Borage

Borage (Borago officinalis) has a long historical reputation for making the heart merry and dispelling melancholy, called ‘Euphrosium’ by Pliny due to its euphoric effect and famous for the quote ‘I, borage, bring always courage’. However, its name probably derives from the Latin ‘burra’ meaning ‘hairy garment’ – which aptly describes its furry buds and leaves. In the 19th century the young tops were boiled as a pot-herb and the flowers were preserved and candied.

Borage is used medicinally for fevers and externally to poultice inflammatory swellings and treat dry skin conditions. The oil from the seeds is very useful in premenstrual syndrome and can be taken daily in capsules for eczema. Borage can be used as a tonic for stress . It stimulates milk flow and the adrenal glands, soothes damaged or irritated tissues and the oil lowers blood pressure.

A cooling, saline, diuretic herb with mild sedative and anti-depressant effects.

CAUTION: Do not consume large or regular amounts of the foliage.

Gather leaves in the spring or summer as the plant begins to flower.

Benefits strawberries as a companion plant. Attracts bees.


PLEASE NOTE: These notes on the history and use of herbs have been compiled for general interest and are not intended as medical advice, for which you should consult a professional herbalist.

BIBLIOGRAPY:
'A Modern Herbal' Mrs M. Grieve FRHS ed. Mrs C. F. Leyel (1973)
'The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal' Penelope Ody MNIMH (1993)
'RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses' Deni Brown (2002)

Local Lavender Project

I've been adding a couple of my handmade lavender sachets to Etsy today .. and in the process, I found the details of the community lavender harvest where I collected the lavender and some photos taken on my last visit. It was such a beautiful way to spend a sunny afternoon and I thought others might be interested, too?

The once famous lavender fields of the Carshalton area of London have been revived by The Local Lavender Project: cuttings were collected from the public and grown as a horticulture project at HMP Downview, providing prisoners with useful skills. Then prisoners on day-release helped clear and plant up 3 acres of disused allotments. Now that the lavender has matured, hundreds of people turn up every year to “pick their own” at the annual community harvesting event.




It just happened to fall on my birthday the year I took these photos, and it was one of the best I've had. We had to be very careful, though, as my companion was allergic to bee stings... and where there are 3 acres of lavender, there are lots of lovely big bumble-bees!



It was really easy to dry the lavender.. I had only dried smaller quantities before, from my garden, by hanging up bunches by the stems with a paper bag secured around the flowerheads to catch them. The same method worked fine for the larger bundles and the room smelt kind of wonderful for months! I save the dried stems when I've rubbed the dried flowerheads off to put on the fire in the winter.

Bioregional Local Lavender Project

I will definitely be going along again this year. Its hard to describe how it feels (and smells!) to be waist deep in a field of lavender.. its wonderful. And as the sun shines down and you inhale the relaxing aroma, you can't stop smiling.

Hey Pesto!

I had a great afternoon in the kitchen today, listening to the radio and knocking up a batch of pesto.

I have a basic recipe which gives the right proportions of the ingredients (see below), but I basically just keep adding olive oil until the consistency is OK. Oh, and I always put more garlic than it says, because I like it and its so good for me. Today I had two good handfuls of basil and one of parsley and I substituted the pine nuts with walnuts, which is a nice variation. Incidentally, I've seen a recipe somewhere lately for a three herb pesto with Lemon Balm which I might try in the summer.

The motivation behind today's pesto-making was Daughter of the Soil's wonderful post last week about growing peppers - especially the long pointy Ramiro peppers, my favourite.

http://daughterofthesoil.blogspot.com/2008/02/peppers-and-ice.html

I've never tried to grow peppers, but felt inspired to have a go so I decided to get some to roast and use the seed. No time to lose, as peppers need to get going fairly early in the UK so that they have chance to ripen - I think the advice was by early March.

I like to make roast peppers by halving and de-seeding them, then stuffing them with a mixture of cubed organic feta cheese, halved organic cherry tomatoes and home-made pesto. Cook for about half an hour in the oven.



