What a gorgeous September day! The sun was out, there was a good breeze, Eliza’s farm is beautiful- we couldn’t have asked for more.

10 of us (not bad for my first event here!) made our way down to the creek to meet Nettles. She gave me a little sting- a ‘love bite’, I’m choosing to call it. (I backed into a patch once and got a sting through denim on my rump which lasted for more than a day. This one was gone half way through the walk.)

We came back up the drive finding Black Walnut, Smart Weed aka Lady’s Thumbprint, Wineberry, Blackberry, Buckeye, Narrow Leaf Plantain, and Red Clover. At the barn gate we talked about Broadleaf Plantain, Chicory, Burdock and Goldenrod. It’s always fun to share that Goldenrod is actually a hayfever reliever, and that it’s the simultaneously flowering Ragweed that causes our misery.

In Eliza’s gardens we met Chickweed, Mugwort, Wood Sorrel, Ground Ivy, Elderberry, Witch Hazel, Lamb’s Quarters, Comfrey, Echinacea, St John’s Wort, mints, and did a quick trip around the herb bed too.

Dandelion was our last official stop, then we made our way back to the gate where I had left my bag. “Bring a friend and get a bottle of Elderberry Syrup!” I had promised, and 3 bottles went to happy homes.

Eliza lent me a fabulous book as I was preparing for our walk- Weeds of the Northeast. It lets you know what’s toxic, and it has all of those “Wonder what that is?” weeds that don’t really have any culinary or medicinal uses and so never get ID’d by others. She said it is the result of a thesis from Cornell University.

I also used two Peterson’s Guides- Edible Wild Plants (Eastern/Central North America) and Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants and Herbs, as well as a GREAT new book I picked up at the Philadelphia Flower Show this year, Foraging and Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi. Turns out it’s the text for the Herbs Through the Seasons class I’m taking at Barefoot Botanicals with Linda Shanahan in Doylestown through November, too. That’s where the Elderberry syrup recipe is from, by the way. (These are affiliate links.)

Thanks to everyone who came out for the walk. I hope you had as much fun as I did! And a special thanks to walker Shelly, who shared some of her photos:

Did you know you can eat Dandelion, Chicory, Nettles, and a whole host of other wild greens?

Lamb's Quarters have almost half your daily calcium in a 1 cup serving, for example, and Red Clover Blossoms are a lovely and unexpected addition to a salad.

Come explore Manderley Farm with farm owner Eliza Walbridge and myself to learn about and taste many of the weeds that inhabit yards and fields. Wear sturdy shoes and long pants.

Saturday September 20,1 p.m.
Directions provided when you R.S.V.P. to Paula

Special treat! Bring a friend and receive a bottle of homemade Elderberry Syrup, just in time for flu season!

There was a great turnout for my Beat the Heat with Herbs workshop! 4 people attended, and one other had to cancel for a family emergency.

5 people may not seem like much, but considering I only invited my pilates clients (this was an exercise in spreading the fact that I teach more than fitness!), 5 represents more than 10% of my clients. When planning for an event with my studio, I've found that 10% of invitees making it is a pretty fabulous number. So, yay!

And I think we all had a good time. We spent some time in the garden, smelling and touching the plants and experiencing Peppermint, Sage, Lemon Balm, Marshmallow, and several others. We went back inside and sipped some Rosewater Lemonade, sniffed Sage Deodorant and Lavender Essential oil, and talked about ways and recipes for cooling herbal applications. Everyone had great questions, and I only went over by 5 minutes. (That's pretty good for me!)

Stay tuned for next month's workshop, on detoxing and cleansing and fall foods.

This past Saturday, I attended an herbal conference that snuck up on me. It’s been on my calendar, as had the early-bird registration date, for ages. And suddenly, it was time to be there.

At the conference, I was asked how I found out about it, to improve their marketing efforts next year. Ummmm… I couldn’t remember. Maybe through the sponsoring farm? Am I a CSA member? Well, yes, but I’m pretty sure I discovered the CSA in researching the conference. (This gives some perspective- I probably signed up for the CSA in March or so. My share-buddy confirmed, I found the CSA for us through the conference, not the other way around.)

Well, however I came to be there, they were glad I was. And boy, so was I!

I plan to tell you more about the vendors, because they deserve their own special mentions and I got some really great stuff. And I can’t wait to tell you about meeting the wonderful, fabulous… but I‘ll wait and tell you her name later. Suffice, for now, to say that I met a real-life Herbal Rock Star, and a favorite Rock Star of mine at that.

Today, I want to tell you about the conference itself, and encourage you to put it on your calendar for next year. Right now, go ahead, the first weekend in October, I’ll wait. (Add a reminder, for about the first week of July, so you can look for early bird registration!)

Last week I was lucky enough to take a tour of the Highlands Mansion gardens and wild areas with members of the Pennypack Farm Herb Study Group, led by forager Sarah Murray. Sarah lived for over 20 years in France, and developed an interest from her former husband François Couplan, a renowned expert on the edible plants of the world.

We met in the evening and, knowing we had limited light, tried to get as much in as we could even though we could stop every few feet in just the tended CSA beds to find wonderful edibles! Right away Sarah pointed out Evening Primrose with her precious flowers and edible leaves, growing all by herself near the garden gate, and a lush hedgerow of Mugwort that led us to a discussion of Mugwort cake in Korean culture. Interesting note: Mugwort looks like Feverfew when it's young.

Lamb's Quarters was standing near the Basil rows, and Sarah explained she much prefers to call it by another common name, Wild Spinach, since that makes people more likely to try it! It's a relative of Quinoa, and the seeds can be used in the same way. A distinguishing feature is a white bloom, or powder, on the very young leaves. And yes, it tastes like spinach.

