Twitter link corrected

thanks to my sis in law for letting me know it was wrong

A Day of Spring Foraging

OK, I decide to go foraging and what does the weather do? Decide to be about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the forecast I looked at the previous evening said it would be {Note to self, check weather BEFORE leaving the house in the am !!} Luckily, I did layer somewhat, but did not have waterproof boots on, duh? It had rained 1/2 inch where we were going !! So I had wet, cold feet all day, even though my friend withstood me keep putting the floor heater on high!! Thank you, my dear. But I was glad to get home, strip off the wet shoes, socks and jeans and put on dry clothing, thank you very much !!

But it was a wonderful day. We drove about an hour east and south of our homes in Tulsa, and found old houses to scrounge around (brought home a chicken feeder, some screens for drying on and a few other things), and some beautiful areas, that were new to us. We have been foraging together for the last 3 years, and we go back to places that have been successful, and keep looking for new places. Oh, don't get me wrong, we do some foraging within 20 miles of the town (keeping clear of those plants that we feel are contaminated with pollution, industry, etc); but today was our first look for the elusive Morel mushrooms. I foraged them as a kid in Idaho, and have ate some that others had found in OK, but had never really hunted myself.

We started the day, by heading up to where we had found the chanterelles last year, to see what was going on there. There had been a little clearing of the land, but we did not see anything that would make us think there would not be chanterelles popping up in June !

From there we went back to the old houses before mentioned.

This is where J stepped out of the truck, walked a few feet and at the foot of a tree was a beautiful, yellow morel, boy were we excited, but did not find any more. From reading all the information and the posts from other 'shroom hunters, the middle of next week, after the rain and some warmer temps, should be prime morel season.

It was fun to look around and even more fun to hear J scream when 1)a wild cat and she almost collided and 2) a turkey vulture came flapping out of the house she was checking out !

There was some beautiful old metal fencing around the house, with scalloped edges on top that I would have loved to have, but the saplings and weeds and all, was grown into the fence, so getting it out would have been a major thing.

Except for a few plantain leaves we had not really foraged anything yet, we were beginning to wonder if it was just still too cold .

But we wondered down another road we had not previously traveled and low and behold, we found spring time splendor and heaven !! How would I dare call it heaven? Numerous, clear, cold running streams, unfenced, or otherwise blocked land and plants !! OH my !!

We found wild ginger !!! Lots of wild ginger ! And watercress, beautiful, spicy, yummy !!

that is a dogwood bloom in front of the watercress

Then we found some flowering plants that we dug a few of, to bring home to identify.

We had what we thought was flax, but brought it home and id'ed it as a blue eyed grass, which is actually an iris; beautiful violet spiderwort; yellow blossomed winter crest, a probable st john's wort, but I will not know for sure, unless it will bloom for me and another small plant with white to violet flowers and a leaf that looks like a little paw print (3 lobes, rounded)

We will be going back for more ginger and watercress. And now is the perfect time to talk about ethical wild foraging or wildcrafting.

First, where you go: must be open land, do not cross fences without permission, and you cannot usually forage in city or national parks without permission, in fact you can go to jail for digging some plants or removing other things like mushrooms, because it upsets the habitat.

2) never harvest within 100 feet of a busy road. On dirt roads, the biggest problem you will run into, is how dirty anything within those feet will be.

3) never harvest in a known contaminated place, ok this may take some research. You do not want to harvest downstream of a plant that is spewing nasties into the land or water. And believe me, if they are producing something nasty (even animal type butchering places) then you will have contaminates in the area

4) this is a really important, and biggy for all us to be aware of. YOU NEVER HARVEST everything in one area !!! This means there will be no reproduction for the next year, and that someone else may not get to enjoy what you did. Also, be thankful for what you have found and be respectful of the area. Do not leave your trash, or campfires or even more footsteps than is necessary. You might even bring a gift to that piece of land, cornmeal (food) is considered a gift of life and respect. But as long as you are respectful and thankful, the land will bless you and others.

5) research and know what plants are protected and/or endangered. Never harvest them !

There were many other plants in this area that we could not identify because of size and non blooming, it will be so much fun to watch as the year goes by, to see what is actually there.

What a week !!

