Here Comes Sandy!

Here at The Essential Herbal, we've battened down the hatches to the best of our abilities and are prepared for this mega-storm barreling up the coast towards us.
I wanted to let our friends and customers know that we are pretty much expecting to lose power for some period of time within the next 24 to 36 hours, and will be unable to access the internet.  During that time, our website will accept orders, and you'll even get a confirmation email, but we will not see the order until the power returns.  As soon as things are back up and we're ready to ship, you will get another email from me to let you know.  On the other hand, everything may be just fine - you never know.  We're preparing for whatever may come.
So - shop at will, but know that it may be some time until it ships. 
Thanks for your patience, and stay safe and warm everyone.  We hope for the very best for all of our friends along the East Coast.

My Very Own Horseradish - first harvest

Several years ago a friend sent me horseradish roots.  I managed to kill them, although many say this is neigh on impossible.  Then in 2011 when horseradish was the herb of the year, it seemed fitting to plant some (again) and into the ground it went. 
This year, I was making some of that wild fire vinegar that goes by many names - Fire cider, Cyclone cider, Master Tonic - whatever.  It's filled with garlic, onions, some hot peppers, horseradish, and I also add about 1/4 - 1/5 raw honey.  This year, everything that went into the apple cider vinegar was homegrown or a gift from someone who grew it except a little turmeric.  A little bit of this stuff pretty much scares the viruses right out of you.  I really like that.

So anyhow... back to the horseradish.
Wait.  First I have to show you this cool shovel.  If you've ever found yourself hopping up onto the shovel to get it into the ground, and then hopping up again as if you're swinging from a playground pole and not making much headway to boot - this is a great shovel (made for women) that comes in 3 different lengths.  It is AWESOME and comes from Green Heron Tools - a small, women-owned business here in my home state of PA.

Okay, so out I go to dig up just a little bit of the root.  Pulled up two of the four crowns in no time and returned most of the roots to the ground because I didn't really need or want much right now.

I have to tell you that when asking the circle of herbies how to process horseradish, my friend Lou said that she dons (did she say gas mask?) eye protection and gloves, and takes the whole kit and kaboodle outside.  She's a hard working lady, so I really should have listened.  Really.  But no.  It's only a little, right?  Well grinding it in the kitchen made that area of the house a biohazard for about an hour while things settled down.  Smells good, but wickedly strong.  The oils in the fumes burn the eyes.  Outside next time!

Here's what's left after the rest went into the vinegar.  We're set for the year.

Cover Story, Essential Herbal Nov/Dec '12

For many years we did most of the covers in-house because not using color, we didn't feel it was a decent or fitting representation of the work of others.  With the addition of color covers a few years ago, the possibilities flew wide open and we've had many beautiful covers of original artwork.

This one is very special though.  This one includes the hands of several readers (and me) who have come to know the artist over the years, through the magazine and the email list.  I posted the cover yesterday.  Today I will share what Carey wrote about the inspiration for her work.  Reading it the first time brought me to tears as I realized that the vision, work, and dreams of the past decade were exactly what she painted.

About the Cover...

The idea for this drawing came to me one night when I was musing over possible images to paint for the TEH cover. The words, home-hearth-warm-love-nourishment-friends-sisters-healing-community, kept swirling around in my vision as I moved objects around on my table, attempting in vain to create a still life that I could sketch.

Then, all of sudden I saw us, all of us readers, gathered around a table, it was cold outside and we were all warmed by a fireplace. There was laughter that would suddenly erupt, and then silence as we listened to the wind howl beyond the walls and the fireplace snap behind us. I could smell the fireplace, and honeyed beeswax, and herbs, and coffee, of course the coffee. This was what I need to paint!

So, I asked a few of the terrific women with whom I've gotten to know because of this magazine, if they would be game for taking a picture of their hands around their favorite mug, at a table, and then send it to me. I was thrilled that they agreed.

So here they are, with a few liberties taken on the part of the artist, starting on the left, in the back row, going clockwise around the table: Betsy Stevens and mug, Tina Sams and mug, Maryanne Schwartz and mug, Rosanne Tartaro and mug, and Marci Tsohonis and mug that was made by her granddaughter. With the exception of Tina and Maryanne, who live right next door to each other, we are all sprinkled around the country. I love them all and many times wish we could all just gather around a table like this on a regular basis. I feel this way about the entire magazine, and especially the yahoo list, on which I've been especially quiet these last many months, but I look forward to the posts.

This magazine truly tells the story of what herbalism, to me, is about. It's about caring for others, adding to joy, shoring up health, or easing pain, and having the means to do so. It's about sharing the wisdom, comparing notes, humor, supporting each other, and weaving the beauty of these amazing plants into every nook and cranny of our lives.

May your winter days be full of love and warmth and loveliness and herbs.

Carey Jung (CareyJung.com)

In future days, I will share more about some of the articles inside and the advertisers who make it possible.  Have a good one!

