Rivanna River Herbal

Where Has The Summer Gone?

Anise Hyssop, One of my favorite summer herbs

Yeah, it's been a while!!  Where have I been you ask?  I've been right here the whole time.  It's just that life has a way of moving us along and not necessarily in the direction I'd planned.   All I can say is that it's been a busy summer and hopefully in the near future I'll be back posting more frequently. 


  
Here are some of the fingerling potatoes I harvested.   My 2 pounds of seed potatoes magically turned into 25 pounds of deliciousness and has been by far my most successful crop.  I think growing the potatoes in the big pots is the way to go.  I recently talked to a friend who lost all of her potatoes to moles.  Well moles can't seem to find a way into the pots.  Also the harvesting is so very easy.  I basically dump the contents of each pot onto a tarp and gather all of the potatoes from the still rich looking dirt, which I then dragged off and dumped in to an area of the garden that seemed to want more soil. 

My tomatoes are just beginning to ripen and I noticed this week the stands at the farmer's market were a riot of tomatoes in all shades of red, yellow and orange and just dripping with sunshine.  As the romas come in, I halve them, place them on a cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil over them.  Then I sprinkle on some thyme and a few slivers of garlic along with salt and pepper.  I roast them for an hour or so at around 300 degrees until they begin to crisp up and brown around the edges and fill the house with delicious aromas.  These can be frozen and when thawed added to salads, soups, sauces ... whatever you choose.  Of course, you can do this with any of the tomatoes not just romas. Cherry tomatoes prepared this way and set out as finger food are a wonderful prelude to any summer meal. 

The other thing I like to do with an abundance of tomatoes is to halve or quarter them, depending on their size.  I do not peel or seed them, just put them in the blender along with some good olive oil, fresh oregano and basil and several cloves of fresh garlic.  Add some onion if you choose and blend away.  This is good as is over freshly prepared pasta or salt it away in the freezer for some yummy winter meals that will remind you of the lovely days of summer. 

Basically the rest of the veggies in the garden were a bust for a variety of reasons, but mainly the deer population wiped out a bunch of stuff.  Next year I plan on just doing some early spring things like lettuce, again potatoes and tomatoes.  The rest I'll get from the farmer's market. Of course, the herbs will always be part of the garden.

Herbs, Life Style, Healing ...

What a delight this past weekend was with herbalist, teacher and mentor, Kathleen Maier, of Sacred Plant Traditions, hosting herbalist extraordinaire, Phyllis Light, 4th generation healer and herbalist in the Southern Appalachian Folk Medicine Tradition. She'll be back next month and again in August to share more of her wisdom and ways learned as a child from her grandmother, from the late Tommie Bass and other elders of a very rich herbal heritage.

For me, what is so exciting about Phyllis' teachings is the regionality and tradition that she brings with her ... teachings about plants that are growing in my own meadow and garden here in central Virginia ... nettles, honeysuckle, wild geranium and wild ginger among others.  Yet regardless of where you live in the United States we all have many plants in common and they heal just as well if they harvested in Vermont, Virginia or Alabama.

It is also the historical factor or tradition at work in her teachings that makes what she brings to the herb kitchen so compelling for me.  Lessons brought down through the generations from Native American Creeks and Cherokees, mixed with the healing traditions brought to this country by some of its earliest settlers ... the Spanish with their African slaves, the Scots-Irish and Welsh who settled in the south long before the Puritans arrived in Plymouth.

Just as important in her work is lifestyle and prevention of illness ... how we exercise and play ... a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and unprocessed foods ... slowing down to heal our overtaxed Adrenal Systems and our daily attitudes all serve to improve our outlook and keep us healthy.

Tubers and Roots!!!!

The last time I had a "real" vegetable garden was some 30 + years ago in Vermont.  Since then it's been a few tomato plants here, a few there, loads of basil and parsley and weekly trips to the farmer's market. Don't get me wrong ...  there is nothing wrong with that.  I've loved nurturing my tomatoes every summer and I LOVE going to the farmer's market every Saturday morning, bringing home a supply of fresh from the garden produce. But I'm hugely excited to be back growing more than just the tomatoes.  Yes, it's work and sometimes I get very tired of the whole thing, but all in all, I'm very excited to show you the first potatoes, carrots and beets from my garden, picked this morning. In my mind, these vegetables are medicine for the body and soul.  Like cutting wood for your wood stove, vegetable gardening warms you twice ... once while you are planting the garden, then again when you eat the results.

