An afternoon in the woods...

Yarrow

Goldenrod

Queen Anne's Lace or Wild Carrot

Wood Sorrel

Some fun in the mud & stream

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.

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.