Nov/Dec '12 issue - The Essential Herbal

Our latest issue has hit the mail, and will be reaching subscribers by the end of the month.  As usual, it is filled with an amazing array of seasonal herbal goodness.  We love each of the articles, as well as the fact that our readers are oftentimes writing for their fellow readers!  It is this generous sharing that makes Essential Herbal what it is.  This issue concludes 11 years of building this grassroots community of herbies, and we're thrilled to be headed into #12.
This issue's cover was painted by Carey Jung, and she wrote a beautiful column about how and why she chose this image.  We'll post that here tomorrow, so stop back :-)

This issue's cover was painted by Carey Jung, and she wrote a beautiful column about how and why she chose this image.  We'll post that here tomorrow, so stop back :-)

Table of Contents

Field Notes
It would seem that the more things change, the more things stay the same. 
   
About the Cover, Carey Jung
Carey tells how she came up with the concept for the cover and how it expresses her feelings about the magazine, the community that surrounds and supports it, and the people she's met through it.

Civil War: Conditions, Treatments & Botanicals, Jackie Johnson   
We tend not to think about the conditions of war, especially earlier wars.  Jackie gets into the nitty-gritty of germs, fevers, herbs that were used, and all of the things soldiers faced that were as bad as the enemy's  weapon.

Herb/Spice Bread Dough Wreath, Rita Richardson   
A fun decorative project to do alone or with kids.

Handmade Holidays, Kristin Henningsen   
Make some quick, easy, inexpensive holiday gifts with these recipes and instructions.

Herbal Ice Pops, Michael Blackmore
Michael did lots of experimentation during the summer, and came up with several outstanding ice pop recipes that will help keep the family healthy and happy.  You'll be coming up with your own pops in no time. The possibilities are endless.

Ginger Sore Throat Syrup, Marci Tsohonis
There are so many good reasons to have a good ginger syrup handy over the winter (well... all the time)!
   
Winter Remedies with Summer Herbs, Suzan T Scholl
Now that you've grown and gathered them, what to do?  What are they for? Ideas for the medicine cabinet abound.
   
Seasoning for the Season, Marcy Lautenan-Raleigh
Mmmm mmm!  Corn relish, purple basil jelly, lime mint slaw, and many other delectable delicacies.
   
Herbs for the Eating Season, Sandy Michelsen
Here it comes.  The Eating Season is upon us, and Sandy shares herbal remedies to offer relief.
   
Louisiana Lagniappe, Spiced Citrus & Cranberry Punch, Sarah Liberta   
A holiday beverage fit for entertaining yet still full of vibrant, healthy fruits and spices.

Oh Christmas Tree!, Marci Tsohonis
Memories of trees past have convinced Marci that only a real tree will do (so they grow their own) and that  scent inspires some wonderful pine/fir concoctions to soothe winter illnesses.
   
Rosemary … My Remembrance, Janice Kline   
For Janice, this dear herb of remembrance was more healing than she might have believed possible.

Yule Magic, Heddy Johannesen
Nature inspires these creations - incense, tree decorations, sachets, and a bath salt blend.
   
From the Vault, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
Is there any way we can get enough pumpkin at this time of year?
   
SouthRidge Treasures, Holiday Breads, Mary Ellen Wilcox   
Mary Ellen shares a lovely array of quickbreads that can be made ahead and frozen for gift-giving or to have  on hand through the winter.  Pumpkin, nutmeg, cardamom, dill, sour cream and cranberries are ingredients in  the various loaves.

Mama Elizabeth’s Baklava, Zan Asha   
Zan shares her mother's recipe for baklava!

From the Vault, Dilly Popovers   
These were deemed "like campaign speeches, full of hot air, but easier to stomach."

From the Vault, Honey Butter
One last quick, easy, yet luscious item to make for gifts or keeping to yourself.   

Now.  Aren't there a lot of things that have you wanting to go play in the herb closet just seeing the titles?  We think so too.  Wonderful culinary, medicinal, and decorative uses of herbs, enough to keep you busy right through til 2013!

A Day in the Life

If you are on Facebook, there's little doubt that you've seen the various interpretations of the meme that shows 6 different pictures with captions like:  what my friends think I do, what my customers think I do, what the neighbors think I do, etc., etc. and I know that I've mentioned how when we had our shop, we would hear so often, "I want to do this when I retire." 
Yesterday I kept my camera handy and took shots throughout the day (or my sister took them - depending on who had the least greasy hands at the time).  We have a lot of fun working together.  Our laughter very often makes people think we're just very lucky slackers who don't do much except put out a magazine (The Essential Herbal) and fabulous soap (Lancaster County Soapworks, Etc.) - both of which magically appear when we need them.  Most of the time we who work making products from natural ingredients - be they herbs, soap, bath and body products, whatever - post beautifully composed shots that make our lives look romantic and whimsical.  Sometimes lighting, costuming and props are involved.  But here it is - the reality, probably out of order ...

Before heading out, I photograph and post something on the business Facebook page to clarify an early post on the various things that we call amber.

Batches of soap we made the night before are unmolded and we set to work cutting them into bars.  Merlot is on the cutter here.

While Maryanne cuts, I stack the bars on shelves.  Those low shelves are tricky.  This is Lavender.

Completed orders are stacked on the shipping table to be packed.  A good eye will notice some cover artwork for the magazine in the background.

Orders being packed for shipping or delivery - depending on distance.

