We have a wonderful little plant nursery here in Portland called Mostly Medicinals, which carries a range of natives, Eastern and Western medicinal plants, as well as interesting, out-of-the-way plants that are fun to check out. It's run by a lovely fairy sprite named Laura and her assistant Sharin. They know their stuff when it comes to growing plants and making medicine and they both have a great way with the plants.
Laura likes to keep the energy flowing so they usually have great semi-annual sales that clear out a lot of their inventory which is also great for people like me...the plant addicts of the world! She will make some serious discounts as well as start a free pile.
Some of the gems she had out at the sale included: 3 different kinds of sage (golden, white, and black), 3 different kinds of Tulsi, Ashwaganda, Codonopsis, Maca, Skullcap, Elecampane, Echinacea, Monkeyflower, Partridge berry, California Spikenard (what?!), Blue Vervain, Blue Cohosh, Rue, Motherwort, Agrimony, Wood Betony, Arnica, Tobacco, Spilanthes, Tea, Soloman's Seal, and so much more!!
If you are into medicinals and have looked for them at plant nurseries then you know how hard it is to find ones that aren't used in landscape design or as culinary herbs. That is why Mostly Medicinals is so awesome, there just arent that many places to get these plants.
On a somewhat side note...A lot of our medicinal plants that are found in herbal commerce have been overharvested from the wild (American Ginseng, Black cohosh, Goldenseal, and many more), losing habitat due to deforestation (partridge berry), or are dying out from disease or insect infestation (slippery elm). Ethically, herb stores are not supposed to buy endangered herbs for commerce from wildcrafted sources, but I'm sure it still happens. I feel that if I am going to be using these herbs for my own health then I should be prepared to find a way to grow them myself.
I managed to walk out of there with 2 flats of plants for $12.50. No joke. This is a seriously awesome place to get plants that does not get the notoriety it deserves. Even if you aren't a total plant nerd, there is still much to be gleaned from getting to know the actual plants that you are using for medicine.
If you are interested in getting involved, she hosts a plant group on Wednesdays from 2-5 and they are generally in the nursery on Fridays and Saturdays. If you want to learn more about Mostly Medicinals, check out their website!
www.mostlymedicinals.com
August 9, 2010
August 1, 2010
Raspberry Love
Raspberries are my all time favorite berry. Huckleberries and Blueberries are tied for second and then Blackberries and Marionberries. There are lots of other berries that grow here in the Pacific Northwest (gooseberry, thimbleberry, salmonberry, serviceberry, elderberry, etc.) which I love for other reasons, but when it comes down to it I still love Raspberries the best.
Here are just some of the ways to enjoy these luscious berries:
Raspberries raw straight off the plant...enough said. Yum.
Raspberry Smoothies...that is, if you can actually can make it into the house with enough to put into the blender.
My smoothies are usually dairy free, if I do include dairy I use a glop of yogurt. The rest is up to your imagination, but I like to use a banana for the base, then in this case lots of raspberries, some honey, and maybe a dash and a half of cinnamon. Drink on the back porch and share with worthy friends!
Raspberry Jam
I wont go into the details of making jam here, but this is my favorite jam to make and they make lovely Winter Solstice presents, who wouldnt want a jar of summer love in the dark of winter? If you want to make the jam fresh all at once, you need a LoT of raspberries at one time so that is something to think about.
Raspberry Infused Balsamic Vinegar
Makes a sweet and sour deliciousness that is lovely mixed with olive oil for salad dressing.
Fill bottom 1/4 of half-pint mason jar with raspberries. Cover with balsamic vinegar and put lid on. Shake and infuse with the magic of midsummer. Infuse over night and feel free to use the next day. Its vinegar so will keep infusing as long as you let it and the raspberries eventually disintegrate.
Raspberry Infused Vodka
Very easy and becomes delicious very quickly. Fill quart jar 1/4 of the way with raspberries. Cover with vodka to the very top. Cap it and let infuse for 4-6 weeks. If you cant wait that long, feel free to give a taste test along the way!
Raspberry Crisp/Tart
Just made the tart tonight and made the crisp a few weeks ago. I am officially high on raspberries after tart completion. For the tart filling, I used a raspberry jam that I made last year and covered the top with strawberries fresh picked from the garden. Yowza. Really good and relatively easy.
