Fun With Slippery Elm

I went for a walk today and if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was spring.  Yes, it's still a little cold in my neck of the woods, but the sun is out, the robins are digging for worms, crocuses are in bloom and I actually have my window open a crack!  Whoa.

I ran some errands with Mr. X, visited some friends and came home to make some Slippery Elm balls.  Slippery Elm is a fabulous tree that grows here in North America and has some pretty fantastic properties.  I'm currently using the powered form of this tree, which is made from the inner bark.  What makes Slippery Elm so special is that it helps coat everything, soothing sore throats, coughing, bronchitis and your G.I. tract.  This is especially helpful for those suffering from asthma and digestive tract problems (like IBS or Crohns.)  Some people refer to this as "buffering."  So, the elm buffers the intestine or the throat and protects it, giving the body a chance to heal.  It also helps break up all the mucus stuck in your throat or bronchi and helps you to cough it up.
Slippery Elm contains all kinds of great things like sodium, potassium, calcium, iron, selenium, iodine, copper, zinc, phosphorus, bromine manganese and vitamin E. 
In addition to the balls that I made (or lozenges if you wish) you can also make a pretty tasty tea using the powdered herb if you are battling the flu/cold, or if you have an upset stomach.

To make the balls you'll need about and ounce and a half of loose slippery elm powder and some local honey.  As well as a couple bowls, spoons and apron - you are going to get a little messy.

My honey came from Mr. X's dad :)

Put one ounce of the slippery elm in a bowl and mix with honey to for a paste.  I found drizzling the honey over the elm and mixing it in was the most effective way to not over do it and add too much honey.

I wouldn't even really call this a "paste."  It's more like a really, really, really soft dough.
Next, just grab a small amount (like a "pinch" size) and roll it in your fingers.  Remember that 1/2 ounce of slippery elm powder you still have?  Dump that in a bowl, drop your pinch of dough into it and roll it around to coat it more.  Roll it in your palm to make a ball.  Ta da!

This is what they look like finished.  I stored them in an air tight container and tossed in the rest of the powdered elm to keep them from sticking together.  According to Susun Weed, these will keep for up to 10 years.  I only made a couple dozen, so I don't think they will last that long. 
The Slippery Elm kind of reminds me of a really mild cinnamon.  I would recommend taking these when you feel like you are starting to get a cold, if you have a sore or irritated throat or just because they taste yummy :)

To make the tea, pour a cup of boiling water over 1 T. of slippery elm powder.  Add a couple ounces of milk of your choice ( I prefer almond) and some sweetener.  If you are feeling crazy, you could add some cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cocoa, whatever you feel like.  This tea is good for an upset stomach, a cough, or just as an over all "buffer" to coat everything and help it run smoothly. 
If you try either of these recipes, let me know what you think!

I taught my first class last night and it was wonderful.  I was a little nervous, but I don't know that anybody noticed.  Everybody asked lots of great questions (and I was stoked I was able to answer all of them!).  We sampled some nettle and red clover infusion, I showed them how to make an infusion and everybody got to take home some red raspberry leaf to make their own.  I loved coming home home afterwards as a teacher.  I had a class.  I'm a teacher.  It was pretty special.  I have another class next month, and people are already inquiring about May.  I think I might take May off so I can prepare for the up coming farmer's market season and the weed walks I would like to do this summer.  But the jury is still out.  I also found out this week that I was accepted to be a vendor for EcoCle, as well as Cleveland Flea (both of which are happening in April.)  So, I'll be mighty busy.  I'm so full of excitement and gratitude right now I could burst.

Sprouts!

So, the seeds that I started last week?  I already had to move most of them (36 to be exact) to larger homes today because they not only sprouted, but they are all over 2 inches high!  Spring can't come fast enough!

Here are most of them, hanging out in the window along with the newest edition to my household, Iggy the Russian Tortoise!  He will be hanging out with us for next several months while his owners travel with the Kelly-Miller Circus.  No, really, his owners have run away with the circus.

Iggy was being camera shy. 


I figured since Iggy has a UV light and a heat lamp, the seedlings would appreciate sharing space with him.