Box molds waiting to be cleaned from last night and refilled tonight.

Each bar of soap is trimmed to remove the sharp edges.

Lunch time - the mailbox at home holds a good bit of Essential Herbal mail to be handled.  I like to think I'm doing my part to keep the US Postal Service solvent.

Getting ready to melt fats for several runs (6 batches each) of soapmaking.  The 50 pound pails are tamed with a hand-truck and tools - like this pail opener.  Took us a couple of years of wrestling with these bad boys before we figured out how to work with them.  We were younger then.  Now we use the tools.

Maryanne setting up the oil melter and removing just the right amount of one of the oils to make the perfect blend.

Melted, blended oils rushing into one of the many single batch buckets we have lined up and ready to fill.

Wrapping, wrapping, wrapping. 

Mid-day and a rush order comes in.  We can squeeze it in.

Bottles lined up to be filled with "spritz" and lotions.

Hazelnut harvest break!  A little fresh air feels pretty good.

Filling the spritz bottles with base before adding the individual scents and affixing the spray tops.

Tub teas are blended and scooped into heat sealable teabags - then ironed, packed, and labeled.

There's more of course. We don't show the actual soapmaking, the dragging out of totes full of herbs to blend the tub teas, or the many other small tasks that make up many of our days. We have a beautiful life, let there be no doubt. Some days we even have bon-bons. This morning, we'll finish up the work that needs doing in the shop, and set out on deliveries - one of our favorite activities. Maybe I'll remember the camera.

Last Minute Leaf Gathering, Etc.

It started as a walk around the immediate yard and surrounding fields last evening as the sun was starting to set. 

Various seed pods, leaves, and flower petals hit the basket.

We keep a table of found seasonal pods, cones, nuts, grasses and such, which gives me a purpose on walks when the seasons change.

The seedpods from Balloon Flowers remind me baby birds waiting for a meal.

Before long, I was busy gleaning new growth on herbs that had been harvested a couple of weeks ago.

Lemon Verbena was cleanly harvested 2 weeks ago, but it wasn't done yet.

These will be used in the house over the winter rather than being blended into teas for others or distilled into hydrosols.  This final push as the light diminishes is clearly a gift for those of us out looking. 

The Passionflower vine was full of beautiful tendrils.  I gathered enough of them to attempt a small quantity of tincture made with only the tendrils, just to see how I like that.  2 ounces - just to play with.

The nettle sends out young shoots, there is a small harvest of fresh, new red clover, and the echinacea doesn't want to be forgotten, sending out a few stray blossoms.  At the same time, mushrooms are popping up and nestling in against tree trunks. 

The Turkey Tails are just starting to grow.  Soon they will be everywhere.

It is an interesting time out there, and today I will go further - into the woods to plant a couple paw paw trees that have been patiently waiting on the shady porch.

Paw paw trees ready to be planted.

Originally, the guy from Go Native (where I got them) suggested Halloween would be a perfect time to plant them on the creek bank, but I ran into him at the store the other day and he said that the weather is changing quickly and they should probably go in by mid-month.
Maryanne and I both need to harvest our comfrey.  We'll cut the best leaves and lay them out carefully on sheets covering most of the upstairs.  It takes a lot of space for a week or two, but the effort is entirely worth it.  The result is nearly emerald green dried comfrey for use in all of our herbal endeavors over the winter.

Regrowth of the harvested White Incense Sage.  We'll burn this one leaf at a time, while the previously harvested sage was grown specifically to be distilled for the hydrosol - our Liquid Smudge (on the website)

If you can, find a wild or diversely planted place to wander over the next few days.  Look at the changes and appreciate the offerings of the flora and fauna.  Here where the seasonal changes are so apparent, we don't have much more time to say goodbye for the year.

The final Lavender spikes and leaves of Rose Geranium along with a few Vitex berries (that still has lots of harvesting to come) sparkled when I tried to walk past them.

So long September, Welcome October!

Waking up this morning, my eyes flew open and my mind raced to determine what today's pressing requirements would be.  Generally speaking, I am one of those extremely fortunate people who work until tired, go to bed, and rise when the sun comes beaming through the window.
Lately though, there have been many mornings when the alarm clock has been pressed into service.  The Nov/Dec deadline for The Essential Herbal Magazine was on September 15th, and almost immediately upon that date we were also hit with a mountain of soap orders for my sister's wholesale company.  And the kid was preparing to move out of state.  And there were a couple of shows we'd signed up to do, and a few early morning trips to the train station for pick-ups and send-offs.
Don't get me wrong... we've been having a blast meeting our deadlines, pumping out soap, and delivering orders.  We love that stuff!  It's just been hectic.
Somewhere in there, Maryanne came down with some upper respiratory crud and I attempted to stay as far away from her coughing as possible.
She used a little elderberry - not enough.
Eventually she used the osha/elecampane syrup we shared on Mountain Rose Herbs' blog last week, so it's time to put another batch on for myself.  Why?  Because last night after every single one of our commitments were completed, I began to succumb to the creeping crud - but I'm going to fight it hard.  Somehow we nearly almost manage to hold it together and stay healthy until the moment comes when we can fall a little bit apart.  She was sickest during 2 days last week that were not critical. I don't know how we pull that off, but it's been that way ever since we went into business over 20 years ago.
I froze some concentrated elderberry juice this summer and last night took out a 1 cup bag to thaw.  A good glug of it last night and again this morning seems to be helping a lot, and I'll continue as long as needed.  In fact last night when my throat got that familiar warning ache, I took a chunk of the frozen juice and sucked on it while the rest thawed.  Now I think that next year I will find a smallish ice cube tray and make them up just to be able to do that regularly.

