Let's take a Walk on the Wild Herb Side .........................

Awww ... It's not officially Spring , but all the plants are emerging and I'm loving every minute of watching and waiting for their fruits. I found Cleavers peeking out from long ago fallen leaves ..............


And this beautiful patch of Wild Ginger has emerged in my front yard next to an old oak tree. I've never used Wild Ginger , but I think she's speaking to me. Guess I should learn more about her.



The Hairy Bittercress is flowering. I've eaten it a few times in the last 2 weeks , I've enjoyed the flavor raw or cooked.

Chickweed always makes me happy with it's beautiful green color , we had a wild tossed salad last night for supper ......... lots of Chickweed , Dandelion , Hairy Bittercress , Violet leaves and Wild Onions .

On my herb walk I discovered this plant , I've never seen it growing here before. Can anyone identify it by the leaves , I'm going to watch it closely for blooms .............

Click on photos for a close view ...... Please leave me a comment if you know what it is.

Oops ........... More Cleavers

The Purple Dead Nettle has emerged and bloomed. I did find an explanation as to why it is called " Purple Dead Nettle " , it's in the nettle family and since it doesn't sting , it's called dead nettle.

The wild onions have popped up everywhere , I have plans to harvest some this week. I'll be dehydrating them , they're delicious dried , they gain a sweet taste.

The Yellow Dock looks wonderful , I'm planning to try some cooked soon. I've never cooked it , but I have made Yellow Dock root tincture. Speaking of all the things I want to try or do , it's time to make a new " to do list ". It's very easy to get sidetracked this time of year , maybe a list will help me stay focused on my plans.

The Violets have jumped up , can't wait to see those beautiful little flowers appear , need to add Violet syrup to that list I mentioned (LOL).

~ Green Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Ode to the First .....................................

Dandelion blossom of the season !!

~ Dandelion Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Herbal Ally Challenge # 6 / Dandelion Root Tincture

I've been really busy the last week or 2 , we're having an early Spring , so there's plenty to do around here. However I did take time this week to work with my herbal ally. I did the drawing a couple of weeks ago , but never posted it. I'll be adding it to my journal , Dandelions are so bright and cheery , can't believe so many people consider them a weed. Speaking of weed ..................................

I ordered Susun Weed's , Healing Wise and Breast Health books a few weeks ago. I'm so grateful that I finally have these books in my herbal library. I've been planning to order the 2 books , it was the perfect time and excuse since I needed them for my herbal study. So I've been reading about Dandelion and tincturing in the " Healing Wise " book.

I strained my Dandelion blossom vinegar yesterday and made the Dandelion root tincture. The vinegar is a beautiful golden color , I took it outside to take a picture so you could see the true color. I couldn't really taste the flavor of the Dandelion , it tasted just like apple cider vinegar to me. But it looks better (LOL) and I know the healing magic is in there. I made the tincture with 100 proof vodka because I had it on hand. I've always made tinctures the Susun Weed way. I plan to try a different type alcohol the next time I make tincture.

Sorry for this awful photo , but I can't believe how big the Dandelion
have grown already this year. So I harvested a bowl of leaves and made .......

this Dandelion pasta dish for lunch Thursday. It was sooo good !

~ Dandelion Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Hairy Bittercress ~ Cardamine hirsute

Jeanne over at The Candy Corn Chronicles/ http://wildwoodsartstudio.blogspot.com/ helped properly identify this beautiful little plant. Thank-you so much Jeanne !

I really don't understand why they call it " Hairy Bittercress " , it has a wonderful taste. It's not hairy or bitter to me , I'll be adding the leaves to my salads this Spring. I would encourage you to try it , if it grows in your area. But please make sure you study and properly i.d. any plant before eating.

~ Greenest Blessings ~
JoyceAnn

First Herb Walk in 2011 ......................

I went on a herb walk yesterday , found a couple of plants I haven't been able to identify. Hope someone can help me i.d. the plant above and the one below. I think the plant above is some type of cress , it forms in a rosette , found it growing in the garden and the field. The center is a purplish-red color and it's blooms are white. Could it be spring cress ??

I found this little beauty growing in the woods. I'm not sure what it is , but it's lovely. Please let me know if you can identify this plant.


Yippee , the chickweed is growing. I'll be harvesting some soon.


~ Happy Herbal Blessings ~
JoyceAnn

Herbal Ally Challenge 5 / Dandelion Vinegar

We were to make a vinegar with our herbal ally this week. Since I've used up my dried dandelion leaves , I took a walk around the yard to see if I could find any early dandelion. I found 1 lonesome plant and foraged the best leaves. I do have frozen dandelion blossoms on hand , so I added the leaves and a few blossoms to make my herbal vinegar. I only made a 8 oz. jar , will make more as soon as the dandelion starts popping up , which should be next month. I've placed it in a dark cabinet and it will stay there for 3 weeks. I also made a dandelion blossom infusion , which I've been drinking the last 2 days. It has a mild pleasant taste alone and is delightful with a taste of honey.

~ Dandelion Blessings ~

JoyceAnn

Herbal Ally Challenge 3 and 4

I haven't drawn my dear friend dandelion this week , but I found an older drawing and a few of my favorite pics to share plus another tea recipe.

Dandelion Tea

8 Dandelion flowers

12 oz. boiling water

Honey to taste

Boil water ~ pour over flowers ~ steep 5 to 10 minutes

strain ~ add honey to taste ~ Enjoy !

Dandelion ~ Taraxacum officinale


Diuretic , Tonic , Stomachic , Aperient , Deobstrent

In other words ..........

Beneficial for urinary problems and urinary ulcers , obstructions of the liver , gallbladder and spleen , diseases of the biliary organs , rheumatism , digestive problems , sedative. Skin diseases such as eczema.

Other Uses

Sap from Stems ~ Is used to remove warts

Roots ~ Can be used to make a red dye

Leaves & Roots ~ Liquid Plant Food

Flowers ~ Beer and Wine

I'm looking forward to trying dandelion as a liquid plant food and making the red dye this Spring. I had never heard of using dandelion as a plant food before , found that to be very interesting.

~ Dandelion Blessings ~