Plant Spotlights
Wild Edible: fall is a great time to harvest nuts. Rarely when we think of nuts do humans in this day and age consider the acorn or oak nut, yet nutritionally speaking it is a powerhouse worth paying attention to.
Acorn: When we refer to the acorn or oak nut we are referring to nuts from any of the 400 species of oak trees and shrubs (Quercus sp) in the Fagaceae family. Where oak trees occur they are an important food for animals. Acorns were historically a staple for humans as well. While they have fallen out of favor in main stream western culture, Native American peoples, Korean cultures and some wild food enthusiasts still consider them an important food resource. Acorns have variant amounts of tannins, which can be bitter and astringing. When tannins are present the acorn is leached (soaked or boiled in water) to remove the tannins from the nut. Red oaks tend to be higher in tannins and white oaks lower, others can anywhere on the spectrum. To determine whether your acorns need to be leached or not, simply taste them and if they are super astringing you will want to leach them. I have used unleached acorns to curb diahrea and it was quite effective. Just eating a few nuts did the trick for a sister student at a training I attended a few years ago.
Nutritonally speaking acorns contain large amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats, as well as the minerals calcium, phosphorus and potassium, and the vitamin niacin. I store acorns for use througout the year making muffins, roasted beverges, pancakes and many other foods. Acorns can be added to chili, roasted and tossed onto a salad and much more!
A garden favorite: Fall is the time to harvest roots. Let’s highlight one of my favorite fall root plants:
Elecampane(Inula helenium) a plant of the asteraceae or sun flower family. This perennial plant can be as tall as 3-5 feet and has large toothed leaves. The flowers have many rays and are yellow. The root of this plant has a long history of use as an expectorant and more recently has been shown to kill antibiotic resistant bacteria. I add the root infused honey of elecampane to an elderberry cordial as a respiratory remedy. Elecampane gets its Latin name, Inula helenium, from the legend of Helen of Troy, who was supposed to have carried a bouquet of elecampane with her while being abducted from Sparta. Ancient Greeks and Romans used this herb to treat indigestion, sciatica, bronchitis, asthma, and to ease feelings of melancholy
Watching
gardeners label their plants I
vow with all beings To
practice the old horticulture And
let plants identify me ~Robert
Aitken, The Dragon Who Never Sleeps _____________________________________________________ Greetings, Fall
is upon us and we are busy putting up and eating the bounty. As winter
fast approaches there are still many wild, culivated and wild by neglect
foods to be found. This past Saturday we served a feast at our seasonal
Wild Eats Meal: Fall Frenzy. The meal was full of local and
regional wild and whole food that was newly harvested, some
within hours of being placed on our plates. How grateful and lucky we
were to have a houseful of plant enthusiasts and green allies! To view a
copy of the fall frenzy menu click
here! Autumn is
always a busy time and this year is no exception. We still
have a field full of broom corn to harvest and are continuing
to harvest pears and apples for cider. We are putting up
sauerkraut, high bush cranberry sauce and much more! The list
is quite long! We can do much of our grocery "shopping"
right in the fields and woods! In
our area one can still harvest highbush cranberries (Viburnum
trilobum). If you are harvesting this plant be sure to taste it as
the european species (Viburnum opulus) is quite bitter and not pleasant
to eat. The best way to tell which plant you have is to taste it. This
years harvest was abundant for us, we brought home 2-5 gallon buckets
full. Two people harvested these in a matter of one hour. With all of
this abundance I quickly set out to make cranberry sauce as well as a
compote. We canned these and will enjoy them throughout the winter!