By the way, we have decided to cancel our fall classes, so I'll be placing calls later this afternoon.  There hasn't been enough interest for us to give up the next 6 weeks of weekends, so we're taking them back :-)
Who knows - there's an herb conference this coming weekend, the AHG conference in the end of the month, and all sorts of local agricultural faires and seasonal celebrations to attend if we so desire.  Wow - imagine!  Maybe we'll just have fun!

I sure don't mind waving goodbye to the last month, and it looks like October will be a great time.

Mountain Rose Herbs and The Essential Herbal Magazine giveaway!

Check it out, folks!
Visit the Mountain Rose Herbs Blog and get all the details.  You can enter to win all the ingredients for a winter cough syrup recipe I use here at home a lot AND a year's subscription to The Essential Herbal Magazine.

I snitched this picture from their blog to whet your whistle...

Don't wait too long, the contest is over on Oct 2nd, so hop on over to their blog and find out how to enter.  Now!  Go on, Scoot!!!

Women Herbalists: Lydia Pinkham

Women Herbalists:  Lydia Pinkham

The Essential Herbal (www.essentialherbal.com) Mar/Apr ‘12

While Lydia Pinkham might not be at the top of the list as a famous female herbalist, I think she appeals to me so much because of business savvy and because her business began as a family enterprise.  Her Vegetable Compound continues to be produced today.

Lydia Pinkham lived from 1819-1883 in Lynn, MA.  To better understand her success it helps to have a little bit of background on the medical history of that time.   The beginning of the century medicine was in a “heroic phase” of purging, bloodletting, and blistering.  This was the common treatment form everything from pneumonia, hernia, to amenorrhea.  Emetics, leeches, lancets, harsh purgatives were all used with a free hand for any ailment.   And then in addition was calomel (chloride of mercury) a powerful cathartic.  Therapeutically useless calomel broke down the intestines into a virulent mercurial poison.  It produced a violent laxative effect and profuse salivation as the body continued to rid itself of the drug.   Continued use lead to softening of the gums and mucus membranes and loss of teeth.  These treatments continued through to the middle of the century and into the end of the century by older docs.

In addition to purging, puking and bleeding, Doctors of the time were creating an anxiety within women of the weakness of their sex.   The concept of the delicate wife or the woman taking to her couch with the vapors was played upon. Menstruation was seen as an infirmity.   In addition physician’s odd treatments of prolapsed uterus, leucorrhea, menstrual pains or menopause lead women to feel they had little to gain with a visit to the regular doctor.  

As people were gaining a mistrust of “regular” doctors, other medical theories were being developed.  Samuel Graham (of Graham bread and crackers) was lecturing on diet. Thompson studied with a local yarb and root doctor and learned of Lobelia inflata, Indian tobacco, leading to his theories of disease “heat is life, cold is death” and his Thomsonian School of medicine.  Then Hahnemann came with his theories of “infinitesimal dose” and his homeopathy school.  

 Lydia Pinkham began selling her compound in an era marked by medical controversy, public dissatisfaction with the medical profession and an obsessive concern with woman’s weakness.    Lydia Pinkham had been making her compound for years and giving it to friends and neighbors.   Her family had the idea to sell the Vegetable Compound when her husband a speculative business man hit financial ruin in the “Panic of 1873”.  It was a true family business sons working on promotion and advertising, daughter turning over her paycheck to underwrite the business, Lydia did the manufacturing and so the business of  “Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound” began.

Promotions began with circulating flyers door to door in small towns and larger cities.  The return on the investment of the printing and time spent circulating was not worthwhile so the Mrs. Pinkham bravely took out a four page ad in the Boston Herald for close to $900.00.    Sales soared!  The company continued to print advertising in newspapers and magazines, hiring agents and eventually having an in house advertising agent for over 60 years. The advertising expenditures for 1900 were over $770,000!   The company also produced a variety of booklets on such topics as Home Dressmaking or War time Cook and Health Book as cleverly camouflaged advertising.  In 1920, 11 million booklets were printed and the company built their own printing press to do so.  Part of the advertising campaign encouraged woman to write for help with their health.  Advertising that “Mrs. Pinkham regards every letter as a Sacred Message” and that “No man will ever see your letter”, thousands upon thousands of letters were received and a bevy of young women hired to write standardized responses.