I've been getting quite curious about those potatoes growing so quickly in those big black pots out back, so this morning I decided to tip one over to see what was going on in there.  The plants in this pot were lovely pink "Desiree," potatoes.  The plants were covered with lovely flowers, attracting lots of pollinators.  It's been a long time since I've grown this stuff so I'm learning about growing food all over again.

What I learned this morning was that I could have let this pot go longer before harvesting the potatoes.  There were loads of tiny pea and marble size spuds waiting for a chance to get bigger. I do love them when they are tiny but this year I'm looking for a little more bang for my buck.  I planted 2 lbs. worth of seed potatoes in  8 pots.  This pot yielded 1 and 1/4 lbs. of potatoes.  And I think I could have done better than that.  I will let the remaining pots go much longer and perhaps harvest from them as I need potatoes until the blossoms start to fade and it's time  to pick them anyway.

I also realized that despite our abundant rainfall this spring, these pots, which are not "self-watering," need more attention from me when it comes to keeping them moist.  The soil in the pot was quite dry and of a much finer texture than when I placed it on top of and around the growing plants.  I could just envision those little taters consuming all of the nutrients in the soil, growing fatter and fatter, which of course they do!  I placed the spent plants, soil and the mulch of now decaying straw on the compost pile.

The carrots and beets were also the first I've gathered this year and I look forward to many more.  I will reseed those again in the late summer and hope for another round of root vegetables before the cold of winter sets in.

Oh, I still go to the farmer's market every Saturday morning.  I buy  things I'm not growing myself and I get inspired to try new things.  I put in a few tomatillo plants which I've never grown before.  My husband calls me obsessed, but he sure is enjoying the results!!

See what else is blooming now, here!

Time Lapse ...

 

Check out the same potato plants in my last post.  Wow!  These guys have really grown and I think that if I had the equipment to do some time-lapse photography it would be really interesting to watch. 

This week I filled the pots to the brim with soil and added a bit of straw mulch to keep the surface cool and moist.  A few plants are beginning to flower.  Of course the test will come with the harvesting. Did the overabundant rain hurt them?  Was my soil mix right?  Did the few "hot" days overheat the pots, cooking the potatoes?  If I get the potatoes I'm hoping for how many pounds will I harvest for the 2 pounds that I planted??  Only time will tell!!

Here we have my spinach crop which I've been harvesting on and off for about a month now. The plants in the rear planter are carrots and as I thin the planter I use the thinnings in salads until the carrots come in their regular size. These are "self-watering" planters or the more appropriate term would be "sub-irrigating" containers.  This experiment is working out really well and I'm sold on doing more with these next year.  I am using so much less water which is important for this area, which is usually on the droughty side of things.  This spring we have been fortunate in that we've had lots of rain and the ground water levels are doing better.  But I'm not counting on that lasting a long time.  Since I moved here to central Virginia in the mid 80s, we've had many more dry years than wet years.  In using these containers I am not watering the area around the garden, there is no run-off and there are no weeds.  My overused back is doing so much better.  I can plant the containers at my planting bench and then wheel them to the spot where they will live during the growing season.  If light conditions aren't quite right I can move them to a better location.  So far everything that I have harvested has tasted as good as it does when grown in the ground.  

 

These are also "sub-irrigating" containers.  The smaller one is home to a pear tomato plant that is beginning to bear fruit.  The longer container next to it is home to some beets.  The reservoir beneath the soil is filled every-so-often and the water is wicked into the soil above it as the plant needs it. 

These planters are very popular for urban dwellers, but just as wonderful for us country folk.  I have almost 3 acres of land but I don't necessarily want to put it all in gardens.  I have a lovely meadow between my house and the river in which wonderful wild herbs grow that I frequently harvest.  It is also home to an astounding community of wild animals who so far are leaving my veggies, which I've tucked in close to the house, alone.  I'm also using some awful smelly soap bars cut into small pieces tucked in here and there.  The soap even seems to keep my cats out of garden which I'm especially happy for.