I ended up leaving work early today due to wicked sinus pressure, so I've spent the afternoon sipping coffee and going over my gardening notes from last year and getting things in order for this year.  With moving on hold for one my year (I hope) I'll be gardening in my back yard as well as two 10x10 community plots with a couple friends.  Not only will we be gardening quite a bit of space, but we will have a table at this year's LEAF (Lakewood Earth And Food) CSA pick up, where we will be selling our extra produce, canned jams, jellies, pickles and baked goods!  Along with maybe some handmade awesome.  I'm quite looking forward to this summer.  More so with this rainy, gloomy weather we've been having.  Give it up Old Man Winter and let spring shine!

Have you started your seeds yet?  What will you be growing this summer?

My Day Off

Finally, I have a day off.  It's barely 2:30pm, and I've gotten so much done.  I love productive days off!  I had a massage appointment at 10am because my back has been screwed up these past few weeks.  Nothing too serious, but I started to get this weird "warm" feeling on my side, kinda like I was holding a lit match to my side.  So I figured either I had a pinched nerve, or I was in the beginning stages of Spontaneous Human Combustion.  I'm still here, so I'm going to with a pinched nerve. 

Because I had the appointment at 10, I got up early so I could get my house cleaned before I needed to leave.  I also felt a lot better because I had a clean house, so I was able to relax.  I ran a few errands afterwards, picked up some sushi and came home.  The weather here has been crazy today.  It was dark and overcast all morning, then it started snowing something fierce and now the sun keeps coming out and the snow has pretty much melted.  It looks like spring outside, but it's FREEZING.  Since we had Daylight Savings Time on Sunday I'm definitely feeling like its spring, even though the equinox isn't until next Weds (when I'll be teaching my Herbal Infusions class!).  To get me more in the mood, I started my seeds today!  Tomato, Kale and Pepper!

Since I had my camera out, I figured I would snap some pictures around my house.

These are the flowers my partner, who has asked to refer to him as Mr. X, sent me at work Monday. :)

This is Roxy.  She's 13, believe it or not.

This is Ernie, the box turtle, taking a stroll through the kitchen and enjoying the sunshine. 

And, last but not least, here is my Red Clover infusion, steeping in the sunshine for later.
There are still a few spots left for the Herbal Infusions class for April 17 if you are interested.  I also will begin doing some Weed Walks in June!

My Green Ally

Last summer was when my interest in herbal/green medicine really took off;  I had stumbled upon Susun Weed (a very well known herbalist) and her weekly e-zine.  Every week she would take pictures of what was growing around her and give a little description of each plant and include a recipe or two at the end of the newsletter.  This newsletter (in part because she is based out of the Catskills, so the plants she experiences are the same one's we have here in Cleveland) was really the inspiration to go out into my yard and learn the names and uses of every green thing growing in my yard that I hadn't planted myself.  It happened slowly, as each week new plants would be sprouting up, or blooming, so I was never over-whelmed.  And it was quite exciting to finally learn the name of some of the lowly plants in the corners of my yard that always seemed to be there,but I had no idea what they were.  One plant in particular that drew my attention was Plantain (Plantago major).  I'm sure (positive, even) that you have this growing in your yard or driveway.  It lies quite flat with the Earth and sends up very tall and thin flower stalks.  The flower stalks are tall and thin too, with very tiny white flowers.  It lays so flat, it's almost impossible to mow down and the flower stalks like to spring back up as soon as you've passed over them with said mower.  There are in fact, two common types of plantain.  The broad leaf species and the narrow (or lance) leaf species.  I've used both in the same manner as the lance leaf is more common at my house.

This is the lance-leaf species.

And this is the broad leaf species.

This plant is most commonly associated with first aid as it makes a great fresh poultice to counter bee stings, poison ivy, insect bites and cuts.  I used it for the first time last year when I was stung on the foot by a bee.  I immediately picked some plantain, chewed it up to make a poultice and applied it to my sting (after removing the stinger of course.)  The pain abated rather quickly. In the fall I went out and harvested a bunch to dry so I would have it during the winter months.  The few times I've cut myself in the kitchen, I've made a dried plantain poultice for my cut.  It always heals quite quickly.

