First planting of the year.

This afternoon, Matilda and Nola helped plant some Primulas in the pot by the front door.

Sadly, one little flower stem broke. Nola came to the rescue with the idea of pressing it!

Have you watched this  beautiful movie? Some people just teach through their beingness. What an incredible life.

Herbal Salves, Oils, Baths and Balms {Otherwise known as Potionmaking}

 

 Over the last few weeks we have been doing what my children refer to as "potion making."

The pictures below have been gathered over the last couple of years of  herbal adventuring.

We gather and Identify herbs from our little herb patch before putting into posies to dry 
upside down in a cool, dark cupboard.

Once dry we made jars of Chamomile and Mint tea to store.

Camomile is good for soothing tummies and has naturally calming properties.

Mint is invigorating and a perfect mid morning pick me up.

We infused some olive oil with Sage, Lemon balm and Rosemary by heating it slowly with the herb before bottling. This oil can be used for cooking with or combined with other ingredients such as Beeswax, Shea butter, Coconut oil and Essential oil to make therapeutic balms, and salves.

Here is our Rosemary infused Olive Oil. 

 Rosemary is shrouded in history and folklore. From ancient Greece through the European Middle Ages, rosemary was thought to possess the power to protect against evil spirits. Sprigs were placed under pillows or burned as incense to ward off evil demons and prevent bad dreams.

Rosemary is a rich source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds thought to help boost the immune system and improve blood circulation. 
However, it is wise to avoid if pregnant as high doses have been linked to miscarriage.

We made Lavender oil by covering our dried lavender with 80% proof white vodka and sealing it for 6 weeks in  a cool, dark drawer. It was stirred daily and after six weeks we removed the lid and covered the jar with muslin. This allowed the excess liquid to evaporate. It took about a week for the smell of alcohol to dissipate leaving the concentrated plant extract and oil. You must use alcohol that is at least 80% proof for this but not methylated spirits. Vodka works very well. 
As you can imagine this little concoction is for external use only!

Beautiful debris.

Bottling.

A few drops of this Lavender oil can be added to baths or bath salts to soothe fractious nerves and aid restful sleep.

Soon it will be time for sloes again! Last year we made sloe gin. You must pierce each and every sloe berry so that they can infuse with the liquor and large quantities of sugar. We've found that sloe gin makes a very well received Christmas gift and a welcome, warming tipple for Winter visitors.
We use the recipe from An Illustrated Country Year.

We managed to dry Rose petals as well as Lavender.

Rose petals have natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial proprieties which make them good for acne prone skin.
If you crush rose petals between your fingers you can feel the natural, fragrant oils seep out. These oils are naturally moisturizing and slightly astringent so they work to both hydrate and tone.

The scent of Rose is deeply nostalgic. Indeed, the petals are a staple in Ayurvedic medicine to detoxify and calm.

 

The dried flowers were mixed in layers of Epsom salt, sprinklings of bicarbonate of soda and our homemade lemon balm and lavender oils for warming scented Winter baths.

We also blended some of the dried rose petals in and mixed them to a paste with a couple of tablespoons of cold pressed olive oil and some Bergamot essential oil. Mixing the paste with a couple of cups of Epsom salts makes a lovely, fragrant body scrub.

Epsom Salts are a wonderful, natural source of Magnesium and can help balance the PH. Salts can also help soothe muscular aches and pains.

To make a Winter Salve perfect for chapped hands, feet and lips, we carefully melted some Beeswax using a wax burner. We shredded our wax but will probably use pellets next time as the shredded wax took ages to melt.


We mixed in some Shea Butter and Coconut Oil until we achieved a soft consistency and the balm became a soft buttery colour.

 Then we added a couple of tablespoon of Lemon Balm infused Olive oil. And some drops of essential oil.

 Lemon Balm was dedicated to the goddess Diana, and used medicinally by the Greeks some 2,000 years ago. 

Research has shown that the plant contains polyphenols which can help to sooth cold sores. At least part of this effect is due to antiviral properties of caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid, which are contained in lemon balm. This makes it perfect for use in salves and balms. 

