Sister Sage Herbs - Organic Medicinal Herb Garden

Nice day to work inside!

2013-04-29T09:29:00.001-07:00

It is raining again in Seattle... I had a few more bottles of infused oils that needed squeezing & cleaning before the new flowers start to arrive! I will make the next batch of Busted Knuckle hand balm from this calendula oil. I grow the calendula from seed on Sister Sage farm and harvest lavender from a nearby farm on Vashon Island in August.

The Nettles Harvest

2013-03-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

I went for a nettles hunt and harvest at my friend's property on Vashon Island last week. I didn't have much time to harvest or to dry them because I was on my way out of town, but I will be back for more!

Warning... they don't call them stinging nettles for nothin! Wear gloves or enjoy the sting and the memory of the hunt up to a day later...

Nettles- get them while they are young!

Nettles Harvest

I made a hot infusion and used the cooked nettles in a potato soup. I ended up blending the mixture a little too much and the starches made it have a strange texture, but we had salmon for dinner and it was a delicious sauce for it. Here is a basic recipe to help you enjoy nettles as a sauce. You can make it as thick or thin as you like, and it freezes ok, too.

Nettles Sauce:

1 leek

1-2 Tbs butter, olive oil or coconut oil

about 10 (young) nettle tops

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 cups any combo of vegetable broth, almond milk, cream, sour cream, goat cheese or water

salt & pepper to taste

* cashews, pine nuts, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds would thicken it up nicely as well

Cut up the leek and saute in the butter or oil on medium heat until soft.

Bring the water or broth to a boil. Using tongs or a long fork, blanch the nettles in the liquid and then take out and put to the side. Keep the liquid for thinning the sauce and/or drink leftovers as a tea.

Put all of these ingredients into the blender and make a smooth sauce (or soup). I enjoy this kind of sauce as a topping for fish, but it would make a great substitute for pesto in any pasta dish.

Veggie Plant Sale in West Seattle

2013-03-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

Cheers! Don't forget your greens on St Paddy's day... Eat your chickweed & dandelions - drink your cleavers tea... they taste so much better when they are tender and young and they are easier to harvest at this time, too.

This is my friend's sale! It should be great- Perfect timing for the cold hardy greens and an early start for lettuces & bok choi, etc... Tell her Jayne from Sister Sage sent you.

***PLANT SALE ***

Spring is just a few days away!!!

7939 28th Ave. SW

between Holden & Thistle in West Seattle (98126)

Veggies / Perennials

Organically Grown

Sat., March 15, 9:00-4:00 &

Sat. March 30, 9:00-4:00 &

Every second weekend after that!

Bring your friends and family! Come rain or shine!!

Accidental Angelica Seeds!

2012-11-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

I got this Angelica plant last year at The Northwest Herbal Fair from Crimson Sage Herb Farm in California. If you haven't heard of this place, it is awesome. I heard Tina, the owner being interviewed on the Herbal Highway show from kpfa. She is so knowledgeable and super cool.
I didn't expect it to live through last year, but it came back this spring. I put the one gallon container ON the new planter with nice rich compost, but never made it back to plant it. Later I saw that it had rooted through its container into the compost and planted itself. I noticed these amazing white umbel flowers the other day and took this picture. I just collected the seeds today! I will seed them in a special place in the garden and start it again.

St John's Wort Oil and Tincture

2012-09-10T10:10:00.001-07:00

I prefer to call it St Joan's herb in honor of (Joan of Arc and my Aunt who is such a great lady) I can't believe how fast the pigment flows into the alcohol! I always love showing people how the fresh yellow flowers will give up their bloodlike juice if you squeeze them. I showed some huckleberry pickers this year that those were valuable to some herbalists, and I hope to make a connection that can allow them to make extra money selling it. I would think the forest service and cattle grazers would appreciate getting rid of it before it goes to seed since the livestock also gets a bad sunburn if they eat it.
The oil will be made into a balm for repairing nerve damage, and the tincture is for nourishing nerves, blood cleansing and a liver detox... some people can become more sensitive to sun (and get a blistery sunburn). Test it on a sunny day that you don't have to be in the sun long.

