Keep It Movin! Herbal Corner

Evening Primrose in all of her glory. Harvesting Evening Primrose flowers, pods and seeds for my infused oil. Evening Primrose seeds. The pods and flowers drying on the rack-It took about 2 weeks for the pods to dry. So we meet again, Autumn is here, time for harvesting what is in the yard and putting garden stuff away…or not. There are always projects to do and garden/plant events to go to. This month I attended a retirement party for the Coordinator of the Union Co. Master Gardener Program. It was a beautiful event, lots of folks came out.    Me and our Coordinator  at the party, she will be greatly missed.   Ok, back to the activity. Beeswax, a double boiler and infused Evening Primrose Oil (Oenothera biennis), 3 things I have not worked with…Well,  better now than never. For 2 weeks I air dried Evening Primrose pods, seeds and flowers (See pictures above). I thought to myself, “Why don’t you make something different with the infused oil, maybe a salve”. A sa...

I’ve never been a whole-hearted tea drinker but over the past years I’ve developed an appreciation of herbal/medicinal teas. The warmth and soothing aromas put me in a good mood, and depending on the tea, quiets the mind, energizes and heals the body.  Most of us know Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) as a spice used in certain meat dishes, soups and salads but Fennel seeds have a wide range of health benefits. I use Fennel seeds as a digestive aid, relieving gas, bloat and indigestion. In the pictures below I show how I make Fennel tea. Supplies: Fennel seeds (I used Whole Foods 365 organic seeds), tea filters and nut grinder.            Seeds in the nut grinder, waiting to be ground up. I'm putting ground up Fennel seeds in tea filter. Finished product. I steep the tea bag in hot water for about 10-15 min. Ready to drink. FYI, Fennel is easy to grow, I've had the pleasure of growing beautiful Fennel plants but the Black Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars g...