The bright lemony yellow foliage is also very pretty and fragrant in the garden.

This page has lots of wonderful information on the properties and uses of herbs.

And Here is a wonderful resource of Herbs and their properties.

(Discalimer) Herbs are powerful.  Please consult a local herbalist for any contraindications before making and using herbal remedies.

Free Shawl Pattern - Forgotton Ways for Modern Days

I received the most lovely surprise in the post yesterday.

By the luckiest chance I won the beautiful book "Forgotten Ways for Modern Days" over at Annie Cholewa.

Please pop over to visit her thoughtful space if you get a chance. You'll be glad you did.

I always use natural, gentle and homemade products around the home but have found myself uninspired by household tasks of late. I suppose it is easy to fall into survival mode with a big, busy family. What is that saying about shoveling snow while it's still snowing?

I understand that I need a level of beauty and order around me. It is the way I'm made. (Moon in Libra)

Yet I am  comfortable with homely shabbiness. I enjoy seeing piles of books, jars of colouring pencils, floury counter-tops and scattered balls of yarn. These are the marks of a happy, full and living home. 

But a drop of essential oil, the scent of lemon zest, mustard yellow drying balls for winter loads and pots of salad resting on the windowsill ... make my heart happy.

And more than that, they inspire me to enjoy the small tasks again.

Today I am ordering some roving to make those mustard yellow dryer balls with the girls.

 

Last week I had a need to knit something very simple and warm for myself. I wanted something therapeutic, rhythmical and garter stitched. I learned to knit by knitting garter stitch squares and there is the nostalgia I suppose.
I wasn't sure whether this shawl would turn out as I hoped but somehow, as if by magic the vision in my head appeared upon my needles.

It is a very simple pattern. Gauge doesn't really matter as the garter stitch pattern is very forgiving and allows for a lot of stretch. This shawl is pretty much medium sized but it can be adjusted by knitting more rows in the middle section to make it longer.

Using 3.75 needles and 100grams Sirdar Country Style DK in Slate
Cast on 3 stitches

First row K2, knit into the front and back of next stitch
Second row knit

Continue in this way increasing on one side of the shawl every other row until you have 72 stitches on your needle.

Now increase every 4th row instead of every 2nd row until you have 75 stitches on your needle 

Continue knitting straight in garter stitch for  about 6 inches or so. (your yarn will probably end around 3 inches in and this will mark your halfway point)

Instead of increasing on the second stitch from the bottom edge of the shawl you'll now be decreasing by knitting two stitches together.

First row of decrease: K2, k2tog, knit to end of row
Knit next 3 rows straight

Repeat until you have 72 stitches on your needle

Then continue decreasing by knitting two stitches then knitting two stitches together at the beginning of  every other row (the bottom edge of your shawl)  until three stitches remain on your needle.
Knit two together.

Cast off.

You can stretch the shawl length ways and block for a wider wrap that you can pin with a shawl pin.
I decided to sew the points together without blocking first (about an inch and a half along both seams) I wore it this way all day yesterday and it seems to work well.



Joining Small things and Frontier Dreams

The Natural Childscape

 Really interesting talk from the author of "Kith" the very best book I have ever read on Childhood.



And this vimeo video is a wonderful elaboration on the theme: http://vimeo.com/68430907

The taste of Autumn

We picked some wild quince, meddlers and apples last week. The taste of old variety English apples is the taste of Autumn. I miss it.

 I told the girl's stories about when we used to pick apples from the orchards and roadside trees years ago. Some were green and irregular as cobbles, some were gold as an ovulating harvest moon, some were pink as fuchsias, many had a worm at the core :)

My favourite were the small, sharp pink ones, They burst inside your mouth and crunched like a piece of brittle bark on an untrod woodland path. The pink of their skins seeped like a sunset through to the core.

The fragrant scent of quince and the mustiness of meddlers spread through the house as they laid in the basket waiting to be made into crumbles, pies, chips and sauce.

I love the idea of  guerrilla gardening, growing and gathering varieties of fruit and vegetable in places where people can pick them freely. Maybe it is a way of preserving heritage varieties of edible plant for future generations.

It may also be a way of reclaiming our commons.