Strain a cup at a time, leaving the rest to continue steeping.

~Add milk and sweetener if desired

Hickory nuts are among the most delicious and nutritious of the tree nuts. They are especially rich in protein, healthy fats, amino acids, Vitamins A, B6, E and K, Calcium, and vital minerals. As a Native Tree of North America, it has been a valued food source throughout history. Native North Americans, particularly the Algonquins, favored their winter survival food of Hickory butter; a smooth, fatty-sweet spread they rendered from skimming the top layer off a multi-day long process of reducing a concentrated brew.

Mammals are dependent on Hickory for both food and habitat. Birds nest in their high branches, as this tree can grow to 100 feet tall, between 200 and 300 years old. Opossum like to make their homes inside the base of larger Hickories, and bats use the shingles of the bark for their shelter. Omnivores of the forest including black bear, snack on the nuts, but for the Eastern Chipmunks and Eastern Grey Squirrel who depend on them for up to 25 % of their diet, they are vital.

For their slow growing and long wait before nut harvest, they are often (sadly) disregarded for landscaping projects. Considering the ratio of building to replanting, this is a grim outlook for Hickory trees. Lucky for us, there are plenty of them for the time being, as long as we take notice of land clearing and work to stop it, to prevent future devastation. Another pressure which adds to this concern, is its remarkable lumber. Hickory is prized as a flavorful smoking wood; hickory smoked ham and BBQ sauce might remind you of summer parties with the yummiest of meals. The wood is extremely hard, and treasured as fuel for it's high B.T.U. output and long burning time. Natives fashioned precise hunting bows from Hickory wood, and many generations of craftspeople have made durable furniture to pass down to their own descendants. Easy kitchen cutting boards can be acquired by purchasing a slab of untreated hickory lumber from your local lumber yard, or should you have enough abundance to cut one of your own for you and your family, you could fashion a number of long lasting household objects.

The striking, shaggy bark of this tree (my particular spp., Carya ovata) has also been used in special recipes to flavor maple syrup as well as for a delicious syrup in it's own rite. I wanted Hickory syrup too, so I made up my own version using the nuts.

Hickory Syrup

~1 part smashed Hickory nuts, shells and all

~2 1/2 parts water

~Simmer down (the nuts and water) for at least an hour, or until very rich and almost creamy looking. You will see the yummy natural oils swirling on top

~Strain the brew, reserve the nuts for a second round later

~Return the liquid to a pot, and add 3/4 part brown sugar

~Simmer well while stirring until reduced a little more and a little more syrupy

~In a separate bowl, mix some corn starch with a little cold water.

~Drizzle the corn starch/water mixture into the syrup while whisking to combine. Use just a little at a time, as it thickens quickly.

~ When you have the consistency you want (pourable like maple), transfer to a cream pitcher or gravy boat.

~Use right away on top of pancakes, oatmeal, or however you like.

~Your syrup will thicken now throughout the day. You can rewarm to use again, or use is as a jelly-like spread on cookies or banana bread.

~Store remainder in the fridge.

The trick to getting the best nuts is not to use the bad ones, :) When collecting or just after, look at each of the nuts, remove the husk and compost or throw back any of the following:

*Nuts which have a small hole. This means it is home to larvae - which, if you like, you can eat, but most do not like that.

*Nuts that have a damaged shell implying rot or larvae

*Moldy nuts

The darker colored nuts and even the ones with a slimy coating between shell and husk have proven inconsistent in their goodness, so I harvest those anyway.

Store your nuts in shallow flat baskets and check on them each day, removing any critters who may have hatched and checking again for nuts with small holes.

I always smash them one at a time, so as not to mix any bad ones in with the good. Which isn't too big a deal if you're making a big batch as they will float - but not as reliably as I would like. Plus I just don't want to taint the incredible flavor.

And it *is* incredible.

Quite near my Hickories are more medicinal trees. This made it easy for me to be inspired to create my own Wild Woodland Morning Brew, inspired by Kiva Rose who I mentioned above. Kiva has been sharing with us her delectable Acorn recipes, including Acorn infused butter! And if you live in the Southwest, you'll appreciate her Woodland brew before mine. Our acorns here in New England are simply for those who have more time that I, to put through rounds of boiling water.

For my tonic I use Black Birch twigs, Hemlock tips, and Hickory Nuts. It's a complex, wild woman's tonic, not for the tamed senses. Clearly this is a gift of Fey.

Wild Woman's Forest Brew

~1 cup smashed Hickory nuts (yep, you guessed it, shells and all!)