The company certainly went through its share of problems through its 100 year history.  By 1905 a steady barrage of criticisms were being leveled at patent medicines hurt business.  Major magazines such as Ladies Home Journal and Colliers were printing articles with such titles as “The Great American Fraud”.  Patent Medicine Counterfeiters were fairly common to the industry.  The Passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1911, whose slogan “Let the Label Tell” required proprietary medicines to list ingredients which cut down on quackery.  While the Vegetable Compound needed to change its labeling and its healing claims, this led to an era of prosperity for the company.  Family squabbles occurred and in the 1930’s-1940’s, with all of the original family deceased, there were numerous court battles among the cousins for control of the company.   The 1940’s changes were brought on by the Federal Trade Commission, American Medical Association and the FDA, the company adapted and complied. 

In 1950, sales hit below the two million dollar mark for the first time in a decade.  Lydia Pinkham was now an old woman in old fashioned clothes.   Druggist’s described the consumer of the Vegetable Compound as well over 30, mature, less educated and in the south or cities often Black.  The company created a fictitious and modern Ann Pinkham but in the end did not respond astutely enough to changing times.  In 1968 the company was sold to Cooper Labs and moved out of the country.

In 1980, when I first began giving garden tours in the herb gardens of The Rosemary House, when I spoke of pleurisy root as one of the ingredients in Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound invariably there would be a woman say “a baby in every bottle” a carry over from one of their stronger advertising campaigns.  Now, at the mention of Lydia Pinkham I am faced with blank stares.  While today it seems easier to find a bottle of her Vegetable Compound in an antique store then in a pharmacy, I still admire the woman behind the compound for her shrew business sense and for her willingness to talk about female issues honestly and forthrightly.

The original formula of Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound   was based on John King’s American Dispensary.

For 100 pints:

8 oz Unicorn Root (Aletris farinose)

6 oz Life Root (Senecio aureus)

6 oz Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)

12 oz Pluerisy Root (Asclepias tuerosa)

12 oz Fenugreek Seed (Foenum graceum)

Suspended in alcohol

Susanna Reppert Brill, The Rosemary House, Mechanicsburg PA

 www.TheRosemaryHouse.com

Equinox

The official end of summer is here, but we've been feeling it for a few weeks now.  Flowers have given way to seeds or fruit, with only a few stragglers like the flowers of the sunchokes, the stray fall spikes of lavender, complementing the sprays of goldenrod, fireweed, asters and Joe Pye weed in the meadows.  This year there was barely any blue vervain.  Elderberries suffered because of the drought, and for some reason the early summer harvest of lavender was lacking.
I'm trying to balance the feelings of sadness at watching another growing season fade with the relief of being able to rest for a few months.  While I have lots of friends who feel that named days are just another day, something like an Equinox is an opportunity for me to think about what is in or out of balance in life.
We're meandering along, trying to find a little more time for doing our favorite things like writing, walking in the woods, and playing in the gardens.
Work is the major part of life here on the farm, but we have all managed to make it about things that we love, so it seems more like play.  We often start early in the morning and continue well past dinner - sometimes until we fall into bed.  Our children are now struggling to find ways to live their lives similarly, doing things they love well enough to make a living while enjoying enough to perhaps put in 18 hour days and still want to continue.  We learned it by putting those hours in for others before figuring out that we'd prefer to do it for ourselves.  I hope the kids don't need to do that, but it might be necessary.
Lately we've been pulling back from some of the extraneous things, trying to put aside some time for fun.  Right now we're racing against the calendar, trying to find a few days to go to the beach for a few days before it gets too cold.  It's been many years since my sister and I took a few days that didn't include a speaking engagement somewhere along the way.  If you travel for business, you know that it's tough to enjoy the trip as anything resembling a vacation.  Usually, it's just trying to get where you need to be on time, and then scooting back home to catch up on what piled onto the work tables while you were gone.  We've enjoyed speaking to 100's of groups over the years, criss-crossing the country on wild road trips (pre-GPS, lol).  We've cut back to about 3 shows that we really enjoy each year.  That feels about right.  It would be nice to be able to go as participants for a change...
Another thing about balance is fitting in the needs of others while still taking care of ourselves.  We're thinking that the current fall schedule of classes will be our last - and we're not completely sure we'll be doing these.  Each year people ask for classes, and we schedule them, but they just don't seem to work out time-wise for enough people to make it worthwhile.
To be honest, we won't be sad to let them go.  Both of our businesses (the magazine and the wholesale soap) have crazy schedules that can blow up overnight.  We may think we've got everything under control and then wake up to find that we've been slammed with orders while we slept.  That's a great thing, but it makes classes difficult, working around that kind of craziness.  We're thinking that after working to build our businesses all these years, maybe it's time to stop trying to do "everything" and concentrate on the things we do best and enjoy the most.

So we'll see.  We always have a hard time letting things go.  Well *I* do.  Maryanne doesn't, but she lets me drag them back into the schedule without too much squawking.  Who knows how things will shake out?
I hope you give some thoughts to balance on this Equinox too. 
We burned out pretty hard in 2000 from doing too many different things, and know that the magazine and the soap are our top priorities - and having some fun.

Rose Hip Jelly

From The Essential Herbal Magazine Nov/Dec '11

Pure Rose Hip Jelly Recipe

by Twyla DiGangi


Rose hips are the ‘fruit’ of the rose plant. They appear late in the summer and stay on the bush the entire winter.

