~ Oregon Grape Holly (Mahonia aquifolium) ~

Two weeks ago when I went hiking I noticed the plant above growing next to the stream. We have them bordering our yard and they have spread through the woods. I didn't know what they were , I always thought it was some type of holly. I did a google search to find out what kind of holly it was , but it's not really holly. This plant is called Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) , although sometimes it's called Oregon Grape Holly. The leaves are holly like , but it's actually a member of the barberry family. It has the same medicinal properties as Golden seal which is a threatened herbal species. It has a yellow bloom that matures into grape like berries which are edible when they turn dark blue. If you would like to learn more about this plant here are two links with some great information.

~ http://www.paghat.com/oregongrape.html ~

~ http://health.howstuffworks.com/medical-uses-for-oregon-grape-ga.htm ~

Backwoods Home magazine has a article about making Oregon Grape Jam , Click here to read ......................................................................

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/okeefe_joyce0808.html . I'm looking forward to making this jam come Fall.

~ Herbal Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Dead Nettle Tea ~

I don't know why this herb is called " Dead Nettle " , it's a beautiful plant with some great healing properties , but the name doesn't fit it , the name makes it sound deadly. I made a cup of tea with the leaves and blooms today , it taste just as it smells , very earthy. I'm out of honey at the moment , but I imagine it would have been very tasty with a spoonful.

While I was gathering some dead nettle , I also gathered chickweed , violet leaves , flowers and wild onions. I plan to cook the chickweed , the violet leaves will be dried out for teas and I'm going to dehydrate the wild onions. I'm so " Happy " it's herb season !!

~ Herbal Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ Dead Nettle ~

Thank-you so much Jeanne , I've been trying to i.d. this plant for two years or more. I'm so glad you knew what it was , found a great article about it's medicinal properties here ~ http://www.naturesherbal.com/Purple_Dead_Nettle.htm ~.

What is This ?

Does anyone recognize this plant , it looks like some kind of mint. I haven't been able to positively i.d. it though. I have lots growing around here , everywhere I find chickweed , I find this plant.

~ Herbal Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

~ It's almost Dandy Dandelion time ...............................

if you're looking for some new dandelion recipes , blop over to Flassie's blog ~ http://wwwflassiesfila.blogspot.com/2010/03/dandelion-in-my-soups.html ~ and check-out the link she has on her post about dandelions. There are some terrific recipes at that link. I plan to try a few soon , I've seen a few dandy's starting to sprout up (Yay).

And here's another link with recipes and tips about adding wild greens to your diet ~ http://www.herbcompanion.com/Cooking/Edible-Wild-Greens-Recipes.aspx ~.

~ Herbal Blessings ~

JoyceAnn