~3 small Hemlock tree bough tips or hand full of fresh White Pine needles

~1 small handful of Black Birch twigs

~3 cups water or until covered fairly well

Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Strain cup by cup, adding more water and continuing to steep a warm brew. This pot can render at least a few rounds of rich flavored Forest Brew for up to 2 full days without refrigeration.

Sip savoringly under the trees or by the fire. Add milk or honey as desired, and of course tweak the recipe to your preference as well. More delicious tree magic additions are: Wild Cherry bark, Slippery Elm bark, or Sassafras roots. Chai spices are perfectly suited as well.

One of the most wonderful, surprising benefits of this brew, is the serious energy and endurance I feel when I drink it. Really! For you herbal readers, I'll put it like this: it feels like when I eat a high protein meal and chase it with Oatstraw infusion and a spoon of Ashwagandha honey. Yep, real, solid energy - but not a stimulant. This is the perfect reminder of adaptability. How many winters has this one tree seen? 200? Far more than me. I believe one of the secrets to adapting to the winter season is sweetly delivered in the package of a nut.

Speaking of special deliveries, I took full advantage of my Hickory obsession and used it as my topic and activity for this week's plant class. It's the perfect choice for those who teach kids about plants, especially because noticing different tree barks is relevant this time of year, and kids will notice the shaggy bark easily. They love the interesting facts about Hickory trees, and of course, will go to the ends of the Earth to gather as many nuts as possible, even before they think of asking what you will do with them!

It's also a great topic because, as many herbal lessons do, it does not divert you back into the kitchen. you can make the delicious brew right over a campfire, thus keeping the kids immersed in nature, fun, learning, and a little hands on history. Not to mention, what could be more fun than finding rocks to smash nuts with? It's a satisfying art form tailored for kids.

What you'll need to bring as the teacher are:

A Large pot to be used over the fire

Another large pot to rinse nuts in (and a hand towel for a cold day)

Bags/baskets for the kids to put nuts in

Heat tolerant cups or lightweight camping mugs

A Ladle

A large mesh strainer

Milk and Honey or Cream

Flat trays or baskets to hold clean nuts

Reference book - I use The Tree Identification Book

Pot Holders or something to do the job
Access to water

Allow a good three hours for this segment, and pre-scout the area for a good mast and safe fire pit area. Here are a few more Hickory facts you can share with your students:

The botanical name is Carya ovata, meaning "oval nut"

It is in the Juglandaceae, or Walnut family.

It's relatives include the Black Walnut and Pecan.

It is a deciduous hardwood tree.

It's branching pattern is alternate, with opposite, odd pinnate leaflets; 5-7 per leaf.

The leaflets are larger towards the end of the leaf.

Leaflets bear little to no petiole, and have toothed margins and slightly tapered points which almost curl like a frosting tip.

The base of the lateral leaflets are lobed and asymmetrical, similar to to Witch Hazel.

The Bark of the younger trees or younger portion of a mature tree is much less furrowed, possibly smooth.

