February 2017

Posted on February 7, 2017 by

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“Not just beautiful, though–the stars are like the trees in the forest, alive and breathing. And they’re watching me.”
― Haruki Murakami

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My little “helper schmelper” tackling, with me, the task of gathering up the fallen leaves to put over the garden for winter. Hmm. This, apparently, is a one woman job. A full day needed unhindered. 🤣😂😅🤣🤣😂😂
Do you know that earthy, buttery, honey sweet scent of chanterelles?
This is what light can do to your drying herbs. Here are 2 bundles of vervain hung to dry at the very same time, one bundle near the window, and one bundle down the line about 10 feet away from the window. It’s pretty plain to see that your drying conditions are a very important part of preserving homegrown herbs. Too much heat can also strip your precious medicine of its vibrancy and vitality as well. I’m still walking that shakey line along the learning curve, every season a new trick under my belt, and without a doubt another reminder/lesson about the power of light and heat and moisture to ruin it all…
Scooping the hairy little seeds out of a rose hip is a ton of work. Time consuming, tedious, repetitive, meditative work. I’m feeling completely overwhelmed with the task at hand, and I ask myself, is it worth it?
Withania Somnifera, what a spellbinding name. Ashwagandha, you might have heard. This root, this earthy medicine. One you have to dig for. Go deep. Get dirty. Untangle. Pick and scrub and rinse and rinse, and dry and chop and… pulverize. Encapsulate. It grows tediously slow, and here at the end of October, perhaps if you are lucky, she is finally, finally ready.
Tomatoes are my favourite food to preserve for the winter. Salsa, sauces, and dozens and dozens of jars of bright sweet red summer love. It’s a lot of choppin. One more batch to go!!! 🍅🍅🍅🍅