dude, where is my country?

greetings and love to all nice folks!

wow it seems that this is it my dear friends!  i dont mean to mix politics with gardens here, and please forgive me, but at this point the two are painfully, and eternally married.

ok first of all- as you read make sure that you understand how to use this technology.  im just learning it myself as i figure out how to ‘blog’…    so  the yellow bits of text are links to other pages, videos, website, news stories, etc.  please open them in other tabs or other pages by “left clicking” them or ‘control/click’

this will allow you to look at them all in other tabs or windows while you still have this blog open…    thanks… now on to the real content:

it seems that our president has no love or hope for humanity and has deemed our beautyfulll nation a battleground.  this means that our very own garden and the pre-school therein may be raided by poor fellows with riot gear for no reason !! we could then all be held indefinitely with no word to or from our families.  this is not my opinion here but just the sad state of this piece of land that happens to lie within the governance of a corrupted system.

im so sorry dear ones, but at this point it is unavoidably obvious that we are in dangerous times and must stay together with steadfast determination if we are to survive.  again- i am so sorry to have to mix politics and gardens in this post as we are committed to bringing you only positive and uplifting messages from the soil…

however, if for no apparent reason, these peaceful blog updates seem to end and you never hear from me again…    just remember that theoretically it can happen to anyone now and may this serve as a symbolic and, hopefully never needed, goodbye just in case the worst were to come true.

ok to add to the relevance:  one of the reasons that your humble narrator may be walking around as a marked man henceforth, as is the one who taught me to garden – my dear ma, is due to senate bill s510 … this includes all backyard gardens nationwide..   sorry kids!  ask you parents why we had to stop growing tomatoes! 

again.. i am so sorry to deliver the bad news here but i am in tears here in the middle of the night after having read this fateful turn of affairs with the president’s decision and  thinking about my family and community being faced with the men in this video for being peaceful farmers.    is it really coming down to this?  and then with decreasing support in terms of guns and young men to hold them   do i need to fear for my life or invasion by china because im now classified as a terrarist for having 7 days of food stored up here in my closet?  moms i know youre reading… what do you think here?  i/we need guidance.

ok and to end it with something totally uplifting and fresh please have faith when you watch this vid of this baby buddha khaliyl…!!

sunrise mists which soften the dawn for the coming solstice… please tell me this is worth enduring for.

thanks for reading everyone…

blessed sweet love!

News from other farmer friends!!!

Here is some news and requests from other farmer friends just south of us.  True master.   I hope this is helpful everyone!  Blessed sweet love for everyone!

