Greetings herbal enthusiasts! I apologize for my lack of attentiveness to this blog, sometimes it's hard for me to sit in front of a computer when it's so beautiful and lush out there in the wild world. I want to encourage you all to participate, even if it's just a short little post or comment, it will help help with the momentum!
So much has happened out there since my last post, the fiddleheads sprouted, unfurled and are now almost as tall as I am! It seems like it was just yesterday that my cousin and I were collecting them as tiny little curlicues and sauteing them in garlic and olive oil...yum! Our staple spring foods are now drying up and fading away in the summer sun. Our sudden heat wave we recently experienced has charmed the out the berries and fruit earlier than usual. And the rain we've had for the last few days has blessed the soil with needed nourishment.
Things are starting to happen, ideas are blossoming into fruition. Such is the energy of the season if you take the time to tap into it.
I just did a "Wild Edible Tapas and Tea" table with some local herbalist friends of mine, Diana Seiler, Jason Rosenberg and Simon Thrasher this past Saturday at the Phillies Bridge Farm festival. People loved it! We put it together super last minute, but between the four of us, we had a beautiful overflowing table of deliciousness. We harvested some wild greens such as garlic mustard greens, daisy greens, violet greens, nettles, wood sorrel, grape leaves and dandelion greens. We harvested wild edible flowers like rosa rigosa, daisies, and lilies. And of course we harvested some of the berries that have just recently ripened like the mulberry, black-cap raspberry, and my new favorite, the juneberry or service berry- the sweetest and most untalked about little treat. With these things, we made a salad that we dressed with some berry vinaigrette (blended berries, olive oil, vinegar, and spices.) Diana made stuffed grape leaves, which were easier to make than I thought and were delicious- she simplified most of the recipes we found on the internet by just soaking the grape leaves in hot water and rolling them up with rice, steamed nettles, spices, vinegar and a little olive oil. I made a wild pesto, which was a big hit (garlic mustard greens, wood sorrel, violet leaves, nettles, and I added some nasturtium leaves and a little bit of basil from the garden, sunflower seeds, and dulse flakes- blended up with garlic and olive oil.) Jason made a fabulous rose-honey spread that is so simple and so scrumptious- just rose petals soaked in honey with some hot water if needed. Simon and Jason brought some nourishing medicinal teas, one that had 28 ingredients that I'll have to get back to you on. And I made a sun tea with chamomile, lemon balm, and nettles. Sun teas for anyone who doesn't know is simply a tea that is made in a jar outside and heated by the sun. They are usually very subtle and fresh tasting.
I had some tinctures for sample out on the table, which I will tell you all about in a separate post and Diana had her amazing lotion. Simon and Jason have both been researching the Japanese Knotweed plant and are making some breakthrough discoveries, such as it's restorative effect on the immune system, particularly relating to lyme disease.
We had all of our favorite books and information to share with eachother and the folks at the fair. It was a big success and we'd love to do it again elsewhere if anyone has any ideas.
The four of us are starting a local herbal collective in the Hudson Valley, so if anyone would like to be part of it, contact me. We're having our first meeting this Thursday afternoon (6/17/10).
Cheers and happy foraging!
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