Summer with Sister Sage

2012-08-19T17:11:00.001-07:00

Freshly Plowed field!

Clover & Chamomile

Rugosa Rose petals

Comfrey Flowers

Echinacea

Calendula in the field

Calendula Harvest

St Joan's Wort Tincture- turned red after 20 minutes!

Here are a few photo's from Sister Sage Farm this season so far. We got lots of chamomile, chickweed and crimson clover from the field earlier this season, and the Comfrey is on it's 3rd cutting! St Joan's herb comes up here and there; only one of the echinaceas I divided last fall survived, but it is beautiful. The calendula won't stop! I made Echinacea and Calendula infused honey with pure apple blossom honey from Wade Bennett at Rockridge Orchards (http://www.rockridgeorchards.com)Yummy! I will love my preventative medicine

Hops, peas &; lettuce & leeks

2012-05-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

Bring on the Spring! I received some veggies recently and I finally had time to plant them today. I put them in between some larger plants so that I can stagger the harvest times and eventually cover the entire garden with appropriately spaced plants. It doesn't always work out like that though. I usually find some sprouts that come up from some kale or chard I have let go to seed. I move them to where I want them pot up the extras and grow them mature enough to become farm plants. Then I can nibble on hearty greens while I'm at work.

Happy May Day!

2012-05-01T10:13:00.001-07:00

I am heading to the farm to harvest the Elder branches that are big enough to make a flute. I will be blessing the field & foraging for last years perennials to making sure they don't get lost in the field when I till soon. I am so grateful that I have a nice sunny day to be farming!

...and the beet(s) go on!

Not only is May 1st a traditional day to honor fertility for the coming growing season, but it is also an international day of solidarity for working people. Please enjoy the day by giving gratitude to the many people who have given their lives to ensure workers' rights all over the world. If you must work or buy things today think about where the money you spend goes. Can you help support the businesses that treat their own employees well or who fight to make the world a better place to live/work?
Those who are participating in occupy activities- I wish you well and thank you for standing up and speaking out for justice for all!

Peace to You All
Jayne

Herbal Classes at Seattle Tilth in 2012

2012-03-07T11:43:00.000-08:00

I will be teaching a few classes at Seattle Tilth this year on herbal remedies you can make from easy to grow plants from your garden. Please join me for one or both of the following classes.

Class Descriptions

Make Herbal Infusions: May 23rd, 2012 6-8pm Good Shepherd Center room140

Preserve your culinary and medicinal herbs to be used through the year.

In this hands-on class, we will start with a tour through the garden to identify and harvest herbs and discuss their various uses. Next we’ll head into the kitchen to infuse our herbs into culinary and medicinal potions: vinegars, syrups & sugar free glycerite will be covered. Discussion will include varieties of plants to grow for use in home remedies and resources for simple recipes and formulas. Students will go home with recipe cards & jars of infused herbs to continue their practice at home.

If you can bring your own small jars with tight fitting lids it would be greatly appreciated.

This class will take place both indoors and outdoors with hands-on activities. Please dress for the weather and messy garden and kitchen activities.

Make Herbal Salves: July 11th, 2012 6-8pm Good Shepherd Center room140

Learn to make healing salves from fresh and dried herbs in this hands-on class.

In this hands-on class students will learn to make infused oils and healing skin salves from easy to grow herbs. We will begin with a brief description of the dried herbs we will be using, and continue into the gardens to discuss & harvest the fresh herbs. We will discuss the best way to prepare the herbs for drying or further processing, make oil infusions of previously harvested dried herbs, and make salves from freshly harvested herbs infused using a double boiler on the stove-top. These salves are perfect for the natural first aid kit, and make great gifts that will remind the receiver of your garden even in the winter. Tins will be provided, but for infused oils, if you can bring your own small jars with tight fitting lids it would be greatly appreciated.

This class will take place both indoors and outdoors with hands-on activities. Please dress for the weather and messy garden and kitchen activities.

