the Witchen Kitchen Beginner Herbal

tammy July 21st, 2008

I made the yummiest apple crisp for dessert last night, with crabapples. These little beauties taste like a cross between cherries and apples. So delicious! I got them from a tree in my mother-in-law’s yard. She didn’t know what they were and had been telling the kids not to eat them because they were poisonous! Somehow I had never seen this tree in her yard before, but I’m glad I finally discovered it.

(sorry the pics are a bit fuzzy… don’t know what is wrong with my camera)

First take out the seeds. The crabapples are small, so this part is quite tedious. The quickest way I found was to just cut the flesh from all around the sides. No way I was peeling them, though!

Then coat your baking dish with butter and drop in the cored crabapples.

Make a crumb topping from brown sugar, butter and flour. I didn’t have any regular wheat flour, so I ground some flax into flour instead. Sprinkle the mixture all over the top. Bake until lightly browned. Yum!

I spent the morning with my mother-in-law attempting to also make jelly from the recipe I found here: http://earthnotes.tripod.com/crabapple.htm, but alas it did not jell as it was supposed to. I now have liquid “jelly” — anyone know what I could do with this sweet, tasty liquid?

P.S. the chickens really loved the cores!

• Food as Medicine , Wild Crafting
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tammy July 13th, 2008

All I can say is, be careful what you wish for! Dreaming of our own fresh eggs and being one step closer to producing more of our own food, not to mention all the wonderful fertilizer for the plants, we’ve been wanting to get chickens for some time now, but hadn’t had the time to prepare a coop yet. I was sure we would wait until next spring to begin this new venture. But what did I know?

Last weekend, out of the blue, we were given 16 young chickens that needed a home immediately.

Yes, I said 16.

We had to hurriedly scramble to put together a safe, cozy home for them. We ended up converting a dog kennel into a chicken yard by covering it completely with chicken wire, and we used a bunch of scrap wood to build a secure coop inside it. The dog kennel is one of those huge chain-link thingies that was also given to us some time ago. Our dog won’t use it because he thinks he is one of the children and has full rights to the house.

The chickens are all small now, so they have enough room for the moment, but we know that will change as they grow bigger. Thankfully, our son is planning to take half of them as soon as they develop enough to see which are hens and which are roosters. He already has a coop. We also plan to extend the dog kennel to make a bigger yard for the ones we keep.

Chickens are funny creatures, I’m finding. I’ve really enjoyed sitting out by the chicken yard just observing their behavior and the way they communicate with one another, peeping warnings to the others to scatter if you come too close, sometimes fighting, always looking for bugs and worms. If one finds a particularly tasty morsel like a fat worm, it will take off running away from the others to try to eat it before they see it. But as soon as the others see the lucky one running, the jig is up. Busted! The others will all take a stab at darting in to grab it away, only succeeding if they are very fast.

We had a chicken run the first day we brought them home. They all got out of the pen at once. They mostly all stayed together during their frantic escape, peeping to each other which direction to take. Run this way, no here she comes, run that way, no back this way, wait, there she is again… It was hysterical.

We’ve settled into a daily routine of feeding and watering and securing the coop. Now I’m looking forward to all those gorgeous, super nutritious, golden-orange yolked eggs, and a very rich compost pile for next year’s garden.

• Food as Medicine , Organic Gardening
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tammy July 5th, 2008

I almost forgot to show off the skullcap that I found and tinctured a few weeks ago. This has been a year of many first finds for me. Seems there is a new gift waiting for me every time I go outside!

Here she is. So beautiful!

And it is an effective pain reliever for many different kinds of pain. I’ve found it particularly useful for tension type headaches and tension related back pain. Kiva Rose has also written about it extensively as a nerve tonic. She calls it blisswort, so if you do a search for that word on her site you’ll pull up all sorts of information.

A sweet story… Hubby had seen me gathering the skullcap for medicine, and even helped me reach some that I couldn’t quite get to in the overgrowth with my bare feet (he was wearing boots).  Now, keep in mind, this man knows nothing about plants, and doesn’t particularly care one way or another, and he’s not particularly sentimental either.  If I let him, he would just mow all those “unsightly weeds” down every chance he got.  But he did remember this plant and the fact that it was important to me.  A few days later he came in from walking the dog with a bouquet of skullcap for me.  Is this the flower you were looking for?  Awwww… he’s learning his plants! And wasn’t that sweet of him to bring me such lovely flowers?

• Herbal Remedies , Wild Crafting
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tammy July 4th, 2008

They have arrived! Standing tall and strong all around the edge of the yard and all over the meadow, with tiny little flower buds just forming. I crushed a few of the buds this morning while I was out walking to sample the sweet, heady fragrance and be instantly reminded why I love this plant so much.

