Newsletter August 2005

Welcome to Herbal Musings and Updates brought to you by Moonwise Herbs www.moonwiseherbs.com. We offer this as an opportunity to inspire you to connect with the green world, whether by concocting a recipe, participating in an event or purchasing our handcrafted wares. If you have an herbal musing and/or recipe that you would like to contribute please feel free to send it my way. If it is seasonal and/or in line with our hopes of connecting with the green world we will gladly include it in this monthly (or so publication). You will be fully acknowledged for your contribution and we will be happy to include your contact information. Send to rosemarygoddess@moonwiseherbs.com

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Herbal Musings

  Early August is the first of 3 harvest festivals, Lamas or Lughnassad. This festival marks the middle of summer and beginning of the harvest and is usually associated with ripening grain. It also indicates the coming of autumn. These traditions are gifted to us from our ancestors who lived close to earth. Many religions and traditions have incorporated them into their rituals, so they belong to us all. Honoring the harvest in some way connects us to the earth and her cycles.

  Lughnasadh is the first of these, the time when the first grain harvest is cut. The name is derived from Lugh, a Celtic deity of light and wisdom. At Lughnasadh, bread from the first harvest was eaten in thanks. Baking, sharing and eating bead is a wonderful way to celebrate this time of year!!

  Each year on August 1^st I bake bread in order to mark this seasonal transition. This year, although unbearably hot, was no exception. I baked a loaf of bread, with a sourdough starter recently gifted to me. I shared the bread with friends and family alike and put some out in the garden in thanks. This harvest season I am grateful for the food that is being offered by our garden, as well as through our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription, which not surprisingly doubled in size last week in conjunction with the coming of the harvest. I am eternally grateful for the wild plants that abound and the ways they bless my cells with vibrancy.

There are many rituals and wild plants that I associate with this time of year. I am thankful for the familiarity of these as I ground myself in a new living place on the earth. I stay in tune with the rhythms of the earth through these sacred activities as well as my own cycles. One of my favorite activities this time of year is making sauerkraut. Each year I craft crocks of sauerkraut to be eaten during autumn and early winter. I always add Juniper Berries (Juniperus communis) to my crock and this year is no exception. These bittersweet berries (actually not berries at all, but a portion of the cone) are added to the crock to flavor the kraut as well as act as a preservative.

One day last week an apprentice and I went in search of Juniper Berries. We found an amazing patch of pungent berries and made our way through the sharp prickly leaves. The mystery of this plant never ceases to amaze me. Its unique scent and its ability to maintain in hot dry climates are two things that intrigue me about this plant.

Juniper is a small shrub, 4 to 6 feet high, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Adding to their mystery Juniper berries take two or three years to ripen, so that blue and green berries occur on the same plant.

The berries are used for the production of the volatile oil which is a prime ingredient in flavoring gin as well as luncheon meats. Juniper Berries are used in Northern Europe and the United States in marinades, roast pork, and sauerkraut. They enhance meat (particularly wild game), stuffings, sausages, stews, and soups.

Contemporary herbalists primarily use juniper as to treat bladder infections. It is often combined with other herbs such as uva ursi, parsley and cleavers. Such formulas are said to be most effective when taken at the first sign of symptoms.

Incorporating Juniper Berries into food in small doses can contribute to overall health (for example they are high in vitamin C), yet ingesting it (due to the high essential oil content) in large quantities can be quite stimulating. So I  recommend investigating this plant thoroughly before ingesting it for therapeutic purposes.

With that said adding a tablespoon or two to your sauerkraut will only enhance it’s flavor, help to preserve the cabbage as it goes through the fermentation process and offer vitamin C to your body in an easily assimilable form. Sauerkraut itself is also high in vitamin c as well as vitamin K. I offer the following recipe in honor of the harvest.

Blessings

Linda

  Sauerkraut with Juniper Berries

Ingredients:

 -cabbage
-non-iodized sea salt (1 TBS for every head of cabbage) *iodine can prevent the bacterial fermentation

-Juniper Berries 1-2tsp for every  5 pounds of vegetables

Equipment:

The fermentation equipment must be washed in hot sudsy water and rinsed well with very hot water before use.

Suitable Containers

A 1-gallon container is needed for each 5 pounds of fresh vegetables. A 5-gallon stone crock is the ideal size for fermenting about 25 pounds of fresh shredded cabbage. Food-grade plastic and glass containers are excellent substitutes for stone crocks.

A large potato masher or similar tool for mashing the cabbage.

Covers and Weights

Cabbage must be kept 1 to 2 inches under brine while fermenting. Insert a dinner plate or glass pie plate inside the fermentation container. The plate must be slightly smaller than the container opening, yet large enough to cover most of the shredded cabbage. To keep the plate under the brine, weight it down with 2 to 3 sealed quart jars or a gallon jar filled  with water. Covering the container opening with a clean, heavy bath towel helps prevent contamination from insects and molds.

Intructions:

Discard outer leaves and any insect-damaged areas. Cut heads in four wedges. Compost cores. Shred or slice to a thickness of a quarter.

Put shredded cabbage in a suitable fermentation container, and add 1 Tablespoon of salt for each head of cabbage. Mix thoroughly and mash with the potato masher or other tool. Continue until salt draws juices from cabbage.

Repeat shredding, salting, and packing until all cabbage is in the container. Be sure the container is deep enough so that its rim is at least 4 or 5 inches above the cabbage.

Continue mashing until juice covers the cabbage. Place juniper berries in a muslin bag or tea ball. Immerse in liquid.

Add plate and weights. Cover container with a clean towel. Ferment cabbage.

Check the kraut two to three times per week and remove scum if it forms.

Herbal Updates

We have three new handcrafted products:

1.Hand Lotion Bar; this bar is easy to use and incredibly softening to the skin

2. Handmade Soap Dish: made from found wood-these are rustic and unusual!! For recipients of this publication only: order one now and we will send you a complimentary bar of soap.

www.moonwiseherbs.com/herbalsoaps.htm

3. Handmade pot scrubbers made from natural materials. These work great, last for a long time and can be put in the compost pile when you are are finished.

And don’t forget that each month we offer a complimentary handcrafted product with your order!! Visit our website each month to see what the new offering is!!!

For more information and products visit our website: www.moonwiseherbs.com

Happenings in and around Sheboygan, WI

Wise Woman Herbal Programs

-Weekly Intensive Apprenticeship Program:

Please be willing to make a minimum 8-week commitment to the weekly program. This intensive program meets one day per week.

-Monthly Seasonal Program

Fall Abundance 4 Week Seasonal Program:  Participants are asked to be available for all 4 sessions as our learning builds through the season. 

This program meets September 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th, 2005 (6-9pm). 

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

 For more information see our website www.moonwsieherbs.com or contact Linda 

rosemarygoddesss@hotmail.com 

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Nourishing Herbal Beverages

August 17, 2005 (6-9pm)

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Introduction to Cheese Making

Herbal Soap Making

September 12, 2005 (6-9pm)

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September Introduction to Cheese Making Class will be held at Grassway Farm in New Holstein, WI

For information and registration: Contact
Wayne and Kay Craig
(920) 894-4201

kwcraig@direcway.com
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You can find our handcrafted herbal wares, brooms and more at the following events:  

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Maxwell Street Days

May 29th, July 17th, September 4th and October 2nd, 2005

Firemen's Park on Washington Avenue.

Cedarburg, WI

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          August 6, 2005                   

World Bohemian Festival

Main Street Station, Viroqua, WI http://www.viroquamainststation.com/

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Earth Fest

August 13, 2005

Fountain Park, Sheboygan, WI