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Italian Adventure 2018

November 10, 2018 by Judith

: 350 year old olive tree!

: Fresh picked olives

: The family

: The family farm is called Le Germandine.

: Helychrisum

: Herb lab

This October I travelled to Tuscany and was able to stay on an olive farm near Survereto, a town near the sea below Pisa. The family farm is called Le Germandine, and the owners welcomed me spending the day with them harvesting olives for olive oil. Their land had an ancient grove of trees with some of the trees close to 350 years old. They harvested about 500 kilos of olives a day and then drove the olives to an organic press, picking up the freshly pressed olive oil the next day. At first the new olive oil has a bitter taste; as it ages the taste gets mellower and sweeter.

I enjoyed getting to know the family, who also had an herb farm and herb lab on their land. In between the olive trees they had planted Helychrisum, an herb I use as an essential oil for pain in my practice. One evening they invited us to their herb lab and gave us a tour. They are very dedicated to producing organic products and sold herbal teas, rose syrups, digestive bitters, and tinctures. It was a pleasure to meet Italian herbalists.

Filed Under: Italy 2018

Salve Making Class

January 22, 2018 by admin

On August 5th, 2017 I taught a salve making class at my home in Graham. We made plantain and chickweed salve with essential oils of Frankincense.

This is a wonderful combination of three powerful plant oils for healing itchy skin from bug bites, for healing burns including sunburn, dry and cracked skin and rashes.

We also made a spiritual bath with the sacred plants of Tulsi, basil and marigolds.

Each woman took a bowl of this healing water and went outside and meditated in Nature.

Gratitude for the plants and a lovely day spent with wonderful women!

Filed Under: Herbs for Healing

Elderberry Syrup

August 13, 2016 by admin

At the end of July the Elderberries’ beautiful dark purple fruit was hanging on the branches and it was time to make Elderberry Syrup. The birds had been also enjoying the berries, especially the mocking birds and I realized if I didn’t make my syrup that weekend; the berries would soon be gone.

This simple recipe is what I like to use:

1 cup of ripe elderberries (don’t use the green unripe ones)

2 cups of water

1 cup of honey

Note: Other recipes call for cinnamon sticks or ginger. I like to make this basic recipe as you can always add other ingredients in later.

I carefully destemmed the elderberries and had 10 cups of berries. An abundance of fruit! In a large pot I poured the 10 cups of berries and added 20 cups of water and gently simmered it for an hour with the lid off.

Note: Don’t worry if the mixture looks watery, some of the liquid will evaporate off.

I occasionally stirred and pressed the berries against the side of the pot with a slotted spoon to squeeze out as much juice as possible. When I was done simmering, I strained all the berries out as the seeds are not edible. The rich purple liquid smelled wonderful and I was excited to have this delicious Elderberry elixir.

When the juice cooled down but was still hot; I added 10 cups of local Graham tulip poplar honey. I stirred the honey into the liquid till it was completely dissolved in the warm juice and then poured it into canning jars. The syrup is amazingly sweet and stays preserved up to 6 months in the refrigerator.

You can enjoy this syrup with hot water as a tea. Or enjoy it cold by adding seltzer and making a wonderful spritzer. I also enjoy a teaspoon a day starting in the Fall to boost my immune system.

These pictures show the elderberry bush behind me which is now 7 years old. I have a gutter by the bush which gives it ample water which it loves. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Herbs for Healing

Witch Hazel

March 4, 2015 by admin

Botanical Name: Hamamelis virginiana
This beautiful shrub has been blooming in my garden through the snow storms of February.
I was amazed by the delicate looking flowers covered with icicles, and how after the ice melt they
retained their beautiful colors. With Hazel was used externally by Native Americans to heal sprains, cuts, insect bites, skin irritations and hemorrhoids. Collect the plant in the spring or early summer. The parts of the Witch Hazel to be collected are: the inner bark and leaves, and twigs less than one half inch in diameter. Carefully strip off the outer bark with a sharp knife! Steep in rubbing alcohol for 3 weeks and strain into a glass bottle. You now have a wonderful first aid remedy. For external use only!