Pesto Sauce

2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 tbspn chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
50g pine nuts
100g grated Parmesan cheese
150ml olive oil
seasoning

Instructions: Put it all in the blender and press 'go'.. hey pesto!

Wildlife Gardening

Now that spring is well on the way, and we're all thinking and planning our gardening activities, thought I'd share this link I found today..

http://www.wildaboutgardens.org/Gardening/DoOneThing/

its a list of simple steps to take towards gardening with wildlife in mind .. I'm pleased to be able to report that I am chemical-free, peat-free, I collect rainwater and I recycle!

Full Moon and Clouds

Wonderfully bright moon last night (and just the last traces of those clouds!)

Vervain (Verbena officinalis)

The name ‘vervain’ derives from the Celtic ‘ferfaen’, meaning ‘to drive away a stone’ and reflects the use of this herb for bladder problems. As well as being revered in Celtic and Germanic cultures, both the Druids and the Romans held this herb as sacred and priests used it in sacrifices. The latin ‘verbena’ was the classical Roman name for altar plants in general, and the Romans used vervain to purify their homes and temples.

Aphrodisiac properties were once ascribed to this herb, and it was often carried as a talisman. In particular, it was bruised and worn round the neck as a charm against headaches, snake-bites and for good luck. This reflects two of vervain’s uses: as a poultice for headache and insect bites. It is also used in this way for sprains and bruises and can be applied externally for eczema, sores and gum disease.

This herb can calm the nerves, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, relieve pain and control bleeding and it is taken internally for nervous exhaustion, depression, asthma and migraine. It is contra-indicated in pregnancy, as it stimulates the uterus, but can be sipped during labour to encourage contractions and during lactation to stimulate milk flow.

A bitter, pungent/aromatic, cooling herb.



CAUTION: Do not use this herb during Pregnancy

Pick the leaves before flowering and dry them promptly.

PLEASE NOTE: These notes on the history and use of herbs have been compiled for general interest and are not intended as medical advice, for which you should consult a professional herbalist.

BIBLIOGRAPY:
'A Modern Herbal' Mrs M. Grieve FRHS ed. Mrs C. F. Leyel (1973)
'The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal' Penelope Ody MNIMH (1993)
'RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses' Deni Brown (2002)

Lunar Eclipse Update

Well, I had high hopes yesterday afternoon at 6pm when a beautiful large full moon shone in a clear sky outside my kitchen window. But when I checked the skies at 2am, there was pretty much complete cloud cover.

Undeterred, I staggered out of bed when the alarm went at 3am this morning.. it took me a while to find the moon at all, but I eventually a tiny glimmer caught my eye and I waited eagerly for a small hole in the clouds. I was rewarded with my first ever sight of an eclipse!

What I saw, at about 3.05am, was the very final stage before totality - I could make out a dark disc which had a crescent edging of brilliant light at the bottom right. Unfortunately, I could only glimpse the spectacle extremely briefly through gaps in the clouds, and it wasn't possible to take any photographs. Each time the moon reappeared the crescent was less until it was extinguished by the dark disc. As this passed behind the clouds again, it was lost to me, so I never got to see if it changed colour.

-------> GET INVOLVED: Did you see the eclipse? How did it look in your part of the world? Lets compare notes!

-------> UPDATE! Check out the comments for great shots of the eclipse by WeirdBugLady and Lemonlight

Feverfew

This herb is named for its tonic and fever-dispelling properties – ‘feverfew’ is a corruption of ‘febrifuge’. It was valued by country people for its ability to combat ‘the ague’ when bruised and bound to the wrists, according to Culpepper.

Feverfew can be taken as a cold infusion in hysterical complaints, nervousness or low spirits, as a decoction with honey for coughing or wheezing and the tincture can be applied locally to relieve the pain and swelling of insect bites.