Even if I could find no medicinal uses, I would make oil with the flowers every year for no other reason than to be able to smell them all through winter. It has been described as an anise fragrance. I’m not sure what anise smells like; I just know I love the aroma of Goldenrod. I find it invigorating and expansive and intensely joyful. But it turns out that it has many uses besides just therapy for the olfactory senses.

I call the oil “summer in a bottle.” In addition to frequently opening the jar to smell, I also use it as a relaxing and pain relieving massage oil and bath oil. This year I want to experiment with some other creations. A honey, a tincture, a vinegar, a syrup… what else can I think of? Some dried for tea? I want to experience it in many different ways in order to understand its medicine better.

It has been used frequently by herbalists for bladder and kidney problems, as a diuretic, as an antisceptic and astringent wound wash or salve, as a fomentation for pain relief in arthritis and rheumatism, as a tea or tincture for relief of colds, sinus congestion, and related headaches, as a general tonic for exhaustion, as an anti-fungal for candida… there are probably other uses as well.

I still have about 3 or 4 ounces of the oil I made last year. It smells just as beautiful and potent as it did when I first made it. Since I’m going to be making fresh oil in a few weeks, I’d like to use up this batch. If you would like an ounce, email me. I will sell this batch for $5 per ounce including shipping.

I wish I could put one of those scratch and sniff cards here on the computer for you to sample it. But alas, you’ll have to either go out and find some growing and make your own, or email me if you’d like me to send you some of mine!

• Herbal Remedies , Wild Crafting
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tammy June 22nd, 2008

I haven’t let hubby mow the meadow at all this year, just so I could see what would grow if we let it alone.  I’m glad we did this because yesterday, a beautiful Summer solstice day, I found St. John’s Wort, one of my first and very beloved herbal allies, growing in a corner of the field. 

Although my friend Sue sent me some baby plants this year that I planted early this spring in another spot, this is the first time I’ve seen it on the property growing wild, and I am very excited!

St. John’s Wort usually blooms on or around the Summer solstice.  See the little buds?

I don’t know if there are enough to really harvest them this year.  I think I may let them go to seed so there will be more next year.  We live in a very rural area with many pastures and open fields.  I’ll definitely be scouting out the neighbors property to see if I can find some more that I CAN harvest!

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tammy June 22nd, 2008

My new little grandson, barely 2 weeks old, has had his first minor diaper rash. ‘Cause he likes to poop in the middle of the night while he’s sleeping and nobody knows about it until the next morning! Here is a simple herbal balm I made that cleared it right up.

I used raw, organic coconut oil as the base, and infused some dried Balm of Gilead (poplar buds), dried yarrow, and fresh chopped plantain from the yard. Yarrow is known to be quite anti-bacterial and good for skin ailments. Plantain draws out infection or toxins and helps heals skin beautifully, and Balm of Gilead is well known as a skin healer and soother. the coconut oil itself is also anti-microbial and very nourishing to the skin. There are many, many other herbs adn oils that could have been used here, but these were the ones I had on hand and that came to mind when I started mixing.

Since I needed this balm immediately and didn’t want to wait weeks for it to infuse, I decided for the first time to use a heat infusion method. I followed Frances’ suggestion to use a crock pot set on low for a couple days.

I put the coconut oil in a small jar and immersed it in the warm water in the crock pot to melt it, then added the herbs, stirred it well, put the top on, and sat it back down in the warm water bath (along with a couple other infusing oils so as to get maximum use from having the crock pot on for so long). I let it infuse for two days, opening the cap to wipe away moisture condensation (from water in the fresh plantain) and to stir it occasionally.

When it had taken on a nice green color and I deemed it done, I strained the oil through a mesh strainer first, then strained it again through a clean cloth to get all the tiny little herb particles out.

Coconut oil will stay solid at room temperature, about 76 degrees or less. In our air conditioned homes, this makes a perfect salve. If it were going to be stored in a warmer place, I would have melted some beeswax into the mixture to keep it solid at higher temps too.

While it was still warm and liquid, I put it in a squeeze bottle to keep fingers out of the mixture to avoid introducing bacteria so it will last longer. I have no idea what the shelf life is. Since there are no preservatives, we will keep a close eye on it for spoilage.

My daughter took the filled bottle with her before I took a pic, but here is an empty one.  I picked up a bunch of these at the discount store for about $. 50 a piece.

This balm has a lovely light coconut scent and feels really nice on the skin. In addition to diaper rash, it could be used for many other purposes. It could be really great for moisturizing elbows and feet, or soothing any minor skin abrasion.

I bought the dried herbs and raw coconut oil at Mountain Rose Herbs.

