This season begins a fun part of herbalism. Finding, harvesting and drying what I need for the winter…and for using fresh in my kitchen. My herb basket comes with me on every walk to the gardens, the river and the woods. Whenever I see one of my favorites ready to harvest, it goes into the basket.
The drying racks are continually filled. This season’s harvest is basil, calendula flowers, chamomile flowers, red clover flowers, nettle leaf and dandelion root.
If the plant is too big for the racks, I hang them from the rafters of my log cabin. I love the smell that fills the air. All of my winter supply of beverage teas and kitchen herbs start on my ceiling. This season’s rafters are filled with raspberry canes for leaves I need, bundles of peppermint, spearmint, chocolate mint, orange mint, sage and dill.
Some plants need to be made into medicines right away. St. Johnswort is infused into an oil for muscle relief massage. It is also turned into a tincture for calming mood swings. This is also the time of year to collect mullein flowers. Mullein is slow simmered on the wood stove in oil for winter ear aches.
Why I need to have these herbs on hand in the summer:
Aloe Vera, always have growing: Sunburn and inflamed skin soother beyond compare.
Basil Leaves, always have growing. Its a perfect sunny window winter herb: Fresh or dried. Good for stress, anxiety, inflammation, antioxidant, antibacterial, and good for calming coughs.
Calendula Flowers, harvest flowers in the late afternoon: Fresh or dried. A powerful wound healer, repairs your skin, stops bleeding…when used topically. Internally, it is an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and helps normalize a menstrual cycle.
Chamomile Flowers, you need a lot of them. They are tiny, but worth it: Fresh or dried. Used for hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, menstrual cycle, insomnia, ulcers, wound healing, GI issues, arthritis pain and for use in most of the soothing balms and salves that I make during the winter.
Dandelion Root. Harvest any time it’s not flowering/seeded. I weed dandelion roots out of the garden all the time. Now they go into an herb basket instead of the compost: A first aid kit for your immune system all in one root. A wonderful source of Vitamins A, C, E and K, B1 and folate. You also get iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Good for loss of appetite, digestive issues, gallstones, joint pain, muscle aches, and eczema.
Nettle Leaf, wear gloves while harvesting, the stinging ability goes away when its dried or cooked. Very much worth the effort: A natural source of iron, chlorophyll and vitamin C, which makes it great for your immune system and red blood count. Bacteria needs iron to spread. Use nettle to prevent infection or to recover from it…not during an outbreak. Its also used as a diuretic, good for PMS, allergies, arthritis, eczema, hives, anemia, metabolism, anti-inflammatory and is good for nursing mothers.
Parsley Leaf, always have growing. Another sunny winter window herb: Fresh or dried. Good for urinary tract infections (UTI), kidney stones, GI disorders, constipation, diabetes, cough, asthma and high blood pressure.
Red Clover Flowers, pick in the late afternoon when completely dry: Fresh or dried. Used for cancer prevention, indigestion, high cholesterol, whooping cough, cough, asthma, bronchitis, hot flashes, breast pain or tenderness and PMS.
Red Raspberry Leaf, cut and hang the whole cane before it berries: Fresh or dried. The woman’s herb. Excellent tea for pregnancy because it tones and tightens muscles in the pelvic area. provides B vitamins, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and iron. Also an antioxidant and wonderful for PMS symptoms like cramping, vomiting, nausea and diarrhea.
Sage, pick all kitchen herbs before flowers appear for the most potency: Anti-inflammatory, anti fungal and antimicrobial
Mints, all of them. Pick before flowers appear. Use cautiously if you have a history of gallstones. Very cooling for summer beverages and in cooking: Fresh or dried. Aside from it’s amazing cooling properties, it also aids in digestion problems or upset stomach, flatulence, heartburn, pain relief, gastric ulcers, supports a healthy cholesterol level, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, decongestant, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and soothes the skin from insect bites and rashes when used as a topical oil, ointment or lotion.
Dill Leaves, Pick before flowers appear: Fresh or dried. Packed with vitamin A and C, also contains folate, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, manganese, calcium, riboflavin, and iron. Good for GI disorders, appetite, kidney disease, flatulence, fever, colds, cough, bronchitis, infectious disease, liver problems, urinary tract infection (UTI), hemorrhoids, anti-spasmodic, neuropathy, renal colic, insomnia and sleep disorders
Mullein Flowers, pick just before fully open when completely dry: I make mullein oil every year for earaches, inflammatory skin conditions and burns.
St. Johnswort, pick the top six inches of the plant when flowers are just opening: I use St. Johnswort as an oil and tincture. They do very different things. Internally, the tincture calms nerves and stabilizes mood swings. The bright red oil is used as a wound healer, good for burns, the massage oil relieves sore muscles, sciatica, damaged nerves and is very useful for easing the pain the of shingles
