Sweet summer, if only you could last forever. My days have been deliciously long, providing me time to run the woods with Amos in the morning, wander the property during the day, picking this and that, my imagination filled with all the wild foods yet to harvest, some for the first time, and medicines to prepare, and in the early evenings, when it's quiet and cool, I can revel in a late day woods wander. With all that has been happening in our society lately, I know I'm blessed to be able to detach from that the turmoil and remain connected to that which sustains. I don't spend much time reading or watching the news these days - perhaps I'm irresponsible - but I think it's important we remain attuned to that which connects us all and nature's perpetual equilibrium. I think in doing so, the rest may follow. So, by chance you're in need of some of that connection right now, here's a little highlight of some of the plants that have been illuminating my days. I'm sure some of these grace your property or your favorite walking routes too.
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Blue vervain (Verbena hastata)
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Blue vervain, Verbena hastata, has been showing off her crowns of violet-blue flowers for roughly the last month in my neck of the woods. Vervain prefers the damp places, clustering on the edges of bogs and ponds. If you aren't on the lookout, she could be an easy one to pass by, but once you take note and let your eyes adjust, it's likely you'll see her elegant spikes punctuating the landscape before you. The leaves and flowers of blue vervain may be steeped in hot water for a nervine tonic infusion and is especially good for those who tend towards obsessive thought and anxiety. It is not one that I've had much experience with personally, but recently I harvested a small bundle that I put up to dry. I'm looking forward to exploring the energy of this plant some more. I have a feeling it could become a go-to.
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Motherwort (Leonarus cardiaca)
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Speaking of nervine tonics, here's Motherwort, Leonarus cardiaca. Take a stroll around the edges of your yard, where perhaps the thicket grows, weedy and forgotten, safe from the blade of the mower...this is a common dwelling for motherwort. Motherwort also likes horse pastures, farm fields, and roadsides. This non-native naturalized member of the mint family is a bitter herb that's just what your heart needs should you be experiencing stress-induced palpitations, high-blood pressure, or simply in need of a little comfort. The leaves and flowers can be steeped in hot water for an infusion or tinctured as well. Partake of motherwort daily for the best results. This common weed can also be helpful in regulating sleep cycles.
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| Goosefoot (Chenopodium albidum) |
Here's another pasture plant. I've been grazing for greens these days alongside my parents' horse. Thankfully we have different tastes. She leaves all the hearty greens to me, but after I've done my picking I make sure to give her thanks by cutting her a big handful of tall grass from my overgrown lawn. Goosefoot, Chenopodium albidum, is one of my favorite wild greens, but not one that I've always had available. Years ago when I worked on a lil' organic farm in Western North Carolina, this five-foot weed lined the fallow beds and I'd happily take home a bundle at the end of the week. What a thrill to have access to it yet again! This wild plant is relative to quinoa and does provide similar seeds, but its leaves I appreciate most.
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Goosefoot leaves, upper and undersides
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Leaves are glaucous, especially on undersides, which have a powdery appearance and texture. Because of this quality, I always cook the leaves, although reportedly, they are edible raw. We've been having sautéed goosefoot lately with pasta and curry, wilted and folded into scrambled eggs and veggie quesadillas. When cooked, it's similar to spinach, also a relative, and is packed full of nutrition, rich in vitamins A, C, B, protein and iron.
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| Seeds of wild amaranth (Amaranthus) - notice the heart-shaped cluster that happened all on its own - expect a picture of the green leafy plant here soon! |
A relative to goosefoot is wild amaranth, scientifically called Amaranthus. There are numerous species of amaranth, aka pigweed, but all are edible. This is a plant of which I have only recently become aware. I don't know if its a newcomer or if the weeds finally got tall enough on the property that I finally took notice. Maybe I just didn't have my awareness tuned to it - it's amazing how we can live alongside plants for years, maybe a lifetime, and never really notice them until one day, you simply stop to wonder at that weed. I found notes I'd written about amaranth back in herb school a decade ago...this one never stuck. But it will now. I have harvested bundles of its seed heads and plan to harvest the amaranth seeds - that's right, the same thing you buy in the health food store - in the next week or two. Although as you can see, the heads are already eagerly offering them up. I'll let you know how it goes! The leaves of young plants are tasty raw too.