Seattle Tilth is a non profit dedicated to helping people live more sustainable lives. Mostly through teaching folks to grow food organically. Please consider donating your time and/or money to this worthwhile organization.

Thank You Seattle Chef's Collaborative!

2012-02-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

I attended the Fisher/Farmer/Chef Connection yesterday, and I ate the best lunch I have had in a long time- not to mention the tasting party afterwards. It was made with organic food from all over Washington State (and Alaskan Fish) donated from the organic farmers in attendance. I always love going to this event to see all my old farmer's market friends, and to meet new folks. Since I did work at a few restaurants in Seattle, I always run into folks I have worked with before, and it is always nice to catch up. And, I met tons of new people that are doing great work in the food industry right now.

The keynote speaker was Matthew Dillon, who co-founded Organic Seed Alliance & was formerly the Executive Director of Abundant Life Seed Foundation. He told us all about the evolution of seed sales in America- did you know that the US government used to care for and distribute seeds for free to anyone who would grow them? At that time it was about 10% of the budget. In 1897, the government gave away 1.1 Billion seeds; now there are 4 main corporations who hold about 90% of the seeds for sale. Also, there are over 12,000 patents on food... This is crazy! Where are we going with this!!! We need to take it back into our own hands (and gardens). Learn to save your own seeds! Let some of your plants go to seed and collect them... give them away and tell the recipient to also raise more seeds and give them away...

Usually, organic seeds are selected from the best looking plants (not sure if big agro-business has time to actually select the best ones). They are left to ripen in the field and seeds is collected for the next year's crop. The Maritime Northwest weather is so particular that we need our own stock of seeds that are bred here and proven to do well in our strange micro climate.

When I was telling someone about the seed situation after the event, they were wondering why it was so important that the seeds be distributed by more than those folks. The big companies are efficient, etc... Well, the fact is that these companies grow all their seed in a few regions (or just one) and they are grown with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. When they send the seeds to different regions, the farmers have different results depending on the climate and the amount of chemicals that are applied... I used the example of seed raised in Michigan and then send to South Carolina to grow out... very different climates! So, if you are trying to grow an organic plant from a seed that was raised conventionally, it just doesn't always thrive. Also, some of the GMO seeds are bred to require a spraying of their chemical cocktail to survive. (You can purchase it with your seed order.)

I saw a horrifying documentary about the organic canola seed farmers a few years ago- they got sued because the neighbor farm's GMO seed drifted over and contaminated his field. They said he was raising their proprietary seed without purchasing it!!! The thing that really stuck out was that the only way you can tell the difference is if you spray them (with that which will not be named) and if they survive they are GMO, if not- "Sorry Dude, we just killed your organic crop!"

I for one am all fired up! I have been saving my organically (from organic seed) raised herb seeds since I began, and intend to continue doing that for years to come! Anyone want to come to a seed sorting party?

Winter turns to spring

2012-02-23T08:45:00.001-08:00

I am blogging straight from that porch on Sister Sage Herb Farm! If I had a tripod I could be waving to you... I'm looking at 2 cute goats that are visiting my garden plot on Roseballen Land Trust. There is so much chickweed in the new beds. I saw some chamomile & cloverin there too.
Well, I thought I was blogging from the farm. It did't upload... but I will try again. What a lovely day on Vashon visiting friends and my neighbor farmers!

Natural Gardens take care of themselves

2012-02-17T11:49:00.001-08:00

Just about this time each year (after the NW Flower & Garden Show) the bulbs and see think it is time to strut their stuff. I see little leaves reaching out of the soil to the sunshine that is lingering a little later each day.
I walked by a great garden about two weeks ago. It is a pretty modest deal, but very easy to take care of. Lots of evergreen shrubs and bulbs. Because the gardener had left leaves of the bulbs to rot in the winter, or possibly the leaves were still green until the snow storm we had at the turn of the new year, the crows were pecking around the base for worms & adding to the nutrition and tilth of the soil. Now, the leaves are emerging and well on their way to their next phase of life.

