Lilacs. Lilacs everywhere. Ahhh, Spring lilacs. Yes, it’s true, the smell of dreamy lilacs in the breeze just doesn't last long enough. So that’s why I love to preserve its floral essence in a delectable, wiggly jiggly, spreadable, sticky sweet jelly. It’s perfect smeared atop some crunchy buttery toast or biscuits, but I like it on warm lilac muffins with steamy black tea.

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Somebody asked me yesterday what my herbal path was, my story. Here's a smidgin about me (so far anyway) for those who wanna know......

I grew up a naturalist, clinging to the arm of my momma and her picnic baskets and canteens of soup and spent many weekends under the pines and vacations in the forests and the deserts, in tents, in canoes, wading rivers, tip tops of mountains, in caves, fishing, gardening, all of it. She paved my love for life and the outdoors probably without even knowing it. I've always had a close relationship with the plants, like building little fairy houses or big ol bonfires, and whistling with grass blades or pelting someone with acorns and rolling down grassy hills or napping under old oaks.... the peace, the fresh air, the quiet, the play, the smells and the simplicity of it all is so healing and over the years I've grown quite attached. Whether it be wild or cultivated, to this day, this is where I go to play or to heal mentally during trying times. I'm continuing to learn that health as a whole is a blend of emotional health, dietary approaches, balance, spirituality and knowing that the body has the ability to heal itself, if we allow it too. I'm a lover of life and I'm all about happiness, and I'm happiest when I'm mingling with the plants.

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I'm thrilled to finally be adding some new herbals to the website that I spent all Spring, Summer and Fall growing, loving, tickling, singing too, harvesting and now are ready to be shared! 

Even though I had to leave behind my ever so loved food and medicine garden in California, I was able to harvest a little bit from almost everything before setting off on this new journey. And now, as I cozy up for the Winter I'm busy planning out my new garden space where there is sure to be an abundance of herbals in the years to come.

So here's a peek at some of the newly added herbal goodies below: garlic mullein flower oil, fire cider and a few new tinctures here on local harvest as well as my website.... natural medicines made with love from me and my gardens.

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Clary sage was once thought to make people immortal and many believed that it could clarify the brain, the eyes and even the “inner eye”, and that those who drank a tea of the leaves and flowers could see the future. Today, clary sage is used as a flavoring in everything from cigarettes and omelets to muscatel wine, but it does have many medicinal properties too. In fact, it has a medicinal pedigree going back to the ancient Greeks, but it's probably not the first herb you think of to treat complaints like hot flashes, indigestion and anxiety.

The young tops of Clary were used in soups and as pot herbs. It gives a new lift to omelets, and was used to flavor jellies. The leaves were chopped into salads. Culpeper recommended a 17th century sage dish where the fresh leaves were first dipped in a batter of flour, eggs and a little milk, fried in butter and served as a side dish. The flowers have an aromatic flavor and make a lovely contrast in salads. All sage flowers are edible after removing all greenery and stems.

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Mallow is one of the earliest cited plants in recorded literature. Horace mentions it in reference to his own diet, which he describes as very simple: "Me pascunt olivae, me cichorea, me malvae" ("As for me, olives, endives, and mallows provide sustenance")

Know your weeds: Look down, because Common Mallow (Malva neglecta) probably grows around you. The flowers, leaves, young shoots and roots are edible, either raw or cooked and are very nutritious. The seeds alone contain 21% protein and 15.2% fat.

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Alice advocates alluring alliums, and so do I!

Well, it's that time year; time to start planting those Alliums, like onions, chives, garlic, shallots and leeks. Did you know Allium, the onion genus, has over 700 species, making it one of the largest plant genera in the world.

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To me, the pumpkin is more than just an oversized vegetable. In fact, it has a very long history-once considered a symbol of the whole world, a container of everything ever created. Early societies saw symbolism and spiritual significance in many round objects, from rocks to seeds and, yes, the pumpkin. If you look at the pumpkin you know it mean business: it's big, it's round, it's heavy and it's food, usually a lot of it. It's the whole world in a neat little package, so what else can it mean? Just that: the world. And that is exactly what it meant in the Old World. As the largest fruit of creation and full of seeds, it became a symbol of plenty. Pumpkins, together with corn (maize) and beans were an important foodstuff in the early Americas. The cultivation of pumpkins spread throughout the world when the European explorers, returning from their journeys, brought back many of the agricultural treasures of the New World. Pumpkins, and their seeds, were celebrated for a long time, both for their dietary and medicinal properties. 

But things have changed a little bit with this famous Cucurbit as its means as an important food source has declined and has fallen to the holidays merely for its ability to be a rather yummy pie and the traditional face of Halloween. And as we excitedly scoop out the endless supply of pumpkin seeds from our pumpkin patch pumpkins, we have lost sight of the value of these mere seeds. Maybe they're saved, maybe not. If lucky, they get salted and roasted and devoured. Maybe they get glued on to craft time projects or strung into kiddy necklaces. But, these seeds shouldn't be forgotten as they are one of Natures almost perfect foods and truly deserve a place in the everyday diet and medicine cabinet.

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As a vegetable and herb grower; plus wanting to actually enjoy everything I've grown, I have found companion planting to be one of the most important strategies to incorporate into the planning of all my gardens. I strive to have a beautiful nontraditional garden yard with brilliant displays of focal point corn and mullein reaching to the sky, all the while protecting and being protected form their own plant friends. My tomatoes with their display of juicy plump goodness and the nasturtium that's trailed its way through it....I'm serious. All of this in the front yard too! Really though, plants' themselves can offer protection from pests and diseases, can help build the soil, control weeds and even improve the growth and flavor of their neighbors. One could easily pull this off in any style of garden from a messy cottage (which I like) to an elaborate formal masterpiece.

By mixing your plantings you have a better chance for insect control than with the traditional row vegetable gardens that we're so used to seeing. In a monoculture environment plants become vulnerable as they have no assisting plants to protect them. This is why we see such high pesticide use in our farm fields. Take a look at how plants grow in the wild; they don't grow in perfect little rows all exposed, and neither should yours. By companion planting you can completely disregard the need for pesticides.

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The Spring brings so many yummy greens that we shouldn't be afraid to eat. Take the time to identify some of them so you can enjoy this free and nutritious bounty that the land has to offer. One of my favorites, Miner's Lettuce is rich in vitamins A and C plus many trace minerals. I find this gem yummy, juicy and pleasant to eat.

Miner's Lettuce, also known as Claytonia perfoliata, winter purslane, spring beauty or Indian lettuce, gets its name from the California gold rush miners who often ate it to help prevent scurvy. It's native to the western mountains and coastal regions of North America but is most common here in California in the northern San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys.

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I love sea kale: not only for its edible shoots, leaves and flower buds, but for its ornamental presence in the perennial garden as well. Sea kale was quite the rage in the late 1700's but sadly has lapsed into minor-vegetable status. I personally like having a garden made up of unusual plants with multiple edible parts. I enjoy tucking perennial veggies here and there into the landscape border.

Sea kale (Crambe maritima) is a clump forming perennial growing about 3 feet high and wide. The plants grey-blue foliage is much like true kale (Brassica oleracea), but the flowers are white and produced in large masses. I think it's a beautiful plant in any garden as well as the vegetable garden, as these plants can provide good harvests for up to 10 years.

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