Well, since I've managed to survive from 50 to 51 without feeling much different, I think it is time to move beyond the age issue and focus on good stuff like herbs! Wild Herb harvesting , digging, planting and growing! This summer in Llano Largo has been prolific and green.More wild plants have sprouted and thrived on a daily basis than I have EVER witnessed in NM, albeit my time here has been four summers and various holidays.
Some of these herbs/ wild plants( ie weeds) I have harvested this summer are:
burdock
mullein
yarrow
mint
beebalm ( ??)
flax
vervain
red clover
rose hips ( the size of cherries!)
oh and APRICOTS! Oh my....what a harvest...what a dream...oooohhhhh
So I'm in the learning process of how to preserve these bounties.I have made tinctures with cheeeeaapp vodka from the Indian store and attempted infused oil with the burdock root ( that stuff is narly, stinky and GIANT) .So....you three readers of this blog ( you know who you are ) please help! What do I do with these wonderful things , besides irritate my easily irritated husband with piles of "rotting leaves".
Help!!
1 comment:
Whoa, sign me up for those apricots! Did you eat them all, or dry a few? Yum.
I'm afraid I don't know a lot about herbal uses, beyond the culinary sort, and things I've bumbled onto.
But I'd make tea out of the dried leaves of mint, bee-balm, and the dried rose-hips (those sound fabulous). Uh, they do need to be dried, not composted. The microwave is handy for such things (super-fast drying), but you may need to try that next summer.
The mullein leaves used to be used as bandages, but I don't know anything beyond that -- and vervain and yarrow are probably some sort of nasty-tasting 'blood stimulants' or something? Flax seeds are quite beneficial, of course.
And soothing tinctures are always nice.
Delightful that it was so green this summer.
Good for you to collect cool stuff!
Cheers,
LKW
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