Yes, I am doing herby things as well and will return to writing more about that after the planting season is done.  I visited my grower friend, Krista, a week ago and came home with more tomatoes, eggplant and loads of herbs including  skullcap, holy basil, comfrey and more.  I just harvested ground ivy from the meadow and fever few for tinctures.  The fever few saved me from a nasty headache last week.  I simply ate one leaf and the pain was gone in 10 minutes!!

P.S.  For great info on "sub-irrigation" containers, including links for directions to make your own,  go to Inside Urban Green.

Too Busy For Words ...

I've been spending a good deal of my time in the garden.  Here are the potato pots I posted about last time.  I've already added soil 3 times and I think the next time will bring the soil line right up to the rim of the pots.  The amazing rain fall has been a huge benefit and though we've had almost 7 inches of rain in the last 4 to 5 weeks, we are still down about 5 inches for the year to date.

   

These are the "self-watering" containers that I'm experimenting with.  We have spinach, Swiss chard, mustard greens, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots and lettuces all doing wonderfully and giving me extra time and space to get the in-ground garden going with tomatoes, cukes,  broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage.  I've still got lots more to put in.  So far these containers are working out well.  There is a reservoir in the bottom of the pots which you fill with water from time to time.  The water is absorbed upwards into the pot and the plants are thriving.  I have used a 50/50 mix of organic potting soil and compost to fill the pots.  We've been eating the greens and they are as tasty as any I've had that have been grown in the ground.  I'm using much less water and it seems a great way to get the early spring garden going before the ground is ready. 

While visiting my grand kids in North Carolina this past weekend, I discovered the Western North Carolina Herb Festival and had a lovely hour or so to wander through rows and rows of potted herbs and vegetables and of course came home with more herbs to tuck in here and there.  I added Sweet Annie, Meadow sweet, Lobelia, Angelica and more.  There were lots of friendly folks with all sorts of growing tips and such.  

I've also been doing some tincturing and tonight put together some lemon balm tincture and also plantain.  Tomorrow I'll  do the cleavers that are covering the ground in the orchard.  

The season is just beginning and I'm having a wonderful time!  Hope you are too!!

Growing Potatoes In Pots ...

With the financial situation what it is today, like most everyone I know, I have chosen to expand my vegetable garden this year as a way to keep down the our food bills.  I recently read somewhere that for every $100. spent on a vegetable garden, $1700.  can be saved in the grocery store per year.  I might argue that it depends on the weather and the skill of the gardener.  Sometimes things don't work out as well as we'd like them to, but that's always part of the game, especially when it comes to playing with Mother Nature.

One day in February while I was browsing through some interesting looking blogs, I came across this one.  I got so excited because I remember well the taste of those delicate summer new potatoes I used to grow in my garden in Vermont, years and years ago.  I would steam them, slather them with rich creamy butter and freshly chopped parsley.  Food fit for the Gods!!

I hadn't thought of planting potatoes this year because I had no space set aside for them and they do take up lots of space, once you start the hilling process.  Plus water has been an issue in the area with on and off drought over the years, mostly on.  I collect rainwater from the roof of my garage into a big cistern buried in the ground and also have some rain barrels tucked away in other places, but still if it doesn't rain, you have nothing to water with.  This method seemed to me to be a perfect way to conserve a little water along with some space and I could satisfy that growing itch I was experiencing to plant some potatoes.  My thinking told me I could water the pots directly ... there is no loss of water into places where I don't need it.  Other pros quickly presented themselves ... my back would be less strained from working the ground AND weeds wouldn't be a problem.  

I got help from good friend, Krista, in finding the 15 gallon pots.  She is also growing some potatoes in pots as well as in the ground so come some time later in the summer a verdict will be reached as to which way is better or might they both produce a super, delicious crop of spuds.  I'll let you know.

I planted fingerling potatoes as well as two kinds of red skinned ones 3 to 4 weeks ago and I'm happy to say that potatoes are sprouting in each of the pots.  I followed the directions for planting them as given on the blog.  I mixed my own planting mix of half organic potting soil and half locally made Panorama Paydirt compost.   As soon as the sprouts have reached a good height I will add more soil and start the hilling process. 