Veggies & Snow in West Seattle

2012-01-25T06:38:00.000-08:00

This is where our Hops lives.

The snow was so beautiful last week in my garden in West Seattle. The hoop house blew down in the last wind storm, and if hadn't done it then, it would have last night! This bed was our chicken coop area in 2008 and 2009, then we grew tomatoes in 2010, and broccoli last year. Now we have greens and the hops vine. I think we will grow a clover cover crop and then turn it under and plant potatoes this year. I got used to going through the gate for the chickens, it seemed like the natural way to go, then I found the bricks and made the kind of keyhole garden that you can see, now I don't see the need for the extra post. I would like to build it up a little higher so I don't have to bend down so far. My hops are in the bed, so I am not sure how long until they take over the whole place anyway.

Leeks were transplanted in September after the Tilth Harvest Fair

In the spring and fall I grow peas up the fence. This is a hard place to get water to in my garden, but I finally put in the automatic on a timer watering system last year so it will be set up in zones that can be turned on or by passed. I am also building up another bed between this one and my strawberry patch this year, I already have my leaves saved up, soon I am going to cover the area with bike boxes and put the leaves on top of that, then put a tarp over that for a few months. Hopefully I can just turn the soil under when it warms up and add compost to the top and plant right into it. We will probably find dandelions and buttercup galore. No doubt it would be easier with chickens. I am really tempted to ask a neighbor if we can borrow a few of their chickens for the week....

Green Onion in Seattle Snow!

I am so excited to get rid of even more of the grass! I will cover the rest of the area with more boxes and add chips on that for a few seasons to smother it all out. I also have some low growing clover seeds that I could grow there after all the grass is gone. The clover will nourish the soil and as a tough ground cover that can handle wheel barrow trips, fairly heavy foot traffic, and loading firewood each year.

Ahhhh... the luxury of winter Gardening!

New Year Wishes

2011-12-31T08:13:00.000-08:00

Goodbye 2011, and Welcome 2012!

Happy New Year

At the Winter solstice the light and the dark is symmetrical, implying balance or equality. Each year I like to reflect on the year that has past and the one to come, and set some new goals.

I am so grateful for the help I have received from so many really amazing people this year. I am inspired and rejuvenated by the great work my interns have demonstrated learning from them as they teach me to share my knowledge. I am glad to hear some of my original interns are starting their own practices and bless them on their paths.
I am hopeful that 2012 will be fruitful and prosperous to all who come into contact with me. I will be doing all I can to walk lightly on earth and treasure her gifts and wonders.
peace,
Jayne

Elderflower Infused Cocktails

2011-12-29T16:40:00.000-08:00

I am preparing my mixers for the New Year's Eve Parties I am attending this year. I will mix it with soda water or mineral water and add it to my choices for a non-alcoholic beverage on New Year's Eve. They are great if the only choices for mixers is soda water or sugary pop, and you can easily bring them with you. I recommend them over ice with sparkling water, but I also enjoy them with hot water and honey. They are usually a pretty good concentration of flavor, so I can use a teaspoon or less per serving to liven up my vodka drink or make an herbal tea anywhere.

The tinctures are made by infusing herbs with vodka; the glycerites are made by creating a very strong herb tea & preserving it 1:3 or 1:4 with glycerine. Glycerine is sweet tasting, but not a true sugar and doesn't create blood sugar surges (highs/lows). Medicinally herbs are only meant to be taken by the dropper (30-40 drops), but some are appropriately taken in frequent doses consistently, as a tonic or tea. In other words, you aren't going to want to take a shot of these, but can't really overdose with it either.

Today I mixed an Elderflower glycerite I made this Spring with Hawthorn leaf & berry glycerite from previous years. I have some bright green Nettle's Tincture and some Solomon's Seal tincture, both made with my intern Emily this Fall. Nettles is loaded with vitamins and minerals that are readily available Solomon's seal is supposed to be good for repairing cartilage, and I made it specifically for a guy I met at the Herbal Fair this year. Then, I thought I should gift it to a few contractor friends for their various worn out joints! After all they have given to me this year (and many previous ones!) Now, All I have to do is find that guy's address in my box with the business cards...