The trunks are extremely straight, compared to a curvy cherry or apple.

~~~~

Hickory brew can be used for any recipe you like. Cookies, breads, or coffee can be made using the brew in place of water. Yum. You can also roast the nuts in the oven to help dry the shells for easier nut meat removal and to bring our the aroma and flavor. Experiment and get to know this strengthening woodland gift.

References from the web:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carya_ovata

http://www.hickorytree.net/

http://www.cirrusimage.com/tree_shagbark_hickory.htm

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/carya/ovata.htm

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CAOV2

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=20

Fall in a corridor of color

2009-11-01T18:53:00.000-08:00

This place is a beautiful trail entrance where I work, leading to two sweet spots I call otter bridge and bear river. Along the way, you pass the field of knotweed where epic games of deer and coyote have gone down, and kid-sized paths are matted down in clever loops and lookout piers. On the left beyond the treeline but before the river, is a magnificent meadow with countless herbaceous treasures and troves of goldenrod, as well as prolific small willows coppiced perfectly for weaving. Each step along this trail holds an eye and heart full of frolic and memory.

As part of my 'leaf stalking' project, I am taking repetitious photos of this beautiful spot over time, and will return here to add more as the colors continue to turn.

9.24.09

10.15.09

10.29.09

11.5.09

11.19.09

Sensing

2009-10-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Autumn is a calling.

If nostalgia could be a gift, it would unwrap the glorious memories of childhood, moments of being held tight by your first love, and of dreams not yet realized but still vibrating with hope.

The leaves are at their peak of beauty before swaying to their death.

The air smells of apples and wood smoke.

I've been out harvesting nostalgia; collecting memories that buzz in the middle and then reverberate each time I smell the same season's breeze or catch the same angle of sunlight. In my hot tea before bed I stir these thoughts of wonderment as the honeyed steam rises up.

The summer's floral display is changing into spikes and burrs and puffs. The tree trunks are showing shades of gray and black hardly noticed before. The skies are furious and haunting with clouds only October can boast. I've been watching closely. I gathered a thick bushel of the sweetest goldenrod flowers, small bundles of sweet everlasting, and hug-fulls of my dreamy mugwort. I have many magic potions from my summer's course, glistening on my countertops in shades and textures not unlike the autumn trees.

The last of the determined flowers have bloomed. I admire with sharp feelings the unusual juxtaposition of pink flowers, colored trees, and October snow. I am grateful for Elderberry elixir and my Monday hot soup tradition.

Grateful for working in a place where the land speaks to me, and the people are wise and humble. For where else would I learn how to respectfully dress a groundhog?

Grateful for the copious boughs of Thuja that I made into oil.
And while my Anima Medicine Woman Mentorship is coming along, it brings many surprises with it. It's going slower than I planned, and with different emphasis. I envisioned spending much time on herbal learning, but in fact I am spending more time on my own healing, paradigms, and sensory gifts. I work slowly in general, not because I am slow, but because I take in an enormous amount in each moment and that requires time and assimilation. I am allowing myself to be slower with less punishment. One of the delicious benefits is simple observation and receptivity. This has been perhaps the most exquisite Autumn I have ever seen; the colors are beyond spectacular. Is this because of weather and patterns? Or is it simply because I am watching so carefully the turning.....

from greens.........

to pinks............to golds..............
I am awestruck by Autumn this year. Despite my very busy schedule, (and my ruthless hatred of winter present or pending) timeless moments have blessed me often.

Like the day the bobcat walked through.

And the day we found fresh black bear scat in our front yard.

And the day we took a twilight hayride through sacred land.
And prayed and laughed in the corn maze.

And the day the honey came.
The Anima pulses through me a little stronger each day as I write and rewrite myself. I'm inviting back in my muse and prepared to let her take me over, trusting she won't let me fall. I see her in the flowers of the boneset, the breathing mist on the river, the cascades of leaves everywhere. I see her in the innocent eyes of my dance and herbal students. She is leading me again to poetry, to movement, to feeling. She guides me to before; before the chopping and blending, before the herb articles are written, before any assumptions are made.

She seduces me into the bittersweet nostalgia of receiving beauty right now.

~~~~

Feet planted firmly in the hurt

I sprout tendrils from the dirt

Grounded heart

Receptive mind

I open to the gifts I'll find

In waves of curling shadow grief

Surrender into risk

~is relief~

In bowing prayer

Twisting faith

In moving love, my heart is safe.

Longevity Electuary: an East-West Chyawanprash

2009-08-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

The August air is surely one of the most pregnant of the year. The air smells of sweet mead and layers of flowers coming and going. The bees are stupefied on the Rose of Sharon trees, heavy with so much pollen they can't even steer. The sunlight pours at noon, then tilts her smile a little earlier, luring the garden into fruition. The morning's air cool on my cheeks, nostalgically reminding me of desired goals, intended actions. After the crisp morning has tricked me into working, the warmth brings me back into my body and into nourishment.

Upon inspiration from my summer herbal intensive students, I replenished my jar of rejuvenative honey paste, and am offering the recipe here.

There are a million and one ways to make an herbal honey, an electuary, honey syrup, and on and on. My intention with this honey paste is for deep energy, somewhat in the tradition of Chyawanprash, the complex rasayana paste in the Ayurvedic tradition of healing. I do not have access to the vast array in the original recipes - and my simple formula is quite lovely.

You can play with your own variations as well.

In an 8 oz jar, add:

3 tsp Ashwagandha and or Shatawari powder

3 tsp Spirulina powder

3 tsp Slippery Elm or Mallow powder

2 tsp Siberian Ginseng (Eluthero) powder

1 tsp Cardamom powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Cover almost full with good local, raw honey

Add 1 tsp of Rose hydrosol or Rose elixir

dried Elderberry powder optional as well!

Feel free to create your own, according to your personal herbal needs or constitution. Black pepper or ginger can be added for kaphas, extra rose or cherry for pittas, or taken in oatmeal for vatas.

Slowly (as to avoid the infamous "cloud poof") stir with a spoon until all the powders are smoothed into the honey. Label and store. Refrigeration isn't necessary.

Your longevity electuary is intended to be used daily, eaten by the spoonful, used on toast, stirred in warm milk with ghee, or in yogurt or smoothies. These herbs will provide you with stamina, clarity, physical and mental energy, good digestion, and strong mucous membranes. It is also a notorious aphrodisiac.