Last Friday around 7 pm, my oldest daughter called and told me how sick she was, 100 temp and head throbbing. She, along with her three young children, live about 2 hours from us, in Missouri. She was wanting mommy, and since I couldn't just run over, I told her all the things to do to hopefully get her to feeling better. She says she is out of my elderberry syrup, so this is one thing we will have to work around. I also told her, that if she needed me, I would drive down on Sat (and avoiding telling her that little sister had prom Sat, knowing this would mean oldest would say she did not need mom !) Anyway, oldest boyfriend took care of her Friday night and escorted to help with T ball practice on Sat morning. She called to say her ex had the 2 oldest girls, so she was going to take a nap. I sighed a simple thank you prayer and continued my day.

Oh what was my day? I was handing out plants to friends and students that had requested them, then assisting my 15 yr old to dress for homeschool prom. This was wild and hectic, especially during the last hour, because of her concerns that everything had to be just right ! Normal behavior, I think?? We then delivered her first to dinner, then picked her up and took her to the 2nd location for the dance, ah the life of parent of a non driving teen!!

So, during the back and forth with daughters, I managed dinner and a quiet evening at home with hubby.

Sunday morning I call oldest to check on her, and she is still feeling terrible, and needing some help. So we pack up (15 yr old and I, hubby must work next day) and head to MO .

We spent the next 2 1/2 days taking care of oldest daughter and kids. All 3 kids had throat and ear infections, the oldest, probably a sinus infection. I handed out lots of elderberry flu meds, tylenol and hugs !!

We came home on Tuesday evening, and I spent a couple of days recovering and playing in the garden.

Pics, top to bottom

Brooklyn, 6; Reannon 4; Nathan 2; Britt 15 (self portrait)

Twitter and Facebook

Just a reminder that I am on both, and update, usually daily.
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/home.php?ref=home

Twitter
http://twitter.com/healingherbals

Spring, I think and teenage driving

Welcome to the first week of Spring, I think ??? Why the uncertainty? Cause the good people at the National Weather Service are telling us to expect snow on Friday and Sat !! Woot ! At least they aren't predicting below freezing temps, like they are going to get, just a little west of us. But we did get some rain last night !! yeah ! I went out today to pull some weeds and dig up some grass and Wow, the difference a little rain makes is amazing ! The clover I planted around the elderberries and the yard has popped up, plus I see tiny other bits of green in all my garden beds, this makes me very happy.
I worked in the yard, I planted my dwarf pear tree, and moved some gravel that was around the pool (that is no longer there) and put it around the door to my shed. I once again over did. How do I know, cause my muscles feel like putty and now that I have taken a shower, I don't even have the energy to get up and fix something to eat, but I must ! Fibromyalgia can be such a pain, literally and emotionally ! There is no, take it easy today, cause then I can work tomorrow, you learn that when you have the strength and feel like working, you take advantage of it, because you may have a bad week following. And no, it does not make a difference, believe me, I have tried ! But the research also supports it. So that is just the way it is

I promised to tell you about doing the OK Food Coop delivery, well that will wait a day or two, because I forgot to take my camera, so I bought a disposable, took it in to be developed and forgot to have it put on disc, but some pics are coming. Plus, my experience with pulling the trailer, OOPS !

I took my 15 year old out on Sunday for her first official "unofficial" driving lesson. She can't get her permit till she is 15 1/2, so I took her to a large, mostly empty parking lot and began her instructions. She listened to me, was very calm and the lesson went well. She told her daddy that he could not teach her to drive, because he would not have the patience. And I do ?? Has she met me?? LOL No, it did really go well.

My friend and webmistress and I are revamping the website, so you will be seeing a new look soon. But if you order anything now, mention this blog and receive a 10% discount on your order
http://www.healingherbals.org/
As far as future events, I plan on being at the Sand Springs Herbal Affair on April 18th, come to see me and my friends at the Peppermint Dragon, who are graciously sharing their booth with me, they have great starter plants !

