My Resinous Heart

Being not quite in the forest in my new living space, I'm acutely aware of how much I soak up by returning to the trees. The last two days I've been called into unfamiliar places, but upon entering I remembered my belonging. 

 The air shifts as the sun is filtered by leaves, trunks, and brush. It's cooler, more moist, and the smell is poignant. Perfumed with pine resin and warm summer loam, I breathe deeper in the forest. I feel my gait slow down and my senses sharpen. I being to notice details, like teeth on the leaves, and the shades of green dancing before me. 

 I'm enchanted by the way the sun shines through the needles, as if today is the only day I'll see it shine just so. 

I'm teased by the shapes that could be wood or animal. 

I'm reminded of lineage at the rock walls. 

I love everything about the forest. The smell, the mystery, the trees, bushes and forest floor plants. Everything right down to the dirt, cones, and litter. 

The conifers are two-toned right now, as they don their shiny new tips. These white pine tips are excellent browsing for the wayward herbalist. 

Several of these tips soaked in vinegar provide a delicious source of bioflavanoids. 

I walked a little deeper into the woods, where there seemed to be a deer path just clear enough for me to follow. I could smell water and crushed sweet fern. The Mitchella carpeted this seldom trodden area. 

Even the rocks stir memories. 

Being a smallish human, a large stick is always good to carry. 

The ferns are especially lush back here. Dappling the feet of the trees and inviting in fairy folk.

They cascade down the hillside towards the water. 

Wild blueberries everywhere. 

Shapes only crafted by the trees themselves. 

Tiny new lives are protected. 

New friends introduce themselves.

Lifelong loves rendezvous.  

Far away the outline of the trees is deeply green against the fluffy clouds. 

Sit spots in secret alcoves are my favorite place to accomplish my journaling. 

I heart trees. 

Wallow Fire and the Anima Center Emergency Fund

As I'm sure many of you have heard, there is a horrific and huge human caused wildfire burning in the White Mountains of Arizona, spreading into New Mexico.  If you have been following my blog for any length of time you know of my close relationship over many years to the folks at the Anima Center.  They are a pillar of strength in the herbal community, offering the amazing Plant Healer Magazine, putting on the best new herb conference in the country, the Traditions in Western Herbalism Conference, and serve countless other folks in their quests for wholeness, healing, connection with the land and wildness- and have given me countless untold gifts, lessons, and love over the years.

This fire is inching nearer by the day to their precious and wild retreat center and botanical sanctuary, and they are doing everything in their power to protect their hand built homestead and guest dwellings, including fitting a pump to bring water from the river to keep their living area damp in the face of the encroaching fire.  
Here's their latest update- http://animacenter.org/blog/?p=2466.    This effort, though grand and infinitely valuable  will not stop the fire from burning through 30 years of riparian restoration work on this sanctuary land should it reach them.  My heart is breaking to think of that precious and powerful place that held me for so many years in such peril.

They have set up an emergency fund by donations to help them finance both the protective measures for their homestead and the repair, rebuilding, restoration and healing work they do for the sanctuary and the community they live in should the need arise.

the work these people do is absolutely invaluable and immeasurable, both personally, and for the herbal community, and in our world in these times of change.
 Please, from the bottom of my heart, consider making a donation to their emergency fund, no matter how small it might be.
I have nothing to spare right now, yet still found a way to give, even just a small donation. I know that every dollar counts, and every day counts.  This needs to get to them ASAP to make the difference in the preservation of their home.

Donations to the Anima Emergency Fund can be made at:

http://animacenter.org/donate.html

Wild Things: Nettle Kraut

Gather nettles. A lot.  This recipe yielded one quart, and I had about 4 -6 cups of chopped nettle leaves.

Chop your nettles coarsely, and put into a large bowl with 1 tbsp salt.  Chop 1/2 cabbage head finely.  Add to the bowl of chopped nettles with another tbsp of salt.  Slice 1/2 red onion finely.  Add to the bowl.

Massage the nettles and cabbage and salt with your hands for 5-10 minutes, until they begin to release their juices.  If you are concerned about getting stung, you can beat the cabbage & nettles with a mallet, clean jar or other tool, but I used my hands, and didn't have any problems with getting stung.

Stuff into a jar, and press firmly until the juices flow over the top of the kraut.  Top with a grape leaf to keep it crunchy.  Cap firmly- after ensuring the liquid completely covers the kraut (if not, add brine (salt water) to cover.)  Set aside on a dish to catch any overflow, for a week, minimum.  Longer makes a more  sauer kraut

YUM!

