Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Garlic Syrup

Kelli Armes, Herbalist

Supplies:

Fresh yet dry:

Garlic

Onion

Ginger

Sugar (SuCaNat* or something similar if you don’t use white sugar)

Clear jar (I use a small jelly jar)

Lid/label

Directions:

Chop garlic, Ginger and Onion. Start with a small layer of sugar on the bottom part of the jar. Then layer garlic over it. Next layer sugar again. Then layer Onion, sugar again, and then layer Ginger. Do this layering process in you are finished with the material top it off with a layer of sugar.

Note your sugar and garlic/onion/ginger layers should be the same size. So not 2 inches of sugar and 1 inch of material, use equal amounts, you don’t want garlic/ginger/onion to be jealous.

Let this sit for a few days and you will see the sugar will start to ‘melt.’ As this process happens the sugar is pulling out the medicine from the herbs. Wait until it looks like it is all syrup (a few days). Strain the material (compost it) and keep the sugar syrup. This is great for colds, coughs, bugs that go around, etc. And the taste is not too bad either. If you don’t have Ginger you can just make garlic and onion, or just garlic. There is no wrong way I have done it with all three and just garlic!

I personally store mine in the frig. I take from ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon several times a day as needed for colds, cough, etc. This dosage may vary from person to person. This is what I like to take, you should start with small amounts and make sure it suits you personally.

I learned this simple yet effective recipe from Paul Bergner’s Vitalism Courses

*SuCaNat=Sugar Cane Natural

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Fire Cider

Fire Cider*

Kelli Armes, Herbalist

Supplies:

Raw dry items:

Garlic- (2-4 large bulbs)

Horseradish (I grow my own) I use about a 3-inch piece or so. I just eye it.

Onions (I use 1 small red onion)

Ginger –small piece

1 Cayenne pepper (or use dried ¼ of a teaspoon)

Apple Cider Vinegar

Honey (I use raw)

Clean Jar (I use a quart mason jar)

Plastic lid (do not use a metal lid)

-You should be able to get these items from your local grocer or health food store.

Directions:

If you are measuring in parts it should be about 1 part of garlic, horseradish, onion and ¼ part of ginger and 1 cayenne pepper. 1 part would equal about ½ of a cup I suppose. If you use powdered cayenne usually ¼ of a teaspoon is good any more and it may be too hot. Make sure your jar is big enough to fit your material if not adjust and made more (or less).

Disclaimer: I don’t measure anything I just put it in there until I think it looks good. So that is why I don’t have exact measurements. I do it just like I cook (thanks Mabel Hughart for that)

Chop the garlic, onion, horseradish and ginger. At this point you should see how the medicine will be working, you should feel your sinuses opening up during this step. J

As I am making this (or any medicine) ….. this is the point when I usually sing or say nice things to the ingredients like ‘you are going to make people healthy,’ or we appreciate you, you are a beautiful plant, thanks for your service. Never ever EVER make any medicine if you are angry or have negative energy!!! NEVER!!

So to continue, I chop up the ingredients and fill the jar about ¾ of the way full with the dry (yet fresh) material. Then I add the cayenne pepper powder if you didn’t use a fresh one. Fill the jar close to full with apple cider vinegar (make sure all material is covered). I let this sit for several weeks (about 4 weeks, or until I like the taste), Then I strain off the material with a strainer and cheesecloth (compost it) and get a clean jar and add honey (to taste). Label it! J

That’s it! Enjoy!

Uses:

I use this for sinus congestion, onset of a bug (like cold or flu), or sometimes just a little nip in the winter to warm me up. I love it! It’s really tasty. I use a small shot glass about half full when I take it personally. Depending on the issue I may take it a few times a day, or just when I want something warm.

WARNING: Energetically this is a warm remedy, so if you have a ‘hot constitution’ remember this if you still want to use it, then use small doses (or add more honey to balance that).

If you are taking blood-thinning medications or have sensitive or gastro-intestinal issues this may not be for you, please use common sense and if you think it sounds too strong, don’t use it!