Below is a recipe for cranberry/apple compote. If
you do not have access to wild high bush cranberries you can substitute
cultivated cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) which are not
related, but have a similar tart flavor. *Highbush
Cranberry is also known by the common name crampbark. The bark is
commonly used as a tea or tincture by herbalists to ease pain associated
with menstral cramps. __________________________________________________ Apple
and High Bush Cranberry Compote 4
cups fresh high bush cranberries 6
medium apples quartered 1/2
cup orance juice 1
TBS orange zest 3/4 cup
of honey or maple syrup 1
tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh wild ginger (cultivated will work
if you do not have access to wild) 1
tablespoon finely chopped wild leeks (or any onion, leek or shallot that
you have on hand) 2
TBS butter 1/4
cup buckwheat honey or mild-flavored (light) molasses 1
cup seedless raisins 3/4
cup cider vinegar Lightly
sautee' wild leeks in butter. Combine the wild leeks will all
the other ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer until the
berries and apples are cooked through or until desired consistency is reached.
This can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks. For long term
storage you can freeze this or water bath can it. Enjoy! *remember
when you are cooking to include and or substitute additional ingredients
that appeal to you!
Broom News!
The giant broom tied onto a fence post was a hit with both young and old at the the Los Angeles County Fair. The broom pictured to the right was made during demonstrations in September and as you can see is a broom made for a giant. What fun!!
__________________________________________________________
Herbal Musings
Celebrate All Hallows Eve with us at Swanstone Gardens in Green Bay, WI! For more information or to register call 920-866-9367
Friday October 31, 2008
Tarot Readings with Linda (3pm-midnight)
Cobweb Broom Making Class (and a cake tester too!) with John (6pm until your finished)
Saturday November 1, 2008
Tarot Readings with Linda (10am-5pm)
Cobweb Broom Making Class (and a cake tester too!) with John (10am-12:30pm)
Broomcorn Wreath Making with John (1ppm until you are finished)
Also at Swanstone Gardens:
November 15, 2008 Home Cheese Making (10am-4pm lunch included)
_________________________________________________________
Herbal Wisdom Series
November 5, 12, 19 and December 10, 2008 sponsored by and held at Outpost Natural Foods, Milwaukee for more information see http://www.outpostnaturalfoods.coop/ed-workshops.html
___________________________________________________________________
November 7, 2008 Join Linda and John at The Clearing Folk School in Door County, WI For more information see www.clearing.org
Pine Needle Basketry with Linda (9am-4pm)
Basic Broom Making: Make a Hearth Broom with John (9am-4pm)
__________________________________________________________________
Milk Based Soap Making
November 11, 2008 sponsored by and held at Maywood Environmental Center in Sheboygan, WI For more information see http://www.gomaywood.org/ 0r call 920-459-3906
___________________________________________________________________
Driftless Folk School Viroqua, WI for more information see www.driftlessfolkschool.org or call 608-637-3550
November 22, 2008 Home Cheese Making (10am-4pm lunch inlcuded and shared with the broom making class)
November 22, 2008 Broom Making: A Lost Art (10am-4pm lunch included and shared with the cheese making class)
November 23, 2008 Communicating From The Heart (10am-4pm lunch included)
__________________________________________________________________
Sunday December 21, 2008 Wild Eats Winter Solstice Celebration held in Sheboygan, WI For more information see http://moonwiseherbs.com/wildediblemeals.htm
___________________________________________________________________
2009 Simple Living SeriesJanuary 14th, 21st, 28th and February 4th, 11th and 18th, 2009 (6:30-9:00pm each evening) Cheese Making, Soap Making, Herbs for Health and Nourishment, Medicine Making and much more! For more information see: http://moonwiseherbs.com/simple_living_series.htm
__________________________________________________________
We will be offering our wares at the following fun events this holiday season!
November 8, 2008 Madison Herb Society25th Annual Herb Fair, Madison, WI
Browse through displays of herbal treats & teas, crafts, free presentations and books for sale. Sponsored by The Madison Herb Society. Admission to the fair is free and open to the public.
Location: Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Avenue, Madison, WI
_________________________________________________________
December 6, 2008 Holiday Fair Tamarak School, 1150 East Brady Street ~ Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Handmade Goodies, entertainment and snacks! For more information see www.tamarackwaldorf.org/
___________________________________________________________
For information about herbal wares, handmade brooms and/or other events visit out webiste www.moonwiseherbs.com
email rosemarygoddess@moonwiseherbs.com
phone 920-452-HERB (4372)