Herb Butters

Written by my good friend and web mistress herballyinspired@gmail.com

Herbal Buttery Goodness

Most people by now have started preparing their gardens for the year. Some may be still in the planning stages, some may be prepping beds or cleaning up containers and calcuating how much soil and mulch to purchase and some may even be planting things like potaoes or cool season lettuces.
It's especially exciting to see those first shoots break through the dirt, or those first few leaves unfurl! When you start making plans for your herbal part of your garden, don't forget to add Herb Butters to your list of "Must Do"!
Herbal butters are easy, inexpensive and yes, even freezable. You can plan a variety for different occassions throughout the year. Just open up your freezer and pull out an herb butter especially flavored for your special family Thanksgiving that you planned today! Making herb butters is also something that the kids can certainly help with. Rather than chopping fresh herbs with a sharp knife, get out the kitchen shears and let your young ones have a blast. Just think of the look on your child's face when his or her herb butter is served with that special dinner!
Herb butters are wonderful on a wide variety of foods. You can add pizzazz and flavor to everything from your traditional veggies (corn, green beans, broccoli) to a nice grilled steak. Serve your steak with a small pad or knob of a nice herbal butter melting on top and watch your guests eyes lite up in anticipation. Use a melon baller to make little round servings of butter and freeze them. Can you imagine the elegance of serving slices of a nice crusty, warm bread with tiny balls of herb butter slowly soaking green goodness into every bite? Herb butters add flair, and even a bit of fancy while they contribute fresh flavors straight from your garden to nearly any dish you chose. Not to mention, that the herbs give the butter a flavor boost so you use less, saving you a few calories and few pennies!

Herb Butter Recipes

Basic recipe:
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) of butter, softened to room temperature. Using an electric or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, scraping the sides often. This will take anywhere from 3-5 minutes. If you lose track of time and beat the butter longer (up to 10 minutes) you will end up with a very light, fluffy butter that may even be more desirable as it can be more spreadable. (If you want to lower the fat, beat in a small amount of skim milk at appx 1 TBSP per 1 stick or 1/2 cup of butter). Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your fresh herb choice (basil, thyme, oregano, etc. or a combination of herbs), finely chopped and mix well.

You can refrigerate until hardened just enough to shape. A few freezing shape ideas might be:
A.Roll into wax paper, drop into a freezer bag/storage container and freeze.
B.Scoop into balls with a melon baller, freeze on a small cookie sheet covered in plastic wrap. When fully frozen place in a freezer bag/storage container for freezer storage.
C. Put in tiny molds or use small cookie cutters to form your shapes, and freeze as the ball shapes above.
Experiment with your own butter shape ideas!

If not freezing, refrigerate a minimum of 3 hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Overnight is even better!

Here are some herb butter suggestions:

Basil Butter
Thyme Butter
Oregano Butter
Tuscan Sun Butter (Basil, Oregano and Lemon Zest or Basil, Oregano, Thyme and Lemon Zest combined)
Cilantro Butter
Mexicali Butter (Cilantro and Oregano, or Cilantro, Oregano and Parsley combined, add a little Lime Zest for extra zing!)
Elegant Fish Butter (Dill, Chives and Parsley combined)
Sage Butter
Steak Oo-La-La Butter (Oregano, Thyme, Sage, Lemon Zest, a pinch of paprika and a pinch of freshly, finely ground pepper)

Hungry yet?

Green and flowers

Blueberries must have acidic soil, so I planted my 4 plants between my 2 juniper trees and then used branches to make my "wreaths" around the plants. (below)
Yarrow sprouts, I planted both white (native) and colored yarrows, last year and they did not make many plants, but a lot more seeds have sprouted this year, I hope I get both white and colors ! (side)

One of my 2nd year mulleins. These were started from seeds I picked up at the original Cherokee stomp grounds, which are no longer at that location, due to the land being privately owned, so these are sacred to me, as will be any offspringMy first peach blossoms, most of my fruit trees are only budded right now, due to me moving them 2 weeks ago, but that is a good thing, considering the freezing temps we had this last week

The 1st violet of spring

Echinacea poking their heads up.

These are red for hope (the hope of spring)

I planted these the way they are, petunias and dianthus.

I have green sprouts showing up everywhere, which makes me VERY happy, then there are the blooms, flowers have popped up and out everywhere in the last week ! First there is only 1 tree I truly do not like, but I can't help it, they stink and the trees do not have a purpose, other than landscaping "pretty", anyway, that tree would be the Bradberry pears, and they are thick everywhere locally ! And of course I am way allergic to them, so I spent 2 days, having great difficulty with breathing, cause of them. Oh well, one of the only downs of spring !

The best part of spring, is how happy all the new life makes me ! Here in OK, we only had about 3 months of true winter weather, but I was just so ready for the renewal of life and time to garden again.