I feel like Winnie the Pooh (TM I'm sure) right now and I am posing the question:
How long does it take to get organized? I am working on it though!

Great Herb Bread Recipe

2011-12-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite bread recipe. Well, at least it is a starting point. I usually make a starter of the "proved" yeast, 1 1/2 cup each flour and water and 1 teaspoon of sugar and a packet or tablespoon of yeast. I let that sit overnight. Or I split it up and continue making one loaf while allowing the starter to develop for the night or two. I don't really measure, but mostly look for consistency here. It will look like pancake batter. This is about the time my friend Joanna comes over and notices the bubbling brew. Then I add the salt just before mixing the other ingredients together. It should just form a ball in either a food processor or a mixer with the dough attachment- if you are mixing by hand, add more oil so it doesn't stick to your hands so much.

I usually make a double recipe then cook one and let one rise and get re-shaped for the next day. It stores well with a light coating of olive oil and it great for pizza dough.

Herb Bread
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups unbleached organic flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.

3 T crushed dried herbs, or fresh herbs (Rosemary. Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Fennel...)
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 425 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Originally this recipe came from the Mother Earth News website. I added the oil and the herbs. After awhile you will adapt it to your own tastes. What I usually do is mix it a bit firmer than this exact recipe, then put it on the pizza stone.
Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-12-01/Easy-No-Knead-Dutch-Oven-Crusty-Bread.aspx?page=2#ixzz1h2pQnMaZ

Enjoy!

Perfect Gifts for a Farmer

2011-12-23T07:10:00.000-08:00

Want to buy a farmer the perfect gift? Breaking ground is sooooo much easier with one of these cool- handmade on Vashon Island- broadforks. All you have to do is step on it; then as you step off of it you pull it down & the soil comes up. You still have to pick out the weeds, but WOW! I love these. Especially after the long wet Winters we have here, it is nice to have something that fluffs the soil instead of pulverizing it with a tiller!

I also had my eye on his Cider Press... And of course, if you had the press, you probably need some quality apples to go with it. If you buy small trees, they may only cost about 20$, but that would take a long time to get fruit. I recommend signing up to adopt a tree at Curran Apple Orchard Park. Apparently, some folks gave this orchard to the city to make a park out of, and this non-profit takes care of the trees and teaches the public. You will learn how to care for the trees through the year at the quarterly work parties, and then you can pick all the apples from the variety you chose. My friend's mom adopted on this year, and I am thinking hard about it myself.

Solstice Office Cleanse

2011-12-21T15:57:00.001-08:00

I have been going through my office and finding reminders from my year. Notes from my herbal potions class, a Stonehenge greeting card, not to mention all the tinctures I have made for my personal use.
I have been organizing, taking stock, giving my thanks for the abundance in my life!

In graditude and peace,
Jayne

Quick Gifts: Herbal Salve

2011-12-20T06:43:00.000-08:00

One of the best things your can do for someone is to make a gift for them. You can make a great healing salve for dry hands and as a general ointment in the natural first aid kit with 2 cups of oil and 2 oz of wax.

ID: go outside and find a plantain plant.

There are two kinds that grow in my yard, but the thinner one with long pointed leaves are the ones doing best in this weather. The other one has short and rounded leaves that are tough as they get old, The one in the picture is the only one I found in my yard today. It doesn't matter which one you use. If you get a bee sting or splinter, you can take some of these leaves and chew them and apply them as a poultice. It will draw out the poison and/or splinter. I have used this many times since I started my farm, and it has worked well for me.

Take about 30 leaves for this recipe. Take only a few from each plant unless it is an emergency and there are no others nearby. Spread them out in a paper bag on its side (or on an herb drying screen) and let them sit in a warm area overnight to wilt.

Oils: It doesn't matter much what kid of fixed oil you use, but the better the quality of the ingredients, the better the finished product will be, I usually get Olive oil, but if you want to make a custom blend, get some avocado oil, sesame, or sunflower to add for differing the texture. You can add shea butter, but count this as part of the oil by weight- if you want to use 1/4 cup, put the oil into the measuring cup to the 1 3/4 c level, then add small amounts into the cup until it reaches 2 cups.