• Cosmetics, Body Care , Herbal Remedies , Wild Crafting
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tammy June 15th, 2008

For the blog party on staying cool in the summer, hosted at Alchemille’s Garden

I spell “cool in the summer” a-i-r c-o-n-d-i-t…. oh, wait… that’s not herbal, hehe

As you probably know, there are literally hundreds of ways to use herbs and plants and food to stay cool in the summer. My favorite is just taking a lazy walk in the cool shade of big leafy trees, especially near a stream or a lake or a river or the ocean. Or better yet, taking a dip in that water or sitting and digging my toes into the cool mud or sand alongside it. Just getting close to the heartbeat of Mother Earth, where the growth is lush and the water runs free is enough all by itself.

I also like to add herbs and plants to almost every other thing I do in the course of living. I wanted to share one cooling thing I’ve been using lately that is so easy and simple. It’s a lovely rose petal toner that takes maybe 5 minutes to make, plus a couple weeks to sit before using.

I made herbal gifts for the holidays last December and had lots of dried rose petals left over. I wanted to use them before they lost their potency, so was wracking my brain for what would use up a lot of them all at once.

I decided to infuse them in witch hazel, which I also had plenty of. I just put the fragrant rose petals in a jar, poured witch hazel over them, and let them sit for a couple of weeks. The result is a heavenly scented, pink, cooling toner.

I use it on a cotton ball to cleanse my face and neck after my shower each day. I have to say that my skin has never been so soft and clear as it has since I began using this. Works better than any expensive facial product I’ve ever purchased.

I also put it in a spray bottle to spritz all over when ever I want to cool off a little. It’s nice spritzed right in the face (be careful not to get in eyes) and on the neck, arms, belly… where ever you need it. Freshens and cools instantly. And it smells soooooo good!

It’s now time to make some more with all the fresh blossoms that are blooming all over. I’m sure a fresh infusion wil be just as lovely!

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tammy June 14th, 2008

If you suffer from insomnia, this common weed could be your best friend. It can provide deep relaxation and a delicious, gritty-eyed, cuddly sleepiness when you are wound up and your mind is racing and you find that you can’t get to sleep or stay asleep for long.

Last month I started a bunch of new things in my life. I changed my work schedule, started massage school, began doing some computer consulting work on the side… there were a lot of new things to absorb and a lot to juggle. I was quite wound up and often had trouble getting to sleep, and when I did, I slept lightly and woke just a few hours later to begin tossing and turning for the rest of the night.

Just when I was getting desperate, I found the prickly lettuce (Lactuca scariola) growing tall and strong right at the edge of the yard. To make sure I had the correct plant ID, I felt the row of prickles along the bottom mid-vein of its leaves, and then plucked off one to see the yellowy sap oozing out. Sap will ooze out of any part of the plant that you break off.  I ate about half a leaf, tasting its sweet, slightly bitter, flavor. The young leaves are often used in salads, though the older leaves can get much too bitter for eating.

After eating the leaf, I began gathering what I needed to make a quart of tincture. I felt super relaxed as I walked around the edge of the yard snipping the stalks. Not drugged at all, just calm and relaxed. I also began to feel pleasantly tired and sleepy. I hadn’t felt that in sooooo very long. Delicious.

After I chopped up my harvest and put it in a labeded jar with 100 proof vodka, it was time to get ready for bed. I went through my usual bedtime routine, tidying up, washing up, laying out clothes for the next day, etc, all the while feeling very calm, very relaxed, and knowing that I would have no problem falling asleep that night. I crawled into bed, went right to sleep, and slept soundly the entire night — the first time in over a month!

I have purchased wild lettuce tincture in the past and knew it could help me sleep, but that’s really all I knew about it. Last week I got my hot little hands on Matthew Wood’s new The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants and have now learned a few more things about this plant.

According to the profile in Wood’s book, I can see why it works so well for me. “It is indicated for stiff sore persons with painful muscles, especially the lower back. The pulse is slow and hard… [which] indicates ‘cold blockage’ or ‘internal cold’… Sometimes there is slight evidence of the heat that is being blocked… it produces red margins of the eyelids, allergies, and facial acne.” (p. 307, 308)

I had been very, very cold this past winter, and very, very stiff and sore, especially in my lower back. After reading this I looked in the mirror and sure enough there were red margins around my eyelids also.

He goes on to write that Lactuca also addresses hormonal imbalances caused by excess of androgen — think teenage acne as a common manifestation of this. It has also been used to cure “dropsy” (water retention, edema). Acne and edema — two more conditions that I have dealt with in the past.  Seems I have a lot of affinity for this herb.

However, even if you don’t fit the profile completely, I think it would be beneficial to almost anyone who needs a little help relaxing and sleeping. It is very gentle and effective for that purpose, and unlike most pharmaceuticals on the market for that purpose, it is non-addictive.  I plan to make it a permanent part of my herbal medicine chest.