Anyway, here are some picks I took this week, hope they bring you a little of the joy I receive from them ! And for even more pics, check out my facebook

http://www.facebook.com/home.php

Grow where you are planted

I saw a church sign just the other day, with this old but true saying "Grow where you are planted". I have come to realize the truth in this, for me. 8 years ago, we bought this house, because of location, it was only 2 miles from the school our daughter was attending, in the school district we had chosen, if she was going to public school; right off the expressways, making it easy for my husband to go to work, and in a nice, quiet neighborhood oh and the house is huge, because our nucleus family at that time was large (my father in law and 2 teen age kids, along with our youngest daughter). The size of our close family has changed, father in law has passed, both teenagers are now grown (and I have grandchildren) and along the way, I fell in love with the idea of living more "out in the country". Hubby is ok with that idea, because his retirement job he has been working towards, would require us to live within the county and that county is further east than Tulsa is, so we would be looking at moving. But, I have come to realize the dream is just that at this point in my life, because 1)Daughter still has at least 2 years of high school, then college that will be done here in town 2) My health will not allow me to work a large acreage and 3) My only close family is my brother and family, who currently live only a few miles from me, which makes it easy to visit, and I am not willing to give that up.

So, I am attempting to grow where I have been planted. How do I choose to do this?

Well, the first thing is that my business is not location centered, I can do it anywhere, but would like to stay in OK, so that I can continue as a producer for the OK Food Coop. The second is I am making improvements in my home; at first, those improvements where more directed at selling appeal, but now I have changed my to making improvements that will work better for my family and are pleasing to us. Third, I continue to plant and grow my gardens, including putting in a full orchard. Fourth, I know all my close neighbors by site, and my close neighbors (sides and across the street) by talking with them, but later in the spring, or early summer, I am going to have a get together of some kind, and invite all of them, just so that we can speak more, and feel more security with knowing others will look out for us and each other.

As I said, I am busy planting, so I am going to go out and do a little today, even though it is cooler than the last week has been, but all the early garden plants need to be in NOW, so I must finish !
The winners of the last 2 weeks contest are Tumbleweed and Kathi. I will contact you later today for addresses.
One further note, because of the exposure to dirt, sun and wind, my hands and arms become extremely dry and cracked. I combat it with my Healing Salve. I spread it liberally on, right before bedtime and it heals and moisturizes at the same time
http://www.healingherbals.org/Ouch.htm

Free Gifts, Gardening and Coop

Catch up time, lol !! I am sending the gifts from OWOH contest out, and sadly we had no visitors or a winner for this weeks free gift!! Each Friday, there will be a drawing for a free gift !! Next Friday, February 27, 2009 the drawing will be for a 2 oz jar of arnica salve, just what you need for all those boo boo's !
I am sitting here, Sat morning, reflecting on what I was able to accomplish yesterday and what I am not doing outside today, for it is 36 degrees, with a windchill of 25 at 11 am ! The sun is falsely shining beautifully, but I have no desire to be out there !
I laid out and marked the placing of my blueberry bushes and fruit trees ( I am going to move all the ones that are spread over the yard, into one area for an orchard). I laid out the straw to plant potatoes in and cut the potatoes to dry, for planting, probably tomorrow. I planted onion starts and seeds of California poppy, lettuce, spinach, cress, parsley and peas. I planted the peas in with my valerian plants, since both will have to be staked. I also move the mother feverfew plant and find what I am sure is some volunteers, replanted them in a more secure spot and will know when they flower. I planted both orange and a few red poppies, both in the front and back yards, they like to sprout during the cold, so they should have no problem right now, lol.
Oh and I wanted to mention that this week was coop delivery, so I got (with daugther's help) the order together and delivered to the pick up site. Kind of a small amount of orders this month, but that is to be expected, when I had to take a few months off. Thank the Creator for some loyal customers!

OWOH winnners !!

The winners of the prizes for the OWOH event are . . . . . .
carylsrealm@yahoo.com
and
FunkyFairyShoppe@gmail.com

Congratulations, I am notifiying these ladies that they will receive an exclusive, Healing Herbals
"Herbal First Aid Kit".
Thank you to each person who stopped by and visited and I am sorry I did not visit more of you. I have been in much pain from an arthritis flare, so have been unable to be on the computer.
Continue to visit us, on a regular basis, for I will be selecting someone to receive a free gift each week, from those who have made comments on my blog.
So, comment on this message and you are entered for the next gift giveaway, next Friday, Feb 20th. The gift will be a Cold and Allergy Relief combo, which will include 2 oz of Cold Spray and 1 oz of Cold Balm; see
http://www.healingherbals.org/Seasonal.htm

May each of you have a loving Valentine's Day !!
Pam
www.healingherbals.org

One World - One Heart

I am participating in the One World-One Heart's 3rd Annual event, with bloggers from around the world. Rather than me trying to explain it all to you, I'll share an excerpt from Lisa, the creator of One World-One Heart:

Enter for your chance to win a free gift, by leaving a comment on this blog, before February 12, 2009. You do not have to be a participant in the giveaway to enter for a chance to win a free gift. But please do leave an easy way to be contacted.

