The Mid-summer Harvest and Adventures!
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Mid-summer harvest and foraging is going very well! We had some outrageous high temps and there was concern that the essential oils can evaporate right out of the plants, especially mugwort. But it looks like we avoided that. This week we harvested stinging nettle, feverfew, yarrow, horehound, plantain, dandelion, and vervain! The black cohosh, bloodroot, and stoneroot are flourishing.
Foraging on beautiful, unspoiled land yielded an abundance of self-heal, oregano, wild basil, ground ivy, lemon balm, and chickweed. I drove north to a hidden Adirondack hemlock bog and found some beautiful, large reishi. It's important not to harvest it too early before it has released its spores. I want to be able to return and find more next year.
My friend's organic garden gave us comfrey leaf, mint and catnip. The drying nets are full! I am fortunate to be able to forage the edges and pathways of this very large garden and find all sort of plants that others say are "just weeds". There is no such thing. There is quite a bit of Oregon grape that has volunteered around this garden but getting the roots out of the soil isn't easy as it tends to grow with other woodland shrubs that have shallow roots. Untangling them can be challenging. One of the things Oregon grape gives us is berberine in the yellow roots. I'm looking forward to another trip north soon and a new adventure at another possible foraging site.
Try some forest bathing if you are feeling stress. It really works. The trees release beneficial substances into the air so breathe deep and just absorb all the goodness.
Lynn