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tammy June 11th, 2008

I have been perimenopausal for some time now and so last month when my menses didn’t begin on schedule, I thought, well I must have missed my first period. But nope, that wasn’t it. In reality, my cycle was simply synchronizing with my daughter who was about to give birth.

Very early on Friday last week my daughter called me to say her contractions had begun. Soon after getting that phone call I started very lightly spotting, nearly nothing compared to what I am used to, but still a period.

She had a very long first stage of labor that lasted the entire weekend. Her contractions would come regularly for a while, then stop, then start again. On Saturday, I noticed that every time she would begin contracting again, I would begin cramping and have more flow. Her real, active labor didn’t begin until late Sunday evening, at which time my cramps became more intense and the flow more heavy. I didn’t get a full, “normal” period, though, until she had finally given birth early Monday morning. She released fully, and so did I.

Isn’t that neat?

Having been immersed in the reductionist, scientific world view my whole life, I am still just amazed at the energetic influences we can have on each other in general. In the past, I often have synchronized my cycle with other women I have worked along side of daily. This seems common among women who are in close physical proximity on a regular basis.

But I have to say I am even more amazed at the synchronicity I had with my daughter. Due to work and school schedules, we haven’t really spent a lot of time in the same physical location during her pregnancy. Though we talked on the phone often, weeks would pass without seeing each other. That maternal bond is apparently very, very strong.

But it’s not just mothers and daughters. I remember experiencing the same thing — delayed menses triggered to flow as soon as labor started — when my son’s partner gave birth almost five years ago, though I wasn’t nearly as synchronized with her in more subtle ways such as particular ebb and flow patterns. And I’ll say, too, that this energetic type of influence and communication is also not just mother’s and daughters and menstrual cycles. I’ve had plenty of strange energetic “knowings” regarding my sons also, though none of these were at all related to menses.

So in any case, we’re all synchronized now and we have a beautiful new baby boy! My fourth granchild, Jelani Davis R.  I was in the delivery room and helped to birth him.  As his sweet little head emerged, he christened me with a nice warm shot of amniotic fluid!  Wasn’t that nice of him to make sure I was fully included? lol

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tammy June 1st, 2008

When I first started my herbal journey, for some reason I thought harvesting and drying my own herbs would be terribly complicated. Maybe this had something to do with growing up in a family where dried up shriveled things were tossed straight into the trashcan, considered completely unsuitable for human consumption. Dried herbs are definitely dried up and shriveled!

I also thought you had to have special equipment and string your plants up in just the right way so that your herbs would dry properly. I didn’t want to end up with a bunch of dried up shriveled stuff that I would have to throw out, so for a long time I just didn’t go there. Instead, I bought all my dried herbs.

Then recently I happened to see Phyllis Light in a video calmly talking about bringing in a branch of some herb she had picked and left on the kitchen table for a couple of days to dry. She picked up what looked to me like something for the compost pile, crumbled a few leaves between her fingers, and declared it as having “dried nicely” and that it was ready to use as a tea.

Wow, what an epiphany for me. Huh? That’s all there is to it? Hey, I could do that!

And so began my first drying experiments.

I’ve learned that in some cases, with especially juicy plants, you do have to be careful so that you don’t get mold or fermenting going on, but really even that is not nearly so complicated as I thought it would be.

Most herbs really can just be laid somewhere convenient on the kitchen table or counter for a couple days and they dry beautifully, keeping their fragrance and color. As soon as you detach an herb from the living plant, the dehydration begins. As long as you keep it out of especially humid places and give it lots of circulating air, it will dry just fine with no other effort.

Here’s some plantain I dried in just that way.

Some flowers and plants may need a little more help because of high moisture content. For example, red clover blossoms can ferment if the moisture in them evaporates too slowly, causing them to develop potentially dangerous blood thinning properties.

The answer for these is to dry them more quickly by putting them in a hotter environment with lots and lots of air circulation. To accomplish this, I’ve heard of some using the oven set on a low temp, turning them frequently, or hanging their herbs to dry in a hot attic with good air flow, even using fans if it is too humid.

You can also use a dehydrator. I was recently gifted one of these handy little contraptions, and I have to say it is a totally awesome tool. Mine has seven trays that you can fill and stack to dry quite a bit of herb all at once. Lay the herbs on the trays, flip the switch on, and just a couple hours later you have perfectly dried herbs. Then just crumble them into a quart canning jar and cap it tightly.

For the first time this year, I’m filling my cupboard with self-harvested, home-dried herbs. So far, I’ve got honeysuckle leaf and flower, tarragon, sage, rosemary. And the season is early yet, so that’s just the beginning.

What are you drying? Do you use different methods? I’d love to hear what you do

• Herbal Remedies , Wild Crafting
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