The next day put the plantain leaves in the oil and heat it on a double boiler. You could add more herbs if you have them already dried or wilted to the same degree. Try to keep the temperature at 110F or lower for about 4 hrs- a crockpot warm setting can be used, but keep your eye on it. (Do not leave the house with hot oil on the stove!) If the herbs are particularly moist leave the lip off so the moisture can escape. Strain this mixture and measure out 2 Cups of oil and put it back into a bowl on the double boiler. Don't squeeze it so hard the you get water into this bowl. Add at least 2 oz of good quality beeswax to the oil and stir until all the wax is melted (the smaller the pieces, the less time it takes).

When the wax is melted, take a small sample with a spoon and put it in the freezer. Check the texture and if it is too soft, put a little more wax into your mixture. When you are satisfied with the consistency, pour the mixture into clean jars or tins and label them. Leave the lids off until the mixture hardens up.

Benefits of making your own plant medicine

2011-12-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

Today I found a 4oz bottle with a sprayer attachment in my kitchen drawers, so I decided to make up a big bottle of immune boosting herbs that we can take for the next few weeks. I know the chances of catching a cold or the flu can increase around this time of the year since I will be coming into contact with lots of people at parties and my favorite coffee shop. Usually the experts recommend taking Echinacea 10 days on and 10 days rest. That will take us right about to the new year.
At the Northwest Herbal Fair this year one of the teachers mentioned that the main problem for herbal practitioners is that their clients don't comply with the recommendations. She noted that the clients don't end up taking the medicines regularly, but they think they are following directions. She recommended sending people home with the medicine and having them come back to get re-fills at the follow up visit. That way you can see how much of the tincture got used up. She said that if anyone in her family gets sick, she would down a 1 oz bottle in a day! Granted, some herbs are meant to be taken in small amounts every day or two; an acute issue such as fighting off infection should be treated with consistent doses taken for at least 10 days.

Back to the cold & flu formula:
I wanted to make it with this great tasting calendula and echinacea formula that I just recently strained. I had the calendula tincture from 2009, then last year I used the calendula tincture to soak my echinacea roots. They have been steeping for almost a year! I also had made an Oregon grape root glycerite from roots I harvested in the Snoqualmie forest, and a cleavers glycerite from herbs that were "weeds in my garden". The Calendula will contain the bacteria, and the echinacea and Oregon grape will help boost the immunity and fight the illness off, then the cleavers will flush the lymph system where most illnesses in the winter gets stuck in me.
I love mixing up my own tincture formulas. Since I am making it for the three people, I can add the herbs that I know we all can use.

Cleavers and the mustard greens

Happy Guadelupe Day!

2011-12-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

Today is the traditional day to honor Guadelupe, the saint of the oppressed. I heard this story today and thought that she would be most appreciated amongst the protesters of the world. My former intern is serving up 1000 burritos at the port protest today, and Guadelupe would be proud. Listen to the herstory behind the holiday and feast here: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/12/143579900/catholics-honor-virgin-of-guadalupe-for-feast-day
I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving meal in honor of all the people who helped the food arrive to your plate.
Today in the garden I found cleavers, peppercress, dandelion greens, and super small chickweed to eat. The food garden is still giving us great broccoli greens, collards are re-sprouting, and there are at least 7 meals of brussels sprouts. Inside the hoop house, the lettuce is so delicate and if I can direct some more water to it. I am grateful to have nutrition at my doorstep.
peace,
Jayne

The Last Calendula Flowers

2011-12-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

Punk Rock Calendula!

Calendula is one of my favorite herbs to grow and to use. This is the last picture I took at the farm. I let it all go to seed so it will come back up by itself next year near. The purplish pink flowers are Cosmos that have been self seeding for over 8 years! My friend gave them to me when she helped work on the farm one of the first years I farmed & told me that all farms needed Cosmos for the pollinators. They have re-seeded easily every year. The yellow flowers under the Calendula are Mexican Tarragon. It tastes like French Tarragon, but easier to grow from seed. I use them in culinary dishes with Chanterelle mushrooms and cream for a light aromatic flavor.