Wild roses (Rosa spp.) have been used for a wide variety of uses through the ages. The entire plant is both medicinal as well as a natural source of food. The petals can be added to salads, or eaten on their own as a trail snack. The petals also make a nice natural band-aid for minor cuts when camping or hiking. The root is used to treat diarrhea, flu, dysentery, and worms. Decoction of the root and leaves makes a wonderful cleanser for your system. The entire plant can be used as a wash for wounds and injuries. Roses and the hips are high in vitamin C, E, B, and K as well as a good source of beta-carotene. This makes them a very nourishing meal that is highly nutritious. The spring shoots can be stripped and eaten raw.

Medicinal Uses of Rose Hips
During World War II importing oranges became impossible for a lot of different countries. British soldiers would gather rose hips by the hundreds because of their high vitamin C content. They would make syrups and jellies to keep away scurvy. Three rose hips have the same vitamin C content as one large orange.
The seeds of the rose hips were sometimes cooked by some native groups. They were then used to treat muscular pain. The fibers in the seeds have been known to irritate the digestive tract. They also have a cyanide-like compound that is destroyed by drying or cooking, making the rose hips safe for consumption.

Using Rose Hips for Food
Rose hips can be added to stews, teas, made into pemmican, jams, and jellies. It is better to collect rose hips after the first frost. This makes them even sweeter as well and softens them a bit. Collect on a sunny day after the morning dew has evaporated.  Make sure to cook or dehydrate rose hips before eating them.

Recipe for Pure Rose Hip Jelly

You can collect rose hips even in the middle of winter to make jelly all winter long. Take extra care if harvesting in the winter and dress for the cold weather. The rose hips will be very soft after you get them home and they begin to thaw out.  Always make sure that the plants haven’t been sprayed with pesticides.


16 cups (4 quarts) ripe rose hips
8 cups (2 quarts) water
2 packages of pectin powder
5 cups of sugar
½ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon margarine (optional, will reduce foaming of the jelly)

After you have cleaned your rose hips and removed the tops put them in a large stainless steel pot. Pour the water over them and bring to a simmer. Let them simmer until soft. It will take about an hour. Remove from heat and with a potato masher mash the rose hips up a bit. Strain it all through a jelly bag or large piece of cheesecloth until you get 4 cups of rose hip juice.

In pot add rose hip juice, lemon juice, the two packages of pectin and the margarine. Stir until well combined and bring to a boil. Add your sugar and mix well. Return mixture to a boil that can’t be stirred down. Stir constantly for one minute and then remove from heat.

Ladle into sterilized jars. If you are going to process the jelly in a water bath canner process for 10 minutes. Let the jars sit for 24 hours without disturbing them. Label and put your jelly away.

This jelly is filled with vitamin C making it a healing agent to help boost the immune system, as well as a nutritious jelly for sandwiches or toast.

"Parts" in a Recipe?

Measuring in “Parts”

Tina Sams

The Essential Herbal, Sept/Oct '10

Often people have a difficult time converting recipes from “parts” into a more familiar standard of measurement.  Once it is understood, it is a very freeing way of communicating a recipe.  I generally assume that parts refers to measurement by volume, but it can also refer to weight in some cases.

Let’s take a recipe for an herbal tea blend:

2 parts chamomile

1 part raspberry leaf

½ part peppermint

If we exchange the word part(s) with cup(s), the recipe would translate to:

2 cups chamomile

1 cup raspberry leaf

½ cup peppermint

But perhaps we would like to only make a small amount in order to see if we like it.  In that case, we could exchange part(s) for teaspoon(s), translating to:

2 t chamomile

1 t raspberry leaf

½ t peppermint

In this way, a part can be any type of container which is then used as a unit of measurement.  Shot glass, Dixie cup, quart deli container, gallon, 5 gal bucket, bushel, barrel, truckload  – anything at all!

This works for dried herbs, liquids, and just about anything that one would like to blend.

In the recipe given above, exchanging “part” for “pound” (or other weight unit) is not appropriate because a pound of peppermint is smaller in volume than the chamomile or raspberry leaf.  When we create a formula that we intent to use parts by weight, we note that specifically when writing the recipe down.

New! Elderberry e-book!

 An Elder Gathering

What do you get when you gather 6 herb women with a combined experience of nearly 150 years?  A lot of great information, that's what!

For the last month, we've been working together, choosing recipes, sharing methods, and thinking about how much we love elderflowers and berries, and even learning from each other.  We're very happy with the results.  Condensed into 40 pages, the e-book is available for just $5.
Purchase it today and use the information and recipes for your elderberries right now!
Link to purchase:    http://www.essentialherbal.com/category/BOOKS-DVDS-3

Pineapple core - dried

Over the past few months, I have been eating pineapple a lot.  It started when we dropped grains and sugar from our diet here.  It's always easier to take something away if it is replaced with more variety in what will become regular.  So instead of starchy, sugary snack-y stuff, I chose some fruits and foods that wouldn't typically have been affordable.  It's was a good trade-off, and fresh pineapples landed on the counter at least once a week.
A happy side effect came from the bromelain, an enzyme that decreases inflammation.  People often notice relief from joint pain and arthritis when taking bromelain, and that was true for me too.  I also noticed another side effect in the easing of gastro-intestinal symptoms I've been working on through diet.  The core has more bromelain than the fleshy fruit portion, and it seems like there has to be a way to preserve them. 
I have chopped up a couple of cores and have them soaking in vodka.  Pulling a slice out one evening in an attempt to stave off stomach problems worked, but woo boy - very potent to chew.
Today I decided to dry the core in the oven.
 