………….
> To: walkingrootsfarm@lists.riseup.net
> From: jules_jardinier@riseup.net
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:16:18 -0800
> Subject: [walkingrootsfarm] Herbal Medicine Sale/Barter, Dec. 3-4 in PDX
>
> Hello all, greetings from Walking Roots Farm!
>
> The wet rainy season is in full swing, and with it come sniffles, coughs, and
> ailments of various kinds for many people, both physical and emotional. The
> world of Plant Medicine offers a plethora of effective ways for addressing
> these different dis-eases.
>
> Announcing an Herb Sale / Barter!
> Date: Sat & Sun, Dec. 3rd & 4th
> Time: 11 am to 5pm, both days
> Location: Riverhouse, 2131 SE Harney, in Sellwood
> Why: To spread health to the community, and as a FUNDRAISER for our farm
>
> Among the three farmers who make up Walking Roots Farm, we have decades of
> experience in exploring the world of medicinal herbs. Our educations have come
> from trained herbal teachers, formal education, books, and our own hands-on
> practices. We have studied Eastern, Western, and various Indigenous plants.
> We are true believers and want to share with you!
>
> This farm year, we focused on medicinal herbs like never before, and worked
> with scores and scores of different plant species from around the world. We
> also harvested and processed like never before, not just from our farming spot
> near Corvallis, but from our old herb gardens in Portland. We harvested at
> peak times and from best location for each plant.
>
> The result is that we have a wide range of medicinal herbs to offer at this
> time: tinctured, dried for teas/smoking, and in salves and oils. We have
> brought our best efforts and closest attention to making the best medicine we
> can, and our years of experience and experimentation have resulted in what we
> feel are high quality medicines.
>
> This farm year was tremendously exhausting, due to the unique challenges of the
> particular piece of formerly-conventional land we leased. We aim to establish
> a permanent home for our medicinal herb gardens somewhere else in 2012, in a
> spot that can become a center of healing in many different ways, and we are
> working on a list of leads to follow.
>
> So this event is a FUNDRAISER for Walking Roots Farm, to help with our move to
> new land in the 2012 season. Therefore, any $ you exchange for medicine will
> be considered a DONATION to that cause. Most of our tinctures will be
> available in TWO OUNCE bottles, rather than one-ounce, because we have seen
> that the effective dosage of plant medicine often exceeds one ounce. Our
> “price” (suggested donation) for a two ounce bottle of tincture is $15-25+,
> depending on the herb, which is a very reasonable cost. We will also take
> barter; see list below.
>
> PARTIAL LIST OF HERBS THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE – and in what forms
> * = hard to find elsewhere
> *Spilanthes (Toothache Plant) flowers only – tinctured
> Catnip (Nepeta cataria) flowering tops – tinctured, dried
> *Cedar (Thuja plicata) berries – tinctured
> Cedar leaves – tinctured, salve
> *Tulsi (Occimum sanctum) flowering tops – tinctured, dried
> Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) flowering tops – tinctured
> Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) flowering tops – tinctured, dried
> Peppermint (Mentha peperita) flowering tops – tinctured, dried, salve
> Mullein (Verbascum thapsus & V. olympicum) leaves – tinctured
> Mullein (Verbascum olympicum) flowers – tinctured, and, with garlic as an ear
> oil
> Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) leaves – dried
> Usnea – tinctured
> *Teasel (Dipsacus fillonum) – tinctured
> Oats (Avena sativa) in the milk stage – tinctured, dried
> *Klip Dagga (Leonitis nepetaefolia) flowers – tinctured, dried, salve
> Calendula (Calendula officinalis) flowers – salve
> Lovage (Levisticum officinale) roots – tinctured
> Elecampane (Inula helenium) roots – tinctured
> Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) roots – tinctured
> Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) roots – tinctured
> Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) roots & flowers – tinctured
> Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) flowering tops – tinctured, dried
> Angelica, aka Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) roots – tinctured
> *Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) roots – tinctured
> *Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) roots – tinctured
> *Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) flowering tops – tinctured, dried
> Hops (Humulus lupulus) buds – tinctured, dried
> Grinwort, aka Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) flowering tops – tinctured, dried
>
> Most of our tinctures use Certified Organic Grain Alcohol, from Ashland, and
> Wild Spring Water harvested at mid-elevation near Wy’East (Mt. Hood). Our
> salves are made from olive oil and beeswax.
>
> Also featured will be Kollibri’s famous “Chill Out” tincture blend, a lung
> health tincture blend and legal herbal smoking mixes such as “Knock Out”,
> “Sluntifier” and “Tilt”.
>
> ITEMS WE WILL TAKE IN BARTER / TRADE
> (List is different from previous list for produce sale)
> * body work: massage, acupuncture. etc.
> * automotive mechanical advice/work on a 1980 Volvo and 1976 school bus (can
> discuss further compensation)
> * empty tincture bottles, *with droppers* of any size
> * brown or blue glass containers, *with lids/stoppers* of any size
> * home-brew beer, wine, cider, etc.
> * honey
> * candles of any size
> * wool socks, male size 11, female 8
> * other medicinal herbs, tinctured, dried, etc., that we are not already
> offering
>
> Thank you very much for your support! We would really like to continue this
> work of helping to bring healing to the world, and we can’t do it alone!
> All the best,
> Kollibri & Nikki & Deva
> Walking Roots Farm
> http://walkingroots.infotage.net
> 503.686.5557

Valerian & Echinacea Harvest!

Tiny baby Valerian crowns freshly dug in the winter. These were too small to harvest- we just wanted to see how the roots were coming along then we replanted them.