Raspberry Leaves
This year for Summer Solstice I harvested raspberry leaves to celebrate. The leaves are every woman's best friend, especially women in the "childbearing years", but really all women can benefit from this plant as it is an excellent source of Vitamin C, E, A, and B complex. Also it contains calcium, iron, phosphorous, and potassium (Weed, 1985). This is the best tea to drink during pregnancy. It tones the uterus to ease labor and speed delivery...I drank raspberry tea throughout my pregnancy and was in labor for four hours...was it from the raspberry or something else I dont know, but if I ever sign myself up for that one again I'll be drinking the raspberry tea! Continuing to drink raspberry tea throughout the postpartum time continues to support uterine health and keeps the milk flowing. For mamas, it really is the best!
Harvesting the leaves is very easy. Ask the plant's permission first and if a yes answer is given, get to snippin'. Snip the leaves close to the top and toward the middle where they have not been made tough by the sun or eaten by bugs. The leaves come in threes and are connected by a stem which leads to the main branch of the plant. Snip the entire group of three and skip around as most raspberry patches are quite big. Give back to the plant in the form of saying thanks, then leave some of your hair, tobacco, or corn meal as a way of continuing the connection of energy between you and your medicine.
At the time of this writing, the raspberries were beginning to wane in the garden. Not something I want to think about, but it has been a good run this year! We went out to Sauvies Island a week ago and they were still looking gorgeous on the vine, but very plump and ripe. Get out there and pick before you have to wait a whole year to see them again!!
Here are just some of the ways to enjoy these luscious berries:
Raspberries raw straight off the plant...enough said. Yum.
Raspberry Smoothies...that is, if you can actually can make it into the house with enough to put into the blender.
My smoothies are usually dairy free, if I do include dairy I use a glop of yogurt. The rest is up to your imagination, but I like to use a banana for the base, then in this case lots of raspberries, some honey, and maybe a dash and a half of cinnamon. Drink on the back porch and share with worthy friends!
Raspberry Jam
I wont go into the details of making jam here, but this is my favorite jam to make and they make lovely Winter Solstice presents, who wouldnt want a jar of summer love in the dark of winter? If you want to make the jam fresh all at once, you need a LoT of raspberries at one time so that is something to think about.
Raspberry Infused Balsamic Vinegar
Makes a sweet and sour deliciousness that is lovely mixed with olive oil for salad dressing.
Fill bottom 1/4 of half-pint mason jar with raspberries. Cover with balsamic vinegar and put lid on. Shake and infuse with the magic of midsummer. Infuse over night and feel free to use the next day. Its vinegar so will keep infusing as long as you let it and the raspberries eventually disintegrate.
Raspberry Infused Vodka
Very easy and becomes delicious very quickly. Fill quart jar 1/4 of the way with raspberries. Cover with vodka to the very top. Cap it and let infuse for 4-6 weeks. If you cant wait that long, feel free to give a taste test along the way!
Raspberry Crisp/Tart
Just made the tart tonight and made the crisp a few weeks ago. I am officially high on raspberries after tart completion. For the tart filling, I used a raspberry jam that I made last year and covered the top with strawberries fresh picked from the garden. Yowza. Really good and relatively easy.
Raspberry Leaves
This year for Summer Solstice I harvested raspberry leaves to celebrate. The leaves are every woman's best friend, especially women in the "childbearing years", but really all women can benefit from this plant as it is an excellent source of Vitamin C, E, A, and B complex. Also it contains calcium, iron, phosphorous, and potassium (Weed, 1985). This is the best tea to drink during pregnancy. It tones the uterus to ease labor and speed delivery...I drank raspberry tea throughout my pregnancy and was in labor for four hours...was it from the raspberry or something else I dont know, but if I ever sign myself up for that one again I'll be drinking the raspberry tea! Continuing to drink raspberry tea throughout the postpartum time continues to support uterine health and keeps the milk flowing. For mamas, it really is the best!
Harvesting the leaves is very easy. Ask the plant's permission first and if a yes answer is given, get to snippin'. Snip the leaves close to the top and toward the middle where they have not been made tough by the sun or eaten by bugs. The leaves come in threes and are connected by a stem which leads to the main branch of the plant. Snip the entire group of three and skip around as most raspberry patches are quite big. Give back to the plant in the form of saying thanks, then leave some of your hair, tobacco, or corn meal as a way of continuing the connection of energy between you and your medicine.
At the time of this writing, the raspberries were beginning to wane in the garden. Not something I want to think about, but it has been a good run this year! We went out to Sauvies Island a week ago and they were still looking gorgeous on the vine, but very plump and ripe. Get out there and pick before you have to wait a whole year to see them again!!
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