 

  First I sliced it very finely into small pieces, and laid them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
They went into the oven on the lowest setting (Warm) and I left to do some work for a few hours.
When I returned, they were done. 
They taste just like small pieces of pineapple flavored candy.
Never again will a pineapple core go to waste!  These would be worth drying even if it was just for the deliciousness, never mind the health benefits.

To fix things, or not

I spend a lot of time thinking about how connected everyone is these days.  Not necessarily to each other, but to devices of communication.  Even in my own home, there are times when several people are "together", but some of them will be engaged in a conversation of texts or emails while attempting to be present.
The thing that has really made me think about it a lot lately is the fact that a storm knocked out the answering machine on my phone a couple of months ago.  I don't use a cell phone unless traveling, so at least when outside I am free.
At first, I mentally planned how to fix it and it would seriously take about 3 minutes of wire wrangling, yet it hasn't happened yet.  "Oh no!" I thought, "How will people leave a message?"  And still I don't fix it.
I get a little guff now and then for not having a telephone number on the web site.  We're 11 years in, and email has worked out pretty well so far.  The typical business-like reasons are that I am not available during regular hours, not willing to handle phone calls at all hours, and at one time there was a teenager with an unpredictable attitude.  Perhaps anymore, the fact is that I just can't think on my feet anymore.  I'm USED to being able to give responses some thought, look on the calendar, check back on prior communications, or whatever it might take to sound like the system here (and my mind) is intact.
Throughout my childhood, well into adolescence, my mother was bound to the front portion of our home 24/7.  Extensions from over 40 businesses rang on a switchboard, and she took messages for all of them.  She tracked down doctors, got emergency fuel deliveries taken care of, and pretty much juggled the problems of 100's of people a day.  She rarely ventured outside, even after an outdoor ringer was installed.  It wasn't worth the hassle.  I started helping out with the phones at the age of nine.  Really.  Later, after that was sold and she went to work for someone else, at 14 I went to work on a bigger answering service with over 200 businesses, a few police departments, an alarm company, a Western Union office, and the first FAX line in the county.  2 people worked at a time, and it was ... um... fun.  Afterwards I went on to be a police dispatcher with the county, where I learned the true meaning of the word emergency, and also how very many of them occur during an 8 hour shift.
So over the course of the last couple of months, I've realized the reason for my resistance to doing anything about the fried message machine.  It is so much easier.  There are probably fewer people who remember than those who don't, but there was a time when you could be alone.  At one time, if the phone rang and nobody answered, that was that.  No messages.  No guilt about getting back to anyone.  The caller could try later, or go ahead and live their life, perhaps checking in the next day.  You could go on a hike and never talk to anyone except the person physically walking beside you, or maybe your dog. 
Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I'll probably fix the phone in a few days.  But always, I'm easier to reach by email :-)

Mid-Autumn Fruit Splurge

This year, the fig tree has grown large enough to be supplying me with a bounty that is finally pushing me to try different things with them, rather than simply plucking them off the tree and eating them while standing in the yard.  They are full of so many good things.  Fiber, potassium, vitamin K, calcium and iron, for starters. 
Earlier this year, I found a recipe for Vanilla Fig Bars and waited patiently.  I made it the other night and it was very good (I added a touch of honey from my friend Zan's bees).  The only thing is, I can never just leave a recipe alone.  Eating one of those bars, I kept thinking how good that chock-full of health cookie base of almonds, coconut and figs would be used as a crust for a tart of some sort.
And so today, in order to step away from some of the less than savory bits of news coming across the computer, it became a reality.  No eggs, dairy, or grains used.  No baking.  Just perfection.

The recipe for the fruit topping was just a conglomeration of what happens to be on my counter at the moment:
1 cup of fresh ripe elderberries
1 cup sweet ripe figs
1 large juicy peach
about a tablespoon of grated ginger
3 tablespoons of rich, dark honey
1/4 cup sugar
These were all set to simmer until it became a luscious, bubbling, fragrant mass - about 15 minutes .

In the meantime, I put together the crust.  Using fresh figs with the coconut and almond makes the whole thing turn out looking just a little bit more like ham salad than I'd like, but that fades a bit as it sets up.  It holds together exceptionally well.

At the very last minute, I added about 1/4 cup of coconut flour to the fruit mixture, just to help it thicken.  It was taken off the heat for 10 minutes, and then spread over the crust.  It is wonderful!  Absolutely delicious, and while it is nowhere near low-calorie, it is full of things that are good for us.

I suspect my daughter will top it off with a dollop of yogurt with a smidge of honey.