Amazingly, there are still Calendulas blooming in the hoop house in my backyard! It is very moist in there, so they are not as good for medicine or for drying, but they are great for adding to soups, rice & salads.

Natural Skin Care Class at Sugar Pill

2011-12-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

My friend Crystal Seltzer is teaching this natural skin care class tomorrow and is looking for a few more people to sign up! She is an adjunct teacher at Bastyr University and a wonderful person to talk to about all things herbal.

Glowing Skin: herbal skin care formulas for every skin type.

Thursday, Dec. 8th, from 6:30-8pm at SugarPill on Capitol Hill.

When our skin glows we feel at our best- we feel like we can put our best face forward and that we are ready to take on the day. And nobody knows this better than the cosmetics industry. They are a multi-million dollar industry that strives to tell women how they can have glowing skin. Unfortunately, skin care can be costly, and it can be toxic. Many of the products offered to us on the market are not really all that good for our skin, or our environment. But fear not! Glowing skin can easily be had and it doesn’t need to be expensive, toxic, or all that hard to make. In this workshop we will discuss recipes for all skin types and you will be walked through the step by step instructions on how to make a bevy of herbal facial and body products that are sure to bring out the glow in your skin. Handouts will be provided and samples will be given out for you to take home and try for yourself.

When: Thursday, Dec: 8th; 6:30-8pm

Where: SugarPill Apothecary on Capitol Hill

Cost: $30

Registration: To register, contact Karyn Shwartz at SugarPill Apothecary at 206.322.7455 or well@sugarpillseattle.com. Registration is limited, and classes with fewer than 5 attendees are subject to cancellation.

Gratitude to the Teachers

2011-11-25T11:03:00.000-08:00

Today is thank a teacher day, and I want to thank my college professor John Rashford, for helping me see that there are many paths in life, and many ways to walk that path. He introduced me to anthropology and the concept of ethnobotony. Who would have known that years later I would still be cultivating and researching herbs and food and how to use them for medicine? He has been teaching at The College of Charleston for about 30 years, and opening people's eyes to the differences and similarities among people that make us all special. Thank you so much for being you!
You can go to the storycorps website to record an interview with a teacher.

Looking back on this article about him in the school magazine, I realized was in one of his first classes, if not the very first one. I remember he came in with his guitar and sang a bit to us and told us stories about his travels in college. As we got to know him, we wanted to hear more. I remember going to his open office hours, and finding about 6 other students from the class there about once or twice a week. Sometimes we all piled in there, and other times we had to go outside to accommodate everyone who wanted to talk to him. He always called us colleagues, and allowed us freedom to digest some of the radically different concepts we were hearing for the first time. I know that the personal exchange and his gentle demeanor and warm smile were a welcome change from the usual way my past teachers had responded to students.

I am thankful for my great friends and family for teaching me about love and compassion, and to the plants for being my teachers again this year. Each year I learn more about growing medicinal plants and the importance of being resilient to change. I am thankful for my interns, my peers and other people who have helped me learn more about myself and my business as I continue to develop a practice of gratitude and grace. I hope to continue learning laughing and loving everything I do at Sister Sage!

In this hurried season of gift giving and buying stuff, don't forget that human connectedness means so much more than a gift. Hugs and kisses are both free and welcome gifts in times of stress. Create and practice patience, love, compassion and honor for yourself and others daily.
Peace,
Jayne

Inland Northwest Permaculture Conference

2011-11-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I am going to miss this one, I'm headed to Whidbey Island for my annual girls weekend. If you are going to be in Spokane this weekend, you should stop by the Spokane Falls Community College campus and lear something about integrating your landscape to encourage conservation and efficiency of household systems while growing your own food$ Inland Northwest Permaculture.com/.
If you do go, please let me know how it was and what you learned! Have a great weekend no matter what you end up doing.