Wild Things: Nettles for Breakfast!

Oooops. It was so delicious I forgot to take a picture before I ate it all up.
June is Nettles month for the Wild Things round-up.  

My favorite combination is nettles with preserved lemons.  Here's a handy, tasty breakfast recipe.  Switch the eggs up for chicken, or sausage for a lunch or supper.


Nettles with Preserved Lemon & Garlic

2 cups chopped fresh nettles (use frozen if you don't have fresh.)
1-2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 preserved lemon, chopped 
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs per person ( or more if you like)

add butter and garlic to a hot pan and sautee for 2 min.  Add nettles, tomatoes, and preserved lemon, plus salt and pepper to taste.  Sautee gently until the nettles and tomatoes are soft and the garlic is cooked to your liking.  ( I prefer mine a bit undercooked.)

When cooked plate out. 
In some extra butter, fry two eggs per person.  Or scramble them, or poach them.  Whatever old way you like your eggs.  Plate on top of the nettles.  Top with kim chi, sauerkraut, pickled carrots or beets or what have you.

Serve immediately!  YUM!
This serves one.  Pick more nettles if you are feeding a family.  A lot more. Bagfuls and bagfuls!  There are never enough nettles!

Whole Food Meals for Empty Pockets- Wilted Kale Nicoise Salad

Found myself in a time of little money, and a lot of transition.  But skimping on eating healthy food isn't my idea of a good time- broke or not.   So, to the co-op I went, and spent 70$ on food.  To last me until the end of the month.  Thats roughly 23 bucks a week for three weeks. 
So, what can you make that's healthy on a budget like that? 

My biggest concern was how to get adequate healthy protein for my high protein, high fat diet.  I try to stay away from too many grains, but have made an exception during this period to include well soaked and well cooked beans.

I stocked up on organic dry beans (pinto, chickpea and lentils), 4 dozen eggs, cans of wild salmon and tuna, a family pack organic meats on sale when I shopped (that was a family pack of some steaks, chicken thighs, bacon ends, and several soup bones.) 
I also invested in some butter, some kale (2 bunches, and high hopes of including wild foraged greens in my daily fare- including nettles, grape, dandelion, violet.)

I also gratefully accepted some donations from a friend, including some olive oil, vinegar, a chicken, onions, garlic and some other basics. 

So- here's some of the on the cheap meals I'm creating!
Wilted Kale Nicoise Salad
Serves 2

2 c chopped kale leaves
2 boiled eggs
1/2 - 1 can tuna
1-2  c slow cooked chickpeas
1 slice red onion, diced
1/2 c tomato slices (I admit, I splurged at the farm stand- but got a giant bunch of small org farm tomatoes for 2 bucks.)
pepper to taste
1 -2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic or herbal infused vinegar (ACV works too)
(capers, olives, or lactofermented pickles if you have them in the pantry already)

You'll want to start by soaking your chickpeas the night before.  I start cooking them in the morning in plenty of water, on the stove top for 4-6 hrs on low.  A crock pot works just as well.  Add some herbs and spices if you like (thyme, oregano, parsley,garlic etc).  If you're really prepared, you can cook your beans in bone broth!

20 min before your meal, boil two eggs and cool, peel and slice.
Chop your kale and place in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and olive oil, and massage with your hands until well wilted and tender for 5 min. Let rest 10 min.

Dress the salad with the remaining ingredients, and toss well.
Yum!
Eat immediately.  This will save in the fridge for a day, but I like it best fresh, and a bit warm rather than cold.

If you feel extra splurgy, or aren't eating on a budget, a little feta and walnuts would be a nice touch too- but I don't have either right now.  You can use more or less tuna and beans depending on your appetite and how many you are feeding.

This meal is complete with healthy protein from both organic animal and vegetable sources, good quality fats (olive, omega fatty acids from tuna and eggs), and minerals from nutrient dense kale.  A little nettle vinegar will add to the mineral benefits of the salad.  Its filling, not too high in carbohydrates, and a sustaining meal for lunch or dinner.

If you do not like to eat kale raw, even wilted (and this is very common) just steam your kale and dress it with the salad ingredients after cooking.  No problem, it will taste just as delicious.  You could also try this with other seasonal greens available- arugula, dandelion, steamed chard, mustard, steamed nettles.  Hearty greens will respond well to wilting.  And by all means, add some lettuce if you have that around, just don't skimp on the mineral rich deep leafy greens like kale.

New home

I've moved back into Southern New England, to Vermont specifically, and hope to be offering herbal events and classes and walks in the near future! 

Look forward to seeing you soon!