New Year Wishes

Goodbye 2011, and Welcome 2012! 

Happy New Year

At the Winter solstice the light and the dark is symmetrical, implying balance or equality. Each year I like to reflect on the year that has past and the one to come, and set some new goals.

I am so grateful for the help I have received from so many really amazing people this year. I am inspired and rejuvenated by the great work my interns have demonstrated learning from them as they teach me to share my knowledge. I am glad to hear some of my original interns are starting their own practices and bless them on their paths.
I am hopeful that 2012 will be fruitful and prosperous to all who come into contact with me. I will be doing all I can to walk lightly on earth and treasure her gifts and wonders.
peace,
Jayne

Elderflower Infused Cocktails

I am preparing my mixers for the New Year's Eve Parties I am attending this year. I will mix it with soda water or mineral water and add it to my choices for a non-alcoholic beverage on New Year's Eve. They are great if the only choices for mixers is soda water or sugary pop, and you can easily bring them with you. I recommend them over ice with sparkling water, but I also enjoy them with hot water and honey. They are usually a pretty good concentration of flavor, so I can use a teaspoon or less per serving to liven up my vodka drink or make an herbal tea anywhere.

The tinctures are made by infusing herbs with vodka; the glycerites are made by creating a very strong herb tea & preserving it 1:3 or 1:4 with glycerine. Glycerine is sweet tasting, but not a true sugar and doesn't create blood sugar surges (highs/lows). Medicinally herbs are only meant to be taken by the dropper (30-40 drops), but some are appropriately taken in frequent doses consistently, as a tonic or tea. In other words, you aren't going to want to take a shot of these, but can't really overdose with it either.
  
Today I mixed an Elderflower glycerite I made this Spring with Hawthorn leaf & berry glycerite from previous years. I have some bright green Nettle's Tincture and some Solomon's Seal tincture, both made with my intern Emily this Fall. Nettles is loaded with vitamins and minerals that are readily available Solomon's seal is supposed to be good for repairing cartilage, and I made it specifically for a guy I met at the Herbal Fair this year. Then, I thought I should gift it to a few contractor friends for their various worn out joints! After all they have given to me this year (and many previous ones!) Now, All I have to do is find that guy's address in my box with the business cards...

I feel like Winnie the Pooh (TM I'm sure) right now and I am posing the question:
How long does it take to get organized? I am working on it though!

Great Herb Bread Recipe

 This is my favorite bread recipe. Well, at least it is a starting point. I usually make a starter of the "proved" yeast, 1 1/2 cup each flour and water and 1 teaspoon of sugar and a packet or tablespoon of yeast. I let that sit overnight. Or I split it up and continue making one loaf while allowing the starter to develop for the night or two. I don't really measure, but mostly look for consistency here. It will look like pancake batter. This is about the time my friend Joanna comes over and notices the bubbling brew. Then I add the salt just before mixing the other ingredients together. It should just form a ball in either a food processor or a mixer with the dough attachment- if you are mixing by hand, add more oil so it doesn't stick to your hands so much.

I usually make a double recipe then cook one and let one rise and get re-shaped for the next day. It stores well with a light coating of olive oil and it great for pizza dough.

Herb Bread
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups unbleached organic flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.

3 T crushed dried herbs, or fresh herbs (Rosemary. Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Fennel...)
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 425 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Originally this recipe came from the Mother Earth News website. I added the oil and the herbs. After awhile you will adapt it to your own tastes. What I usually do is mix it a bit firmer than this exact recipe, then put it on the pizza stone.
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-12-01/Easy-No-Knead-Dutch-Oven-Crusty-Bread.aspx?page=2#ixzz1h2pQnMaZ

Enjoy!

Perfect Gifts for a Farmer

Want to buy a farmer the perfect gift? Breaking ground is sooooo much easier with one of these cool- handmade on Vashon Island- broadforks. All you have to do is step on it; then as you step off of it you pull it down & the soil comes up. You still have to pick out the weeds, but WOW! I love these.  Especially after the long wet Winters we have here, it is nice to have something that fluffs the soil instead of pulverizing it with a tiller!

