Catnip Tea Anyone?

(photo source: Wikipedia)

Catnip, Nepeta cataria, the beloved herb of felines, also makes a soothing, if not particularly tasty, tea for humans.  Adding lemon balm and honey will make it more palatable. 

Catnip is said to be calming, as well as helpful in lowering fevers, relieving the pain of teething and toothache, and a restorative digestive aid for issues such as indigestion, diarrhea, and colic. 

From Back to Eden, by Jethro Kloss- "If every mother had catnip herb on the shelf, it would save her many a sleepless night and her child much suffering." 

Catnip is easy to grow if you can get it established before a cat discovers and destroys it.  This advice from days past does seem to work-

If you set it, the cats will eat it.

If you sow it, the cats won't know it. 

I'm sowing catnip seeds today, and we'll just see how long it takes the cats to discover it.  Hopefully, I'll be able to harvest enough for a pot of tea, and perhaps a catnip mouse or two, before they pounce on it!  (I do have dried catnip in the herb pantry, just in case the cats beat me to it!)

Catnip tea anyone? 

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First Aid from the Herb Garden

Two great herbs to grow for minor first-aid applications are-

yarrow
and
mullein.

Yarrow is excellent for stopping bleeding and healing cuts, and mullein makes a handy bandage if your children are prone to use all your band-aids on a weekly basis, as mine are.  (Note to self: hide a box of band-aids somewhere they won't find it!)

Today I cut my finger while washing my new "mini-chopper".   This may be the first and last time I use this time saver, as the time spent treating my wound was more than I would have spent chopping onions and celery the old-fashioned way!  Anyway, it wasn't such a bad cut, just an inconvenient one that needed the bleeding stopped and a bandage; and thankfully I had exactly what I needed growing right outside my back door. 

Whenever I need an herb with styptic action, yarrow is my herb of choice.  Almost like magic, yarrow will stop bleeding of minor cuts and wounds and help the wound to heal.  I have a small potted yarrow growing in my backyard, though it grows wild in most areas quite happily.  When camping or hiking I keep an eye out for yarrow just in case someone should need it.  I dry yarrow also to keep on hand for when running out to the herb patch isn't convenient. 

Mullein makes a soft, absorbent bandage, which is only one of its varied uses.  It also grows wild and weedy in my area, though here at home it grows in containers. 

And finally, to hold my bandage in place, I picked a lavender stem and used it to tie the mullein leaf in place; the soothing scent was an added bonus. 

Herbal first-aid to the rescue!

* Please note:  If you have serious wounds, please, please seek medical care!  Herbs are wonderful helpers for many situations, but anything serious should be handled by a professional. 

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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. 

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

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.
 Read more here

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