This is another oldish post- Feb 13, 2010- way before I ever thought to make a website about this valuable stuff.

Valerian and Echinacea roots are harvested every 2 or 3 years just like many of the other roots that we are dealing with here.   Another similarity is how the plants respond to generous additions of compost through out the growing season.  This helps the roots to get huge and gives you big flowering tops too and lots of seed.

A great selection of Valerian crowns- some had substantial roots taht have been cut off and some were too small, these will just be divided and replanted.

Nice roots and crowns ready for process. See the nice clean dandelion root to the right. Though this is a 'weed' we still harvest it whenever we are taking it out of the garden. Try to dig out as much root as possible, clean it, and then just save them around either dry for tea for later or cut them up into an ongoing jar of tincture. This is like a little dandelion bonus as you go through out the season.

Nice clean plants ready to be cut up. This is the goal- lots of stringy, long roots to harvest. The crowns are then cut up with a sharp knife or pruners and then replanted.

Cleaning with a high pressure hose is the best for home style production. There are machines that do it on a much larger scale.

My gentle bro Paul cleaning the roots. One of the hardest working doodz I've ever had the pleasure of working with. See a bowl of finished/clean roots and a whole heap of them still to be washed.

Clean clean, ready to cut up.

The extraneous roots are cut off with pruners into a bowl. This will soon get cut up further and then put into gallon jars and tinctured asap to avoid the roots starting to oxidize. The crowns are set aside for replanting. This is ancient, sacred, and noble work. The roots contain so much medicine for us, the crowns are the future generations of countless more plants. This whole work is a ceremony.

The harvest process for Echinacea is, as far as I know, the exact same as the Valerian harvest and that of many other of these awesome roots. See here the crowns of Echinay'nay processed already-all roots cut off and crowns ready to be cut up and replanted. See another nice dandelion root too. Always collecting those.

I LOVE THIS! Here is the first real Echinacea harvest for this garden. 3 year old plants harvested right around the time of the Valerian harvest. Here is a big bowl of finely chopped Echinacea Purpurea root, ready for tincture, and a grip of crowns to separate and replant. Jai Jai plantitas!!!

Moon light reflections

Upon evening
when the moonbeams flow
I tread softly to our garden
where surely I know
that I will interrupt
the balloon flowers from
joy bursting,
figs from full ripening,
sweet grape vines from clinging.

Holly hocks too, turn
from star conversations.
Hops begin stopping.
crickets gather
away from assigned
chirping stations.

Each, with me,
holds breath and nods to the lens.
The shudder of silence.
Shutter click ends.
Mirror images of miracles.

If I told you what I saw
you would not believe me.

"Hollyhocks too, turn from star conversations.."

This poem is by my dear Mama who lives in Upstate NY currently.  With luck we will have more from her soon.  Maybe some paintings too.  She is the reason that I know gardens the way that I do.

Elecampane harvest!

This is a little older.. this was the fall of 2010 i believe.

Elecampane is a huge beautyfull perennial flower with tiny yellow flowers and huge wooden octopus looking roots.  Like many other herbs, they are harvested after 2 or 3 years of growth.    The roots are dug in the fall time, the extraneous parts of the roots are cut off and cleaned for harvest and then the crown (the part of the plant where the top portion meets the roots) is divided with a sharp knife and then replanted.  This means that from one plant you might be able to replant up to 5 or 6 new ones.

Freshly dug roots, cutting them up for plant divisions, next is washing..

My friends Gambit and Julie cleaning and cutting roots...

Nice n clean roots being cut up for tincture...

Your humble narrator with a gallon of tincture.

Nice clean root ready to have the long parts cut off and chopped up and then the crown cut up into many pieces for replanting. You can see the new shoots already popping out of the top of the crown. Thank you god!

The following is taken directly from the MountainRoseHerbs website.