On Feb 11th, 2 email addresses will be drawn, to receive an Herbal First Aid Kit from Healing Herbals http://www.healingherbals.org/Ouch.htm and the winners will be posted on Feb 12th. So be sure to include the email address that you can be contacted at, when you leave a comment.

Thank you for visiting with me, and I hope you enjoy your time here.

Pam
http://www.healingherbals.org/

Tulsa ice storm and feeding the wildlife

Day 2 of the major ice storm in January 09. Thank the Creator we still have power but that could change at any time, so we are as prepared as we can be, without having a generator, which I find hard to spend the money on, for a few days use each year. We have a gas fireplace, which I can also burn wood in, if necessary.

I always have extra food and supplies, flashlights with batteries, candles, and lots of warm blankets ! Last year, during the ice storm, Don had to work, Britt stayed with a friend who had power and I kept the house as warm as I could. I closed off the doors I could into the living room, kept the fire burning and was comfortable.

The schools are closed today and tomorrow, so as long as we have power, Britt will play on the computer, watch TV or just chill, and since I found out this morning at the doctor's that she has bronchitis again, for the 2nd time since Oct, this down time is a good thing for her. More on Britt later.

Back to the ice . . . I feed the birds, squirrels, rabbits and whatever other wildlife that comes to my yard (to the dismay of my neighbors, at times, lol). Today, I fed 3 times, because each time I looked outside, the birds were just thick, and I know with the cold, they need extra food and water. And today, I truly saw the circle of life . . . I heard what I thought was one of the jays that feed here, but when I went to look, I saw a beautiful red tail hawk, who had just brought down one of my doves that stay near the house. This may sound harsh, but the hawks have to eat too, and I have been supplying a virtual buffet to feed from. I expect, with this weather continuing, he will be back tomorrow for seconds.

First picture is yesterday afternoon, with birds eating in front yard, the second picture is the bush by the front door this afternoon and then there is the pic of my visiting hawk

Grateful for those in my life

Who make it possible for me to do the work I do as an herbalist. Oh, you thought I did it all by myself ? No, thank the Creator, I do not have to. In truth, if I was left to having to get everything done, I would be unable to do so. So, I want the world to know how thankful I am to have these people in my life.
My husband, who daily works without complaint and is there for me. My beautiful daughter, who is my joy in life, through all the trials and triumphs. My friend Nece, who is my business bouncing board, my website mistress, she who strengthens me with loving words.
My friend Jenny, who is always available to talk about gardening, or to jump in the truck and go foraging, or just to hang with, and talk to. Molly who is helping organize and clean and fill containers, etc, etc. My nephew, Benjamin who has helped me do so much yard and gardening details, he is my strong arms, he who gets to unload compost and spread it. My loving brother, who is always ready to go to coffee with me and helps keep sanity in my life !
And for my students ( and most are friends, too) who keep me on my toes, always having to study to keep one step ahead of them. And many of them will be apprenticing in the months to come, which will help both them and me :).
Oh, and to my 4 legged baby, who keeps reminding me, I must enjoy today for tomorrow will come soon enough.
I love you all
Pam

Albert Schweitzer:
At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

Gardening Jan 09

Gardening has begun in earnest around here. Over the last couple months, during the times it was warm enough, and I felt good enough, I was doing more yard cleaning and bed building. Yesterday I went to get a load of my favorite pecan mulch and was very disappointed. I have been buying this compost for over 2 years, because with the pecans hulls, mixed in, the soil is lighter and makes a great potting soil, plus the extra nutrition from the pecans themselves.

Due to the terrible freeze we had last winter, there was not much of a pecan harvest, thus no leftovers for making mulch. I am very sad ! But the good news is, the compost that Tiner's did have was so hot in the center, that you could not touch it !! Which means it is very active and my gardens will love it ! So the front yard is newly composted and ready for the spring. Pic is from my driveway, looking east, and yes, it is sloped.

Speaking of pecan, I also picked up my new floor for the main part of my house, beautiful pecan laminate. I am going to have the walls painted, then find someone to install the floor for me. I got enough flooring to cover my office, the great room, the front and downstairs bedroom's hallways. Hopefully, my house will be looking good for the spring classes that will be held in my "great" room.

It is another warm day in the 50's, so I have started watering and need to get out to it.