I also had my eye on his Cider Press... And of course, if you had the press, you probably need some quality apples to go with it. If you buy small trees, they may only cost about 20$, but that would take a long time to get fruit. I recommend signing up to adopt a tree at Curran Apple Orchard Park. Apparently, some folks gave this orchard to the city to make a park out of, and this non-profit takes care of the trees and teaches the public. You will learn how to care for the trees through the year at the quarterly work parties, and then you can pick all the apples from the variety you chose. My friend's mom adopted on this year, and I am thinking hard about it myself.

Solstice Office Cleanse

I have been going through my office and finding reminders from my year.  Notes from my herbal potions class, a Stonehenge greeting card, not to mention all the tinctures I have made for my personal use.
I have been organizing, taking stock, giving my thanks for the abundance in my life! 

In graditude and peace,
Jayne

Quick Gifts: Herbal Salve

One of the best things your can do  for someone is to make a gift for them. You can make a great healing salve for dry hands and as a general ointment in the natural first aid kit with 2 cups of oil and 2 oz of wax.

ID: go outside and find a plantain plant. 

There are two kinds that grow in my yard, but the thinner one with long pointed leaves are the ones doing best in this weather. The other one has short and rounded leaves that are tough as they get old, The one in the picture is the only one I found in my yard today. It doesn't matter which one you use. If you get a bee sting or splinter, you can take some of these leaves and chew them and apply them as a poultice. It will draw out the poison and/or splinter. I have used this many times since I started my farm, and it has worked well for me.

Take about 30 leaves for this recipe. Take only a few from each plant unless it is an emergency and there are no others nearby. Spread them out in a paper bag on its side (or on an herb drying screen) and let them sit in a warm area overnight to wilt. 

Oils: It doesn't matter much what kid of fixed oil you use, but the better the quality of the ingredients, the better the finished product will be, I usually get Olive oil, but if you want to make a custom blend, get some avocado oil, sesame, or sunflower to add for differing the texture. You can add shea butter, but count this as part of the oil by weight- if you want to use 1/4 cup, put the oil into the measuring cup to the 1 3/4 c level, then add small amounts into the cup until it reaches 2 cups.

The next day put the plantain leaves in the oil and heat it on a double boiler. You could add more herbs if you have them already dried or wilted to the same degree. Try to keep the temperature at 110F or lower for about 4 hrs- a crockpot warm setting can be used, but keep your eye on it. (Do not leave the house with hot oil on the stove!) If the herbs are particularly moist leave the lip off so the moisture can escape. Strain this mixture and measure out 2 Cups of oil and put it back into a bowl on the double boiler. Don't squeeze it so hard the you get water into this bowl. Add at least 2 oz of good quality beeswax to the oil and stir until all the wax is melted (the smaller the pieces, the less time it takes). 

When the wax is melted, take a small sample with a spoon and put it in the freezer. Check the texture and if it is too soft, put a little more wax into your mixture. When you are satisfied with the consistency, pour the mixture into clean jars or tins and label them. Leave the lids off until the mixture hardens up.

Benefits of making your own plant medicine

Today I found a 4oz bottle with a sprayer attachment in my kitchen drawers, so I decided to make up a big bottle of immune boosting herbs that we can take for the next few weeks.  I know the chances of catching a cold or the flu can increase around this time of the year since I will be coming into contact with lots of people at parties and my favorite coffee shop.  Usually the experts recommend taking Echinacea 10 days on and 10 days rest. That will take us right about to the new year.
At the Northwest Herbal Fair this year one of the teachers mentioned that the main problem for herbal practitioners is that their clients don't comply with the recommendations. She noted that the clients don't end up taking the medicines regularly, but they think they are following directions. She recommended sending people home with the medicine and having them come back to get re-fills at the follow up visit. That way you can see how much of the tincture got used up. She said that if anyone in her family gets sick, she would down a 1 oz bottle in a day! Granted, some herbs are meant to be taken in small amounts every day or two; an acute issue such as fighting off infection should be treated with  consistent doses taken for at least 10 days.

