My mother taught me how to sew when I was a little girl. To this day I still make a lot of my own clothes, quilts, and anything else I have time for. With my love of plants it just seemed natural that I learn to dye my own cloth and yarn.

Dyeing with plants isn't a new thing though, it's an ancient craft and the techniques are well established. Textiles have been livened up with natural plant and animal pigments for centuries. It is amazing to think that some of these are still around today like antique tapestries, brocades, and embroideries- still rich with color.

I love seeing little herb gardens of plantain growing in the cracks of people's driveways. These "weeds" are far too often plucked out (just like dandelions) but I have my hopes. Do you ever notice how Mother Nature plops down herbs in the most convenient spots. This mighty strong and stubborn herb isn't that tough by accident you know. Plantain, whether plucked, stomped, pulled or crushed, never seems to die; in fact, it's so resilient, it'll grow where nothing else will. To me- that's a trooper!

Plantain is defiantly one herb that I put at the top of my list as a great remedy for coughs, lung congestion, hoarseness and anything else where excessive mucus is a problem. This particular herb is a good substitute for slippery elm which is disappearing due to irresponsible wild crafting practices, commercial logging, and Dutch elm disease. You can make a simple tea or a syrup (I like to add fresh ginger to my plantain syrup as well) and use whenever a hacking cough starts. Buy dried plantain here.

This woody shrub blooms in spectacular hues, from true blue to rosy blue, and one white-flowering variety. It blooms in spring and sometimes fall with a wonderful aroma that fills the air with a fragrance like sweet pine. Rosemary has a long history of medicinal use, in culinary cuisine, symbolic blessings, and aromatherapy in gardens around the world.

This amazing plant is often used a a tonic, but it also relaxes the nervous system, which helps ease anxiety, depression, and tension headaches. It's antispasmodic properties help to fight lingering bronchial infections and help improve breathing.

Garbling certainly can be a tedious experience, but it is really quite enriching. I find that it has helped me get to know the plants I've collected even better. It's such a fun word to use too. I love when someone calls and asks what I'm doing, I love to reply, oh I'm just garbling some  Motherwart...or what ever herb I'm cleaning. Always makes them giggle, and it's always a fun way to start a conversation.

Oh, what is garbling you ask? Well garbling refers to the separation of that portion of the plant to be used from other parts of the plant, i.e. picking out wilted leaves, woody stems, stray grasses and other plants that came along with what you picked. This step is often done during and after the collection process. I always repeat this step after drying as well. Although there are machines that perform garbling, usually it is performed by hand.

The simple lemon has gone beyond your ordinary glass of lemonade. Did you know lemon peel contains calcium, phosphorus, potassium, ascorbic acid and vitamin A, as well as volatile oil. It is diuretic, carminative, immuno-enhancing, and stomachic. This citrus serves as a tonic to the digestive system, immune system, and skin, while increasing circulation to extremities. Lemon peel is used to treat and prevent vitamin deficiencies, colds, flu, an scurvy as well as digestive or gastrointestinal problems by stimulating the appetite and encouraging the release of gastric juices to digest food.

The citrus bioflavonoid constituents of this herb help stabilize blood vessels, especially the capillaries, making it an ideal remedy for healing varicose veins, bloodshot eyes, phlebitis and hemorrhoids (especially when the lemon peel is used to make a tea).