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Cauliflower mushroom (Sparassis spathulata)
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Check out this wild and crazy fungus! Meet the cauliflower mushroom, Sparassis spathulata. I stumbled upon this cauliflower-shaped mushroom the other day when I ventured down a trail that I typically consider hum-drum. It bloomed, along with about four others, at the base of an old decaying stump and just down the way from an eastern hemlock snag, housing plates of burgundy reishi. This trail will be a new favorite from here on out. Some research told me cauliflower mushrooms were edible and no poisonous look-a-likes...what a thrill! I don't know why more foragers don't talk about this mushroom. It was deelish! I cleaned up its rubbery ribbon-like parts, washing them free of forest debris, and sautéed them with butter and salt. Sparassis made a terrific addition to black beans as well as a fried egg.
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Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
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Boneset, Eupatorium perfoliatum, is always a special find. I was pleased to wander into this patch beside a large pond I regularly visit on my morning runs. It grew beside a stout patch of cattails at the pond's outflow. Boneset always strikes me as quite stout as well, in stature and presence, that is. It's perfoliate leaves are so rough they're almost sticky, its stalk sturdy, and its flat-topped clusters of white flowers bristly. It's a strong plant and a strong medicine at that. Its primary properties are immuno-stimulating, diaphoretic, and bitter. For many it was a common herb to reach for in fighting colds and flus. However, it's recently been discovered that boneset contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which over time are damaging to the liver. This is not a reason for us to nix it from our apothecaries, but we should be mindful to use it only for short periods and never in those who may be liver-impaired.
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Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
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Every morning the yellow blossoms of Mullein, Verbascum thapsus, radiate, petals spread wide to greet the sun. I can see this particular plant, as well as some of those other mulleins you may notice in the background, from my kitchen table and every morning they make me smile along with the blue faces of chicory. Morning is a time of high activity for these flowers as they are a favorite of the birds it seems. Hummingbirds visit the blossoms daily and I've even seen a pileated woodpecker pecking at its seed capsules. I'm sure the bees take pleasure in mullein as well. By noon...the blossoms have closed. And everyday I wonder if that will be the last I see of their brightness, perhaps they will close and go to seed...yet every morning, at least for now, they reopen. The flowers have traditionally been used in ear oil for wax build-up and the velvety leaves are highly mucilaginous, perfect for moistening the sinuses and as a gentle expectorant, when ingested as an infusion.
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Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
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I'll close up this post with a special flower, commonly appreciated as an ornamental, Rose of Sharon. However, deceiving as common names often can be, this is not a rose at all, rather it's a hibiscus, in the genus Hibiscus and therefore a member of the mallow family, malvaceae. The shrubs from which I am harvesting were planted by my grandparents decades ago and continue to produce. Honestly, despite their beauty, for sometime I had never really acknowledged them. They fell into the "average non-native landscape shrub" category in my head. However, one day, just like that amaranth, I decided I'd look them up. Low and behold - medicinal and edible. Like other members of the mallow family, the leaves and especially the flowers, are demulcent. I peeled apart one of the flowers, took a nibble of its petals, and was delighted to notice this slimy quality immediately, as it pretty much dissolved in my mouth. A tea of both leaves and flowers is rather neutral tasting, I found, but still confers moistening anti-inflammatory properties. I have some further plans for this flower that I'll be sure to feature in an upcoming post. For now, I must say it feels pretty special to be making medicine of a plant that my grandparents - both plant people - treasured.
Until next time, remember the magic is all around, of which each and every one of us is a part. We need only take the time to notice.
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