The Essential Herbal Sept/Oct '12

 We've been a little absent on the blog lately, but it isn't for lack of activity!  All kinds of busy here on the farm, with harvesting, preserving, maintaining, and of course the magazine and soap businesses keeping us stepping.
The Sept/Oct '12 issue is headed out to subscribers now, and should be arriving in the next 2 weeks.  If you'd like to join in the fun, subscribe!  We've got plenty.  Not sure?  Click on the free issue along the right sidebar of this blog and check it out without risk. 
Here's what you'll find in the current issue:

Field Notes

During childhood, we establish our relationship with nature. Are we still playing and sharing that with the kids in our lives?

Herbal Connections, Winter Herbs, Marita A Orr

Getting our herbs lined up for the winter ahead, Marita shares her favorites and methods for use.

Grooming & Pruning Herb Plants, Michele Brown

The Herbfarmer gives advice for keeping our herbs in good shape to face the weather ahead so that they’ll be ready to spring into action as soon as the warmth and light return.

Seasonal Support, Suzan T Scholl

Lots of great herbs to have on hand, and now is the time to gather them.

From the Vault, Secrets of the Scented Bead, Carol Huettner

You may be very surprised to learn how myrrh beads and aromatic amber resin are created. It probably isn’t anything like what you expected.

Medicinal Vinegar Tinctures, Marci Lautanen-Raleigh

Alcohol-free medicinal herbal extracts in a base that is good for you? Read on!

SouthRidge Treasures, Pesto, Mary Ellen Wilcox

Look out basil, Mary Ellen is taking pesto far beyond the usual.

Mullein the Great, Marci Tsohonis

This common roadside weed has so much to offer. Like so many plants that we pass daily, it is worth a much closer look.

Autumn Magic, Heddy Johannsen

Welcome the season by celebrating the offerings of nature in the kitchen. Cider making without a press? Hmmm…

Oatmeal—Food as Medicine, TEH Compilation

We know about oatstraw and milky oatseeds as herbal preparations, but sometimes forget that it can be much simpler and we can incorporate the same benefits in delicious every day dishes.

How to Dehydrate Lemons, Delores Harris

Dehydrated citrus can be utilized in many ways over the holidays. Great instructions for excellent results.

Pumpkin, TEH Compilation

Is it the pumpkin, the spice combination, the delicious health benefits of deep orange foods, or the seasonal connection? All of the above? We love pumpkin in just about everything.

Take Three Weeds, Sharon Wolfe Topsick

Teachings from an elder.

What is an Herbalist, Jackie Johnson, ND

Do you ever wonder about this title and what it means?

Herban Legends, Rita Richardson

Old wives’ tales? Maybe, maybe not, but interesting either way.

 

We're sure you're going to love this issue as much as we do.

Drying Elderberries

Right now, we only have a small quantity of berries ready for drying.  Later, we'll have huge flats of screens out, but for now this is my favorite method and it works for just about anything you'd want to air-dry.

Most everyone has some of these paper plate holders around the house.  We rarely use paper plates, but the holders have become something that we use almost daily from the moment the first spring greens show up until the very end of autumn.

The berries can be heaped on the plate to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.  They will quickly dry down and separate, and I've never had any spoilage.  The same can be said for most flowers or leaves.  There is a lot of circulation, and open baskets are great for drying. 

After a couple of days the berries are starting to look like tiny raisins, and they will continue to dry for a week or more, depending on the temperature and humidity.

When they have completely dried, keep them in a sealed container in a cool, dry place and you'll have plenty to get through the winter!

Treasure from the Storm

We had a gully-washer last night, and a lot of branches broke.  We didn't notice any problem on any of our trees around the house, and I was very relieved to not lose any elderberry branches.  They usually are the first to go in high winds, being so heavily weighted by fruit.
This evening my daughter and I wandered around the tree farm a little bit.  We were about to go visit the puppies at my sister's when we came upon some mimosa branches that had come down in the storm.

We quickly set to work and soon found that a basket was needed, so Molly ran down to the workshop while I continued working in the quickly dwindling light.
The inner bark of mimosa feels so slick and emollient.  The wood beneath is as white as bones.  The bark came off easily in long straps, and we stuffed a large market basket with our treasure.

The bark and flowers of the mimosa tree are both considered to be extremely helpful for grief and sadness, and I have personally found this to be true during several intense situations over the past few years.  The easiest way to describe its action is to say that it pushes the gray clouds away and allows the mind to stop focusing entirely on the sadness.  It is also a wonderful herb to have on hand for winter blahs or times when I just want to cheer up a little bit because life is too serious.

In the past, I've dried the flowers, but they are very labor intensive and an overflowing basket dries down to a few cups of material.  It takes weeks of harvesting (and a few bee stings) to obtain a 1/2 gallon jar.  This year I didn't dry any, instead making tincture with the fresh flowers only.

On the other hand, the bark dries beautifully and retains the components better and for a longer time.  Every year I find a few small branches, but can't bring myself to cut a larger branch.  Usually I wind up with a cup or so of dried bark.  The bark is unusual in that the outer bark is almost paper thin (on branches - it's thick on the main trunks) and the inner bark is fairly thick.  This will make a great addition to winter teas, and some of it will go into the jars of flower tincture that I started a couple of weeks ago.
To read a little more about mimosa:

 https://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com/2009/07/happiness-herb-s.html

https://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com/2010/01/got-stress.html