I can't wait to taste my first freshly dug potatoes but I'm really enjoying watching these little plants grow.  I check them several times a day to make sure all is well and they are happy.  

I'll keep you posted with more photos as the season progresses!!

Better yet, check out that blog and start your own!!

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) ...

Yes, I remember ... I'm supposed to be posting about potatoes!  But my excitement of the moment has been taken over by dandelions and since it is their season I just had to let you know what I've been up to with them! I've been out and about planting, mulching, pruning and whatever else one does at this time of year and suddenly realized my lawn was aglow with the beautiful, yellow blossoms of what some would consider a noxious weed.  If only they would mend their ways!

So I started digging and gathering and found myself with a basket full of whole dandelion plants ... and with the change of seasons from winter to spring, it is a perfect time of year to take advantage of this wonderful plant's medicine to help us build our strength and energy for the upcoming hard work during the warmer months ahead.  I call this a true "spring tonic" plant.  Though it can be harvested throughout the year, this is the time of year we really notice it as it runs riot through fields, lawns and meadows.  Have you noticed that many health food stores now carry fresh dandelion greens throughout the year?  I prefer the ones growing wild around me, but if I can't find any, I'm not above going for the factory farmed varieties, especially if organically grown.

Dandelion roots are high in vitamins and minerals, including iron, manganese, calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, potassium, zinc, vitamins C and A.  The leaves are said to be a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamins A,B,C and D along with some of the same minerals the roots contain.  The whole plant revitalizes the body, builds the blood and gets the liver functioning as it should.  It is a bitter and will stimulate the appetite.   It is said to be a tonic for the stomach, pancreas, kidneys, lymph and all the other systems of the body.  It has been used to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol, some cancers, reproductive issues and to absorb heavy metals. 

So what did I do with my basket of dandelions??  First, I plucked off most of the flowers, filled a jar with them and have them steeping in olive oil.  Susun Weed, in her wonderful book, Healing Wise, says that dandelion oil will "ease the of pain of stiff necks, arthritic joint pain, sinus headaches and back tension ... will promote deep relaxation and facilitate release of  emotions locked in ze muscles."

Next, I lightly rinsed the plants without cutting them up and filled two quart mason jars with these whole plants.  I filled one jar with brandy for a tincture and the other jar with apple cider vinegar. Both are steeping on my kitchen counter and in about 4 weeks time will be finished medicine.  I did have some plants left over and with these I made a decoction, cooking it down slowly for about an hour.  I drank it over the next two days sweetened with a bit of honey. There were a few roots left that are in the process of drying.

I'll continue gathering dandelions as they appear adding the greens to salads, make decoctions and also dry some more for winter use.  Spring is such amazing fun!!

Spring Gathering ...

Carla, Kathleen, Nancy, Therese, Mindy and Holly

Last Sunday, a few of us met in Mindy's kitchen again for a lovely spring gathering.  This time Kathleen our wonderful teacher came along and it was a lovely low key day.

We  put together a yummy warming bitters with tinctures of ginger, dandelion, licorice and I've forgotten what else. I always manage to leave my notes behind and will get them this coming week when Mindy and I head up to Edible Landscapes to pick up a few things for our gardens.  She is dreaming figs and persimmons ... I am dreaming elderberry, passionflower and kiwi.

But back to last week ... we had a delicious pot luck lunch of sourdough rolls and a variety of salads, then went for a walk through Maymont Park, a lovely spot in Richmond, minutes from Mindy's home.  The day had started out cold, gray and wet, but on the drive over, the sun came streaming through the dark clouds and it turned into a beautiful spring day.  With temperatures somewhere in the mid 80s, the park was packed with others anxious to get out and enjoy the sunshine, daffodils, tulips and other spring blossoms.  We were most interested in seeing what "weeds" might be coming up and found violets, dandelions, cleavers, chickweed and land cress up and ready to begin their healing work.  Here, closer to the mountains, these herbs are not as far along as they are in Richmond and on arriving home to temperatures only in the 70's, gives you an idea why that is.