Introduction

Elecampane is a member of the same plant family as the sunflowers and ragweed, native to southern and eastern Europe but naturalized around the world. It is named after Helen of Troy, who carried the flowers with her when Paris abducted her from Sparta. The 6- to 8-foot (200-250 cm) tall plant has large, pointed leaves with downy gray undersides, and yellow summer flowers. In both traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine it is recommended for bronchitis and asthma. Monks in the Middle Ages regarded it capable of restoring health to the heart. It is used extensively for horses and livestock, specifically for skin diseases in horses and sheep. Early American folklore relates that it can cure hydrophobia in cows. Elecampane is also said to enhance psychic abilities and works involving scrying, as well as being one part of a 9 herb bath blend that is said to impart protection from witches.

Constituents

Bitter substances known as alanto-lactones and up to 45% inulin.

Parts Used

Roots and rhizomes dug from 2- to 3-year-old plants, dried and cut.

Typical Preparations

Usually taken as a tea. Added to cough syrups, expectorants, herbal diuretics, pain remedies, and roborants (for bringing out color from pale skin). Can also be taken internally in the form of a capsule or extract. It has also been known to be candied and eaten as a sweetmeat.

Summary

Elecampane is an antiseptic expectorant that relieves congestion in colds and bronchitis. As a bitter, it can also be used to stimulate digestion, and as an antifungal and helminthic, it can be used to treat yeast infections and parasites.

Precautions

If you are allergic to ragweed, you may be allergic to elecampane. Taking too much of the herb can cause cramps and diarrhea. Do not use more than 1 gram (one-quarter teaspoon) of the herb in any one dose, or more than 3 grams (a little less than a teaspoon) in a day. Not to be used while pregnant. Some cases have been reported of nausea and vomiting probably from over-use. Not recommended for long term use.

balloon flower harvest!

 

We just had the first harvest of this premier herb called Balloon Flower (Platycodon Grandiflorum).   This is ancient Chinese herbs though it’s used around the world.  Balloon Flowers are named for the little balloon shapes that the flower buds form before they burst open.  I’ve been coddling these plants along from seed over the years trying to get their growing conditions right, protecting them from slugs and burrowing ground critters who eat their roots, feeding them, and generally struggling along with them to make them thrive.  My bro Mikiah and I have been watching this particular patch grow for years now, bonding over their success and vigor.

These need well drained, loose, rich soil and a generous addition of compost through out the growing season to ensure a sweet display of flowers and big big roots.  It’s harvested after 2 or 3 years in the ground.  After 4 or 5 its even bigger but theres no need to wait that long if we can plant successive crops of this every year.  At the same time that we harvest the roots the seed can also be harvested.  This year we harvested roughly 4 grams of seed… that seems like several thousand seeds here. Enough to plant a serious grove of these again this season with lots of room for error or die off.

It’s 3 main properties medically are as an expectorant (helps you get stuff out of your lungs), anti-tussive (anti-coughing), and anti-bacterial.   It works against lung infections by thinning and dispelling mucous.  It’s best used as a decoction (tea) and not tincture.  Roots are dug, cleaned, dried then kept in jars or bags in the dark for later use in tea.

My main man, Richo Cech, maestro herbalist and herb farmer and seed man, has this to say about them: “The Balloon Flower’s dark blue blossoms, bedecked by dots of cold dew which magnify and glisten in the early morning, have the power to heal with out ingestion  They assuage the torment of the mind, and cary one to a place of beauty and pristine awareness.  Such is the power of a simple flower.”  What a master he is to observe such splendor.

freshly dug 3 year old roots ready for washing and drying.

Bunch of roots after their first washing. next is a serious scrubbing with a brush..

bunch of nice roots all washed up all nice and ready for a more detailed scrub.

all clean and ready for drying...

Ive heard both tactics: dry them whole like this, or cut them up lengthwise into strips, like carrot sticks, and dry em that way.  The latter way helps them to dry much faster, but also exposes them to more air which can cause them to oxidize and degrade in their potency?  It’s all a great mystery. Either way we got a lot of this root harvest this time…  Thank the dear lord above!

Picshers filled with amazing beauty at the end of the season!

beautyfulll observations one afternoon in the late autumnal yarden.  - pics by xen with the amazing iphone6 zinia? echinaynay- at this point echinacea flowers can be collected for tincture or dried for storage for tea. soon they set seed and … Continue reading →