Mulberry and/or Red Currant Muffins

(or other seasonal berry)

Ingredients:

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ cup milk

3 tsp melted butter (or lard)

¾ cup whole-wheat flour

¼ cup buckwheat flour

1/3 tsp powdered kelp (or sea salt)

1/3 cup honey

1 egg beaten well

1/14 cup of Mulberries, Red Currants and/or your other favorite seasonal berries (currents and/or black berries are delicious).

Greetings. Life is incredibly full. I just returned from my annual trip to Seattle and Lopez Island, Washington, where I had the opportunity to connect with old friends as well as many new ones. My time was spent teaching herbal, cheese making and other food related classes. The main program that I offer each June is a Women’s Herbal and Seaweed Intensive on Lopez Island, WA. This was the 7^th year for this program and in true form it was deep and transforamative for myself as well as many of the participants. It fascinates me the impact that the pull of the moon and the sea have on our experiences.

We were on Lopez Island during very low tides and the currents were changing rapidly, as were all of our moods and experiences. We harvested wild plants and sea vegetables for our meals and enjoyed other lovingly grown and harvested fruits, vegetables and meats from local island producers. . We harvested clams and had a meal combined with seaweed. We laughed and cried, got rained on and enjoyed the sun. The last day of the trip during our closing circle, the women’s deep emotion and celebration contributed to my understanding and belief in the power of experience, community and being connected to the natural world. I want to take a moment to thank all of the women who showed up for these programs and danced the mystery of life together with each other and the natural world-it was an honor to be a part of this journey with you!

As I returned home to Wisconsin, we are having a heat wave. It is warm and very difficult to move and get much done. But what motivates me to be active are berries. The first day I was home I talked my partner into going to our favorite spot to collect mulberries. We had been too late last year and I did not want to miss these tasty morsels again this year. Despite the fact that the birds and probably raccoons too, had already eaten many of the berries we were able to harvest a 3-gallon bucket full. We brought them home and proceeded to eat some, make muffins and freeze some for later use.

Mulberries  (Morus rubra) are a fascinating fruit which I had not encountered until I moved to Wisconsin. They have become one of my staple fruits. The species of mulberry that I harvest is the red variety. The white mulberry (Morus alba) is grown in China for raising silk worms, which utilize the leaves as their main food course.  The fruit is botanically called a sorosis, because it is formed by the consolidation of many flowers. It is juicy and has a sweet taste with some sourness that is more prominent in the less mature fruits.

Mulberry fruit is classified in the modern Chinese Materia Medica as a blood tonic, and is listed along with herbs having similar traditional uses. Traditionally, mulberry fruit has been used to nourish and benefit the kidneys, treat weakness, fatigue and anemia. It is also used utilized to treat urinary incontinence, tinnitus, dizziness, and constipation in the elderly and the anemic.

The dominant taste of the ripe fruit is sweet but mild, due to the high water content and low level of other flavoring ingredients. A richer flavor develops as the fruit ripens and if the fruit is dried; it can then be used as a raisin substitute. In recent years, with considerable work on cultivating the mulberry plants under various conditions, mulberry fruit juice has been commercially produced as a health beverage, and it has become very popular in China, Japan, and Korea.

Though not studied intensively, mulberry fruits appear to contain one main class of non-nutrient active constituents, which are the anthocyanins. Studies with anthocyanins in laboratory animals suggest antioxidant activity as a dominant feature, but also cardiovascular protection, immune enhancement, antiviral activity, and stress reduction as potential health benefits. They also contain plentiful nutritious elements, such as minerals and vitamins, and to strengthen the digestive tract by promoting gastric juice secretion and strengthening the ability for digesting and assimilating food.

All berries have some degree of these magnificent qualities and I enjoy eating as many and as much as I can when they are fresh. I also store a fair amount for later use. The other berries I have been collecting are red and black currents as well as raspberries. Last night a friend and I enjoyed fresh raspberries in our salad. This morning my morning ritual included choosing the freshest raspberries from the bush and placing them in a bowl. I poured homemade yogurt over the succulent fruit, I ate this along side a red currant muffin. The blackberries are not quite ripe, but the red-turning black fruit catches my eye each time I walk by. I spend my dreamtime with visions of blackberry syrup, pancakes, jam and more!

If you are enjoying the berry harvest and all the wonders that go with it, you will want to try the following muffin recipe. Whatever berry you are harvesting can be added to the mix!

."I wanted to drop you a note to finally catch up and say both soaps that I made with you turned out GREAT!"

(Unless otherwise indicated classes are held in Sheboygan, WI.  Directions will be provided when you register. To register by mail send registration with check  or money order payable to Linda Conroy PO Box 166 Sheboygan, WI 53081 )

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Wattle Fence Making/Rustic Willow Crafts (perfect for the herb garden!) with Little John

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http://www.driftlessfolkschool.org/

Fee: $60.00 (plus $15 supply fee)

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July 15 

Residential Earthways/Herbal Apprenticeship beginsclick here for more information. 

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 July 15, 2007

Wednesday, August 1
Sponsored by the North Country Herbalist Guild 

Lecture from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. We invite you all for social time with tea and snacks from 6:30-7:00

Bethany Lutheran Church 
2511 East Franklin Ave
Minneapolis, MN

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Fall Herbal Series: Roots,Seeds, Berries and More!!

When? Thursday evenings: October 11, 18, 25 and November 1, 2007 (6-8:30pm each evening)

Cost: $58.00 (plus $7 material fee payable to instructor)

Sponsored by and held at the University of Wisconsin, Sheboygan. To register call 920-459-6617.

 *Participants will have an opportunity to participate in a similar program each season" 

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Kickapoo Country Fair Lafarge, WI

Saturday and Sunday, July 28-29

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Lake Superior Traditional WaysGathering, Bad River Indian Reservation

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From the Land: A Gathering of Traditional Crafts and Skills                                                                                                                                  

Green Green WI  

October 27-28, 2007 Saturday (10am-4pm) and Sunday (10am-3pm)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

For more information 920-294-3029 or shebaa@dotnet.com  

July 28 & 29th

For more information www.kickapoocountryfair.org

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