*This recipe I learned from Rosemary Gladstar and in a Vitalism course from Paul Bergner. Both are great educators on Herbalism I hope you will support their work. http://naimh.com/ Paul Bergner’s Site http://www.sagemountain.com/ Rosemary Gladstar’s Site.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Foraging

Maw-Maw Kelli, Herbalist

I get this question all the time so I thought I would do a post on it. ‘So….. what are your favorite foraging books… ’ And I always give the same answer, there are so many that I like. Then I try to remember them all. So I am trying to give you a good starting point here. This is not a complete list, this is a starting place to help you. You should never stop learning as well, I strive to ID a new plant each time I go to the field, or get to renew an old friend if I don’t see new ones.

There is no substitute to getting out in the field and actually IDing and looking for plants in their habitat, but you need to ‘start somewhere’ and you also need some reference materials and they should be from people who know and actually forage for plants. I can’t tell you how many times I have been out in the field and had some layperson (or someone who claimed to know plants well) tell me Virginia Creeper is Poison Ivy. And they will argue with you about it. So please consider that, some people say they know what a plant is and don’t. I have met people who think Yarrow is Queen Anne’s Lace and all kinds of crazy things. LEARN BOTANY! Learn to key things out!!

You must spend time with the plants. You cannot sit inside and learn to forage. You must get out. This is not an ‘easy boy’ chair activity, get my drift? You need to spend time where plants grow. That’s outside, btw. J Did I mention you need to get outside? I mean with like bugs and things. GASP! You can do it!!!

Try and get to know at least 1 new plant a month. Draw it, learn about, find it other places besides where you first ID’d it. Try to find it in different stages. Some plant leaves look very different as the plant ‘grows up’ (like lambs quarters, or motherwort). So consider that as well.

One thing I did when I started out was I started with my back yard weeds. I got several good field guides and I started journaling the plants. Drawing every part of them (it was required study in my herb program and I am glad it was). Looking at the plant in a detailed way helps you to really get to know. I sang to the plant, I talked to the plant. I imagined what it would be like to be that plant. I got down on the ground and looked at it from an ant’s view, then from the birds view. I noted the soil, the time of year, the weather, etc. I tried to get to know as much as I could about it.

Finding someone to help you. Sometimes you get stuck, hey I am not Google, I don’t know every plant in the world. Find someone to help you if you don’t know. There are foraging groups on Yahoo and those folks are very helpful as well.

So here is a small list of the things I have found useful, this is not all of them for sure, but these are ones I like and I own all of the ones listed so I am not speculating on how good they are. I am sure there are others I am still forgetting, since I don’t have all of my info laid out before me. But again this should help you get started!

One more thing before I close, please learn ethical wildcrafting if you decide to harvest ANY plant. If you don’t know what that means, you are not ready to forage. J

Green Blessings,

Maw-Maw Kelli

Botany

Yes I said it, you need to learn botany. You don’t have to get a 4 year degree in it, but you do need to learn it! Tom Elpel’s Botany in a Day is excellent and he has a new version that is in color. Also you can check out Botany books from your local library. Or pick up an old botany book on amazon. If you learn plant families and characteristics like is presented in Tom’s book things go a lot easier!

http://www.hopspress.com/Books/Botany_in_a_Day.htm

Botany Illustrated: Introduction to Plants, Major Groups, Flowering Plant Families.

Botany Coloring Book.

Field Guides:

My personal favorite is Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Though Peterson Guides are great (and yes I have about 1000 field guides I think—ok not really only 999) and they even have several on wild edibles. You can get those at your local bookshop or online. Go slow, you don’t have to build your library at once. A little here and there is fine!

Foraging Books

Sam Thayer’s set which can be found here: http://store.wildernessawareness.org/Forager-s-Pack-Nature-s-Garden-Foragers-Harvest-DVD-Book.html or here to buy separately. http://foragersharvest.com/

Linda Runyon

The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide

Can be found here: https://ofthefield.com/resources/

Wildman Steve Brill

Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants. Can be found here: http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

He has an app too that is great!

Wildflowers Along the Way

(App) you can get from ITunes.
Great! But never rely on App to replace Botany or Keying out.

Bill Church

Medicinal Plants, Trees & Shrubs of Appalachia

Bill is a fellow Naturalist, Herbalist and is from my home state of West Virginia (Go Mountaineers!)

http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-62147-980-2
Update: 21 June 2015. Bill has since passed on. He will be dearly missed by many of us but most certainly all of his fellow WV naturalist and herbalist. We love you Bill, rest in peace!