I've had an affinity for plantain, but never really followed up on it in anyway, because, well, it's plantain.  It's plain and boring and all over the place.  Most books (on wild edibles and green medicine) will rave about stinging nettle, red clover, chickweed etc.... but plantain always seems to be relegated to the after thoughts.  At least in my research. 

When my materials for my class arrived last week, I was informed that one of the first things I need to do is pick a "green ally."  This is going to be the plant that I study most intensely, that I spend lots of time with and get to know inside and out.  Through this plant, I will ultimately learn about all the other plants.  Well, this is not some easy, fly by night, randomly open an herb book to any page and and pick a plant kind of thing.  If this is going to be the be-all-end-all plant of all plants that I am going to focus on, it better be a good one.  Of course, nothing was really clicking and or appealing to me. Aloe? No. Red Raspberry? No.  I want something that I have ready access to, that no matter where I am, I can find it.   I've spent the last few nights reading and re-reading my books, looking at pictures, going outside in the snow and cold and all the while, a little voice in the back of my head kept saying "plantain, plantain"....and I ignored it.  Until yesterday.
My friend sent me a link to a blog/ podcast called http://www.abouthyme.com/podcasts/plantain.shtml
The link specifically took me to her web page on, you guessed it, plantain.  Well, that seals it.  My, official green ally is Miss Plantain.  I'm pretty confident and excited in my choice and I'm looking forward to all that she has to teach me.  It's amazing how the Universe works.
Happy Saturday!

This past week has been pretty thrilling - for me anyways.  And I say this past week like it's Sunday, when in reality it's only Weds, but because I worked 5 days in a row and today is the second of my two consecutive days off, it's technically like my Sunday. That being said, I wish I still had a couple more days off, I'm not ready to go back yet.

My "welcome" packet for my herb class came in the mail yesterday.  I'll admit, I squeed.  Now I get to pick out the additional books and A/V items I would like.  I'm also in love with the idea of corresponding via snail mail.  I don't know what it is about it exactly, hand written letters, notes and experiments to be mailed off to be read by my teacher, evaluated and then a response mailed back.  It's almost like pen-pals.  While I don't eschew technology entirely (I am using a laptop...) I still own a flip phone, my digital camera is about 4 years old and I'd rather read a paper book than a digital one; so physically writing to someone is quite thrilling to me.  Nobody does that anymore.

I also learned that my Herbal Infusions class sold out, so I had to add another one for April (if you are interested in the April class, the link can be found in my previous post for more information).  I was floored when I found that out.  I can't wait to teach others about using herbs and adding them into their daily routine.  I'm hoping everybody who signed up get's a lot of it.  I also hope I don't talk to fast, or leave out important information.  I've already started practicing what I'm going to say.  Speaking of teaching others, a few months back, I made up a batch of elderberry syrup in preparation for the coming cold months/flu season.  One of my co-workers got sick, so I gave her a jar.  Last week, she made her own elderberry syrup and brought me some in the same jar. <3  In my opinion, that is the essence of what herbal/green medicine is - sharing herbs and knowledge with others and returning the favor.

I am going to share with you how to make your own elderberry syrup.  Make extra and give a jar to a friend.  While it is great to help you combat the flu/colds when you get sick, it's great to take daily to build up your immunity to prevent sickness :)  Nourishing your body daily is key.

The easiest way to make elderberry syrup is to first make an infusion of elderberries.  This is done by taking 1 oz of dried berries and steeping them in a pint of boiling water for 30 minutes.  Strain the liquid.  Add the hot liquid to a saucepan and 1 cup of honey and bring to a strong simmer.  You want the honey to "melt" down and assimilate with the elderberry infusion.  When everything is mixed and happy, pour into a jar and keep in the fridge.  It should keep for a couple months, but if you are taking a tablespoon daily, it won't last that long :)  For an added "pick me up" I will add a couple tablespoons to a mug of boiling water and drink it as a tea.  While this is commonly made in the fall to prepare for the cold season, dried berries are available all year long, so you can make it and use it any time.