Since that fun day, here at home, I've been busy getting in more veggie seeds and planting young starts of mustard and other greens.   I really did in my back on Monday digging out Jerusalem Artichoke tubers from a bed I want to use for beans and cukes. Jerusalem Artichokes are terribly invasive and I must have harvested a good 10 lbs of tubers from just planting a half dozen last year.  I hope I got them all.  I've planted several in a big pot to try to keep them contained, have given some away and plan on making several meals from the rest.  I also got my potatoes planted and in the next post will show you how I've put them in pots, to keep them from taking up so much space in the garden.

Happy Ending ...

This is my little dog Molly!  She weighs 12 pounds and is a real sweetheart!  Yesterday she was attacked while I was walking her and Sam, by my neighbor's dogs.  My dogs were on leashes.  The attackers were not.  One was large, about the size of a lab, the other the same size as Molly.  After we broke up the attack, I took Molly to the vet, where they shaved her left shoulder and the back of her neck where there were bruises and a few puncture wounds, caused mainly by the larger of the dogs.  She hurt lots and spent the morning and early afternoon taking it very easy, not wanting to move much. When she did there were painful yips.  As per doctor's orders I iced the site and then started to think about what I could do with my herbal remedies to help her heal a bit.  I took out the solomon's seal and prickly ash salve the herb group made back in January and slathered some on the swollen shaved area.  Within minutes, she looked better.  Within hours she was moving around, though still limping and favoring her left front paw and a rear one.  By bedtime at about 10 PM, she went outside without no assistance to take care of doggie business and looked more perky but still very tired.  I put a bit more of the salve on her wounds.

This morning at 6 AM as per usual, she started yipping from the kitchen, where both dogs sleep at night, announcing that it was time for breakfast.  We  let both dogs into the bedroom where  every morning we all enjoy about an hour just drowsing away together, and there she was, her old self.  She had no problem jumping up on to the bed and later when she heard Bill opening a can, charged into the kitchen to get breakfast! 

She didn't speak to tell me how it felt after I applied the salve, but just from watching her body language, I know it helped her.  So don't just save this wonderful medicine for yourself.   Let your pets in on the magic!!  This afternoon, the shaved shoulder is the only evidence that something was amiss.  She is fine.

As for the other dogs, I told their owner that since this was the second episode in about 4 weeks time of off leash attacks, I would call animal control if it ever happened again.  I strongly suggested she take her dogs to a trainer and that she keep her dogs on leashes and control them when they are out of their electrically fenced yard!

In other happenings, I put broccoli and cauliflower plants in the garden this morning along with some spinach and arugula starts.  I have planted seeds for broccoli rob and more spinach and carrots too.  The farmer's market opens in just over a week.  Spring really is here!!

Greens ...

It's that time of year!  Despite the snow, sleet or whatever dear Mother Nature throws at us, it's time to start the greens.  Here we have 2 kinds of Romaine lettuce and swiss chard.  Still to be started are arugula and spinach, two of my favorites.  I'm still without a cold frame, but I'm using a clear plastic sweater storage box as a cold frame and it works very nicely.  I did find 2 old window sashes last week so the real deal will be on it's way before too long!

Yesterday morning I did a great mushroom growing workshop at nearby Sharondale Farm.  I didn't take any photos as it was raining most of the time but it was very enlightening and hopefully one of these days this too will become part of my repertoire.  But for the moment, I'm in way over my head with other garden chores plus the everyday survival stuff.  I did come away with a bag of oyster mushroom spawn that will be good for 6 to 8 weeks, so it would be nice to find a fresh poplar or alanthus log to get it going.  If not I'll use a straw bale and hopefully in the fall or next year the mushrooms will become more of a priority.  I've just got too many projects going on at the moment.

We've had snow showers and rain since Friday and though it isn't any where near enough to solve our ground water problems, the plants are really enjoying it and getting greener by the minute.  Here at home the rain gauge is measuring about 3/4 of an inch of precipitation, but we are down well over 5 inches for the year so far.  I'm going to be experimenting with some self-watering container gardening this year as a way to save on water and garden space and will let you know as soon as I start on that and the results.  I'm quite excited by it and am looking forward to the coming weeks as I begin my own food garden along with watching the herbs return!