Back to the cold & flu formula:
I wanted to make it with this great tasting calendula and echinacea formula that I just recently strained. I had the calendula tincture from 2009, then last year I used the calendula tincture to soak my echinacea roots. They have been steeping for almost a year! I also had made an Oregon grape root glycerite from roots I harvested in the Snoqualmie forest, and a cleavers glycerite from herbs that were "weeds in my garden". The Calendula will contain the bacteria, and the echinacea and Oregon grape will help boost the immunity and fight the illness off, then the cleavers will flush the lymph system where most illnesses in the winter gets stuck in me.
I love mixing up my own tincture formulas. Since I am making it for the three people, I can add the herbs that I know we all can use.

Cleavers and the mustard greens

Happy Guadelupe Day!

Today is the traditional day to honor Guadelupe, the saint of the oppressed. I heard this story today and thought that she would be most appreciated amongst the protesters of the world.  My former intern is serving up 1000 burritos at the port protest today, and Guadelupe would be proud. Listen to the herstory behind the holiday and feast here: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/12/143579900/catholics-honor-virgin-of-guadalupe-for-feast-day
I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving meal in honor of all the people who helped the food arrive to your plate.
Today in the garden I found cleavers, peppercress, dandelion greens, and super small chickweed to eat. The food garden is still giving us great broccoli greens, collards are re-sprouting, and there are at least 7 meals of brussels sprouts. Inside the hoop house, the lettuce is so delicate and if I can direct some more water to it. I am grateful to have nutrition at my doorstep.
peace,
Jayne

The Last Calendula Flowers

Punk Rock Calendula!

Calendula is one of my favorite herbs to grow and to use. This is the last picture I took at the farm. I let it all go to seed so it will come back up by itself next year near. The purplish pink flowers are  Cosmos that have been self seeding for over 8 years! My friend gave them to me when she helped work on the farm one of the first years I farmed & told me that all farms needed Cosmos for the pollinators. They have re-seeded easily every year. The yellow flowers under the Calendula are Mexican Tarragon. It tastes like French Tarragon, but easier to grow from seed. I use them in culinary dishes with Chanterelle mushrooms and cream for a light aromatic flavor.

Amazingly, there are still Calendulas blooming in the hoop house in my backyard! It is very moist in there, so they are not as good for medicine or for drying, but they are great for adding to soups, rice & salads. 

Natural Skin Care Class at Sugar Pill

My friend Crystal Seltzer is teaching this natural skin care class tomorrow and is looking for a few more people to sign up! She is an adjunct teacher at Bastyr University and a wonderful person to talk to about all things herbal. 

Glowing Skin: herbal skin care formulas for every skin type.

Thursday, Dec. 8th, from 6:30-8pm at SugarPill on Capitol Hill. 

When our skin glows we feel at our best- we feel like we can put our best face forward and that we are ready to take on the day.  And nobody knows this better than the cosmetics industry.  They are a multi-million dollar industry that strives to tell women how they can have glowing skin.  Unfortunately, skin care can be costly, and it can be toxic.  Many of the products offered to us on the market are not really all that good for our skin, or our environment.  But fear not!  Glowing skin can easily be had and it doesn’t need to be expensive, toxic, or all that hard to make.  In this workshop we will discuss recipes for all skin types and you will be walked through the step by step instructions on how to make a bevy of herbal facial and body products that are sure to bring out the glow in your skin.  Handouts will be provided and samples will be given out for you to take home and try for yourself.

When:  Thursday, Dec: 8th; 6:30-8pm

Where: SugarPill Apothecary on Capitol Hill

Cost:  $30

Registration:  To register, contact Karyn Shwartz at SugarPill Apothecary at 206.322.7455 or well@sugarpillseattle.com.  Registration is limited, and classes with fewer than 5 attendees are subject to cancellation.