Innana is home! Persephone is back!! Get ready for summer!!
Innana came home after being killed by her sister Erishkegal and hung on a meathook for three days.
Persephone came back after being abducted into the underworld by Hades.
No matter what you call the holiday, no matter how you celebrate it, it is clear: The green has returned. The Mother is home. The daughter is here. The warmth is steady now. Get ready for summer.
Fawns. Lambs. Kids. The merry-makers are on the scene. Get ready for summer's fun.
Dandelion. Violet. Plantain. The helpers are showing up again. Get ready for summer's salads.
Yarrow. Motherwort. Hypericum. The great medicines are moving up from their roots. Get ready to be there when they flower.
Nettle. Wild chives. Garlic mustard. Get ready to get more "wild" into your diet this year.
Right now it's time to make nettle soup. Time to make wild chive butter. Time to throw some garlic mustard into your salad. Get ready for summer.
Get ready. Summer starts next week. Yes, May Day, May 1 is the first day of summer, followed in six weeks by Mid-Summer's Night, also known as Summer Solstice on June 22. Get ready for summer.
There are still spaces in this
weekend's workshops if you want to make nettle soup and wild salads with the apprentices and I before doing it on your own.
And you can begin the
live-out apprenticeship any time. Our first weekend together was wonderful. Charming women and we all look forward to our adventure this year becoming greener ourselves and with you.
Herbal medicine is people's medicine.
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
This bold native wildflower has chosen to grow right next to my door and so is well positioned to bring a smile to my heart every year when it blooms. Who could resist smiling when greeted by such a sunny disposition. Every 5-6 years I dig a rhizome in the fall and make a tincture that is deadly to the bacteria that cause gum disease. But not now. Now, let's enjoy the flowers and the day.
Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)
Seems as though every drainage ditch is rimmed with coltsfoot this year. So many little drops of sunlight sprinkled along the road. Coltsfoot is rich is an alkaloid that may congest the liver, so it is little used these days. Previously, the flowers were put up in honey as a cough remedy, and the leaves were dried and smoked by those dealing with asthma, COPD, and pollen allergies. It is unlikely that the problem alkaloids would be transferred by either of these methods, so you may want to give it a try.
Nettle (Urtica urens)
I have promised to show you nettle as it grows this year. Here is the second in our series of nettle throughout the seasons. The leaves are larger, the plant is taller, and this is just right for nettle soup. I use a minimum of one ounce fresh nettle to two cups water for a serving. Boil the water and throw the nettle into the boiling water and cook, simmering, for as long as you can, or at least four hours.
