May Day Herbal Fun!

Sunday is May Day, the halfway marker between spring and summer.  My children are counting down the days until summer, anticipating swimming weather mostly!  May Day is a holiday filled with lore and legend as well as fun. 
I like to celebrate by planting an herb or three on this day, and sometimes make up a few May baskets or small gifts such as this herb jar for friends and family. 

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Herb jars are fun, frugal if you have a few herbs growing nearby, and are always received with joy. 

To make one for a friend, or even for yourself-
 find a suitable jar such as a pint size canning jar
and
 a bit if wire.
Twist the wire into a handle and secure it around the neck of the jar.
Fill the jar with water,
then go out to the garden and snip a few of your favorite herbs and flowers and add them to the jar. 

You can embellish this herbal gift further by tying on a bow or pretty gift tag.  A small packet of seeds or a lavender sachet make a nice addition as well. 

If you choose herbs that root easily in water such as mint, basil or rosemary, add a little tag giving instructions for potting up the herb plants once they have rooted.  This can be a gift that keeps on giving! 

What are your May Day traditions?

Herbal Blessings,
Catherine


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Creating Herb Infused Oils



Herb Infused Oils

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Creating your own herb infused oils is easy to do and only takes a few items.

You will need herbs, a good quality oil like olive or almond, and a jar or other covered container (preferably glass).

There are many herbs that can be used to create herbal oils for skincare, healing wounds, soothing bumps and bruises, and so forth. 
Calendula makes an excellent oil for the skin, and is what is pictured above. 
I also make Comfrey oil and Arnica oil for easing bumps, bruises, and muscle aches and pains. 

If you are just getting started making herbal oils, dried herbs are less tricky to work with and what I use most often.

I make my herbal oils using  what is known as the simpler’s method, which is really quite simple!

Place the desired amount of herb into a jar. (Use a jar that will be filled almost to the top when the oil is added, too much air space can sometimes cause a problem with spoilage.) 

My jar of preference is a wide-mouth pint canning jar with a plastic lid. 

Cover the herbs completely with oil adding enough to cover by about an inch or so.

Cover your jar with a lid.

Place it in a sunny spot to infuse for 2 weeks.  I like to sit mine on the kitchen windowsill so I can enjoy watching the process.

Shake your jar several times a day to stir things up a bit and help the herbs infuse.

After 2 weeks, strain the oil through a piece of cheesecloth or muslin fabric into a clean container.

If you want an extra strong infusion, add more herbs and let it sit for another 2 weeks and then strain again.

Now you have a beautiful herbal oil to use!

If you’d like a nice fragrance, you can add a few drops of an essential oil to the jar. 
I like to use lavender essential oil when making skin care products. 
It smells wonderful and is good for the skin, as well.

I hope this will encourage you to create herbal oils for your own use.

Blessings,
Catherine
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Easter Wishes


May the Joy of Easter fill your heart and home with good things this weekend! 

Today I'm baking Hot Cross Buns (just as soon as I locate the recipe in my Recipe Pile) and planting seeds.  We have a family tradition of planting something- a tree, flowers, seeds, on Easter weekend to celebrate the gift of Life.  I'm planting seeds for hyssop this year. 
What are your Easter traditions?  Whatever they are, I pray you have a blessed holiday! 



(Beautiful Easter graphic can be found at Vintage Catnip)
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Seed Sowing

"Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders." ~ Henry David Thoreau

There is a sense of wonder in a seed, isn’t there?  What an infinite variety of beautiful and useful plants begin with just a tiny seed.

I love to plant seeds.  It is such an act of hope, putting that little storehouse into the soil, then watering, waiting, and watching for signs of life.



Spring is the time many of us are sowing seeds in the garden and waiting impatiently for those first sprigs of green. 

Many herbs grow easily from seed, such as- basil, borage, chives, cilantro and dill.  In fact, most of these grow so well from seed they will quite freely self-sow all over your garden if you aren't careful!  Though that is more blessing than curse in my eyes.  An out of place seedling can be moved to a better home or potted up and given to a friend if it can't be left where it is growing.  Part of the fun of gardening is the element of surprise that nature always seems to possess. 


What herbs do you grow from seed? 
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Lemony Herbs


Lemon-scented herbs are at the top of my list of Lovely Things to Grow.  Not only do they smell heavenly, they are very useful in a wide variety of ways. In everything from a simple cup of tea to scenting household cleaners, lemon-scented herbs are a great choice.
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