However, its most important use was forgotten until the 1970s when a Cardiff doctor’s wife found that it cured her migraine. The herb was described in old herbals as a remedy for headaches, and clinical trials in the 1980s provided supportive evidence of its efficacy. A popular remedy is to eat a leaf a day for the prevention of migraine, though as this may cause mouth ulcers in some people, it may be necessary to include the leaf in a sandwich.

A bitter, tonic, cooling herb.

CAUTION: Do not use during Pregnancy









PLEASE NOTE: These notes on the history and use of herbs have been compiled for general interest and are not intended as medical advice, for which you should consult a professional herbalist.

BIBLIOGRAPY:
'A Modern Herbal' Mrs M. Grieve FRHS ed. Mrs C. F. Leyel (1973)
'The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal' Penelope Ody MNIMH (1993)
'RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses' Deni Brown (2002)

Lunar Eclipse

I've been finding out about this week's total lunar eclipse, and thought I'd share the info in plenty of time in case anyone else is interested (click on the post title for proper accurate scientific info).

Its on the night of Wed 20th / Thu 21st, depending where you are - the timings for the UK give the period of totality lasting about 50 mins between 3 and 4am on Thursday.

The Full Moon should turn blood red, although I think the colour can vary with atmospheric conditions and could be anything from yellow or orange through to dark brown.

Should be a wonderful natural spectacle, if the skies are clear!

Making Elderflower Tea

Well, if you catch your cold during the peak cold season in January and February, its too late to go gather your own elderflowers and you have two options: you can buy loose dried herbs from a good supplier, such as Neal's Yard or Napiers (who do internet and mail order, see 'Interesting Links') or you can buy readymade organic elderflower tea bags.

To make the tea, use 1 heaped teaspoon of dried flowers or 1-2 teabags per cup. Leave your tea to brew for 5- 10 minutes, and drink it hot if you are taking it for a cold.

Note: The important thing about making a medicinal tea is to cover it while it brews. If you don't want to use a teapot, then placing a saucer on top of your mug is just as good .. you can get those little metal strainer-balls to place the herbs in. I use a lovely pottery cup which has its own lid and a little tray to hold the herbs. Its worth it if you make a lot of herbal tea.

As a regular drink, you can take 3-4 cups a day although the book I use suggests you can have 6-8 cups a day (for a FEW days only!) when you have a cold or flu.

If you are interested in collecting your own elderflowers, then the optimum time to do this is in May or June, just before they are in full blossom. Collect whole flowerheads and spread out to dry on trays in a warm place out of direct sunlight. When dry, the flowers can be easily rubbed from their stems. Store the dried elderflowers in airtight glass jars in a dark place. Dried herbs should be discarded after a year and replaced.


References:
'Natural Taste (Herbal Teas: A guide for home use)' Andrew Chevallier MNIMH (1994)
'Healing Plants' L. Opletal and J. Volak (1999)

Sunrise

The sunrise was fast, and scarlet, and beautiful here in Tottenham today.

Elderflower and Garlic

It never ceases to amaze me how simple herbal remedies can bring such relief!

Having succumbed to a cold this week, I reached for something to ease the misery - two mugs of elderflower tea completely stopped the drip-drip-dripping (ew!) and cleared my airways so I could breathe. Plus as soon as I realised I had symptoms, I took a garlic capsule each day and I'm recovering with amazing speed.

The Elder has long had the reputation as a 'healer-of-all-ills' as all parts of the plant have medicinal uses, which have been recognised from ancient times onward. Its one of my favourite herbs, especially as it can be easily collected.

Even better, garlic and elderflower can both be used in pregnancy (acc. to all the sources I've consulted) .. good news for mums-to-be.

----> GET INVOLVED: It would be great to collect together tried-and-tested remedies for everyone to share ... what is your favourite remedy, piece of advice or healing tip?

Seedlings

Warms the heart, doesn't it?