Wild Carrot IS Queen Anne's Lace! I didn't know that! She's a biennial, so the first year has low growing, ferny, carrot-like leaves and tiny carrot-like taproots that smell STRONGLY of carrot. In the second year, the flower stalk shoots up into the familiar white umbrel with the dark drop in the center. She has hairy stems and very aromatic seeds, unlike Wild Hemlock, a potential look-alike that is VERY TOXIC but has no smell (seeds, roots or otherwise) and no hairs.

We came upon Velvet Leaf, a relative of Marshmallow that I wasn't familiar with before. It develops a fun pod with edible seeds that taste a little like green peppers. The leaves are also edible, and lend an interesting texture to a pesto.

There was plenty of Red Clover all over the CSA beds as well, and we discussed the white chevron on the leaves that marks the medicinal plants.

Next, we found Galinsoga, a weed I have seen many times and one that Sarah didn't have a common name for. It makes a nice salad green and has edible flowers, too.

Finally, we searched out a patch of Ground Ivy that Sarah had scouted earlier. It's great for allergic sinus issues, but tonight we were going to make Ground Ivy Chips!

After it got too dark, we went back to one of our fellow walker's homes for snacks. We had a nice salad with all sorts of greens and flowers, a superb pesto and the chips, with some crackers and a fantastic tea of Hibiscus, Cinnamon, Stevia and Nettles.

Ground Ivy Chips:
Dressing - 2 tbs balsamic vinegar, pinch of salt, pinch of garlic powder, olive oil. 
Mix ingredients in that order, then coat the washed and stemmed leaves
Place the leaves one-by-one on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, smoothing out so they are open and flat. 
Place in oven preheated to 400º, and leave in exactly 3 minutes. 
Remove leaves from sheet immediately and enjoy!

Pesto:
Garlic Mustard leaves, Velvetleaf leaves, and any other aromatic leaves work well (Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, etc.).
Soak 1 cup raw almonds overnight and remove the skins.
Place them in a food processor, and add the leaves, washed and stemmed (about 2-3 cups) and salt. You can also add fresh garlic for flavor. 
Add 2-3 tbs coconut oil and blend. Add water or coconut milk to obtain a smooth texture.

Let me paint you a picture.

It's about 5:30am, not yet dawn, not still dark. It's that time called the gloaming, between day and night. Usually, we experience the gloaming in the evening, at dusk. This morning, the light is deceiving- it's light out, but it's too dark to see.

You wake to thunder and lightning, and rain- persistent, steady, heavy rain. It's close to the time for your alarm, so you doze, and  WAHWAHWHA your phone, charging next to your bed, goes berserk. An alarm blares, it vibrates like crazy. There's a flash flood warning. The air is warm, and has passed "humid" to become almost physically "wet."

Sure enough, there's detours on your way to work, creeks and streams have jumped their banks, neighborhoods are full of drivers trying to find a higher bridge. By 9am, it's still dark like it was at 7, but the rain is ending. Cicadas are humming like a horror movie.

Now, a second picture. You sleep with the windows open, and wake to bright, early morning sun. A 55-degree breeze slides over you and your bedsheet like cool water. You hear birds, and a few crickets, but little else. The air is dry, so very dry compared to yesterday that your nose crinkles inside a little. Because yes, these two pictures are only separated by 24 hours.

And that, my friends, is another reason to love PA. Sometimes August feels like July, and sometimes it feels like September.

In other news, I'm in the process of moving and downsizing my home, and I apologize for the scarce postings. I anticipate more breathing space by next week, and enough room to flail around by the end of the month. We'll dance again soon.

Saturday May 4 was Herb Day! How did you celebrate?

I dragged My Man with me to Barefoot Gardens in Doylestown PA to see what the American Herbalists Guild Eastern Chapter were offering. We got there just as my teacher Maia Toll was heading out. She gave a talk earlier in the day (here she is in an AHG Facebook picture) and I was very happy that she and My Man finally got to meet. One of my classmates was also there at the same time, and it was nice to see her outside of class too. AND she had a fabulous "I Love Herbs" sticker on her shirt!

As we walked up to the collection of tents and tables, herbalist Cindy Koser was just beginning a talk on Herbal First Aid that we joined. She reviewed some basic herbs, and went into more advanced ones that included some I don't know well or at all. One was Spilanthes, or Toothache Herb. Well, My Man was the first to volunteer to taste that, he had bit his lip pretty good the night before and it still was painful. Most of us took a small leaf and laughed as our lips and tongue went numb. There were about 8 of us listening to Cindy, and I think we all had something to share or good questions to ask. It was a great

We met the owners of Barefoot Gardens, Eric and Linda, and Eric invited us to peek in a cute shed they just use for storage- it's 16x16 with a loft over the porch, and it's just fun. My Man and Eric were joking (I think) that Eric and Linda should move in there and rent out their real house. Linda was selling plants, and between them and the used book sale happening I was all a-twitter. New herbs I got for my studio garden:
Lavender
Motherwort
Hyssop
Elecampane
Spilanthes (of course!)
Curry Plant
Skullcap
Yarrow
Marshmallow

The Yarrow was a freebie, Linda had sold out of the new starts but had a few from last year on the Intensive Care shelf, pretty dry and unhappy-looking, as unplanted plants tend to be. We'll see if they pull through, and if they do I look forward to making something fun and sharing with them.

Oh, and I scored an "I Love Herbs" sticker AND one that says "Make Tea Not War"!