Foraging the Autumn Olive (back in October)...

Recently harvested herbs...

Calendula, Pot or Garden Marigold (Calendula officinalis)
Planted in our garden this year. I've been harvesting the flowers and drying them as well as making fresh calendula flower oil.

Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
Growing wild around our garden. Tincturing the flower and possibly harvesting some roots to roast?

St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)
The little plant in our garden is started to flower.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

The back pasture is covered in alfalfa.

Elder flowers (Sambucus)

Ecstatic to have access to elderberries this year.

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)
Growing around the yard. I just made a fresh motherwort tincture two days ago.

Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Red Clover is everywhere sharing the fields with alfalfa right now.
Picking and drying, picking and drying, picking and drying...

Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis)
Once our skullcap plant is in full bloom we'll made a fresh tincture of it.

Queen Anne's Lace, Wild Carrot (Daucus carota)
Wild abundance everywhere. My old friend.

Salve.
My own salve, made with fresh herbal oils made early this spring.

Wortcunning

Wortcunning is the knowledge of the magical or hidden properties of plants and herbs. It is an old word meaning literally "herbal wisdom".

Tinctures, herbal oils, and various dried/drying herbs in our kitchen

Beautiful calendula flowers harvested right from our garden

When I sort of tripped and fell into my profession I had not discovered my OTHER passion...plants and herbal medicine. It's funny how in retrospect everything happened for a reason...without this career I would not have been able to discover in myself nor had the physical time to develop a love for plants . My career allows me to spend two whole months planting, foraging, harvesting, drying, making oils, syrups, salves, tinctures, etc. I feel blessed and excited that summer is here.

Summer Solstice

"If I had to choose a religion, the sun as the universal giver of life would be my god."  --Napoleon Bonaparte

Our Summer Solstice tradition: Harvesting St. John's Wort in our secret spot.

A few small gifts, a celebratory breakfast, and our summer nature table

It wouldn't be summer without a trip to the beach.