Nature's Calendar

Click on the picture to get a beautiful free February calendar:

The Woodland Trust

I donate 10% of the proceeds from the sale of my photo-cards to The Woodland Trust, which does important work protecting ancient woodland and planting trees.

As this cause is something I feel passionately about, I try to find little ways to send money their way - I recycled my old mobile phone in one of their envelopes, so that they got a donation, and I buy their beautiful tree calendar each year.

And I thought that maybe by sharing the link, I could point other like-minded folk in their direction... the website explains lots of things you can do to support The Woodland Trust:

http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/


and is a fantastic resource for everything concerning trees!

Lady's Mantle

Lady's Mantle (alchemilla vulgaris) was associated with the Virgin Mary in the Middle Ages and the lobed leaves resemble the scalloped edges of a cloak or mantle, as worn by the Virgin in medieval paintings. However, the 'lady' element may refer to the herb's value in treating female disorders.

The generic name 'alchemilla', from the Arabic word for 'alchemy', is due to the wonderful way in which dew drops are held in the leaves of the plant. These magical droplets, believed to be imbued with the powers of the herb, are prized for use in potions. Other common names are Lion's Foot, Bear's Foot and Nine Hooks (all stemming from the distinctive shape of the leaf).

Lady's Mantle is astringent and styptic (or 'drying' and 'binding' in character) and has a history of use as a vulnerary (or wound herb). It was popular on the battlefields of the 15th and 16th centuries and Culpepper recommended it for inflamed wounds, to dry up 'humidity' and abate inflammation, suggesting that a decoction be drunk and the wound washed or dressed with it. The infusion is still recommended as a wash for weeping eczema or sores to this day.

The herb's ability to control bleeding and other discharges is used in modern herbalism to treat excessive menstruation and diarrhoea - an infusion is taken, up to five times a day in an acute case of diarrhoea - as well as vaginal discharge and itching, where the infusion is used as a wash. The root is used to stop bleeding, either taken fresh in a decoction or dried and powdered, and the particular affinity of Lady's Mantle with women's healing continues in the prescription of the tincture for period pain and menstrual irregularities.

Flowers June - August
Gather the whole herb in June - July while in flower and leaves at their best.

CAUTION: Do not use in Pregnancy



PLEASE NOTE: These notes on the history and use of herbs have been compiled for general interest and are not intended as medical advice, for which you should consult a professional herbalist.

BIBLIOGRAPY:
'A Modern Herbal' Mrs M. Grieve FRHS ed. Mrs C. F. Leyel (1973)
'The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal' Penelope Ody MNIMH (1993)
'RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses' Deni Brown (2002)

Twilight Treetops

Just a little snap of twilight over Tottenham tonight ..

Sowing seed

At the first signs of dusk I planted my first seeds of the year. Always a lovely thing to do, looking forward to the season ahead.

I have a little propagator with individual cells so that I don't have to prick out the seedlings. This first batch was to get my tomato plants started. I'm growing a big beefsteak type tomato called 'Brandywine' that I love. Alongside I started some Pot Marigold to companion plant with my tomatoes.

I've also done an early batch of Sunflowers - one of my favourites, so I want to see them in flower as soon as possible. I'm growing two dwarf varieties, as they will be living on my roof .. and the tall ones would just sail away!! One day, when I have a real garden, I'm going to have huge sunflowers. I was really inspired by a house I saw last summer where someone had trained them up round their front door - it looked amazing!

Sown February New Moon. Germination time approx 1 to 2 weeks. Recommended germination temperature 18 degrees C (so might need a hot water bottle!)

Humble Beginnings

Well, here I am in my first blog post! This is a whole new world for me, so I will be learning as I go along. But here's how it all started...

... yesterday I created a Treasury on Etsy with the title 'Earth and Tree' to showcase some of the beautiful artwork I had found there:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=27252

But I wanted to go further! So I am creating this space in celebration of the Earth, as a repository of knowledge, inspiration and resources. Hope you like it and will find it useful.. please get involved as it grows and develops.