I don’t advertise myself as an herbalist or natural healer but I have been working in the research and development of healing processes for over 15 years. I’ve taken classes and workshops with renowned herbalists, alternative and holistic healers, attended conferences and worked as a natural health advisor (for over 6 years). I grow and forage for my own medicinals and source others from reputable places. I have herbalist friends! And I seek out much knowledge and practices from around the world. Even as a teen (many many moons ago) I gravitated toward making my own teas and growing my own herbs, I was very limited then but the drive and desire for the knowledge and plant connection was there.

I believe deeply in our own ability to heal ourselves from nearly anything (save losing a limb, radiation poisoning, or other acute conditions) or at least minimizing the damage and supporting our systems, if given the right tools. It’s not that I don’t believe in allopathic healing; I just think it is used more often than it should be (it is emergency medicine, not preventative or supportive, it is also cascading and makes itself self-reliant). There are many types of holistic care — many of which I prefer to go to experienced healers for (much bodywork takes years to understand and complete pictures of not just the human body but an individuals own experiential and physical make up — I admire and am amazed by the dedicated work of these folks), but for the day to day, I can manage many of my own (and my family’s) needs.

I also believe that plants, especially (and especially in our shared space and time), have a knowledge of what we (and they) need, as well. In a time of deep respiratory concern (whether from pollution or viral), Mullein, Nettles, Plantain, and Goldenrod appear near and ready. Close by a patch of Poison Ivy, many times Jewelweed (the cure and mitigation) grows. From my own experience of my severe lymph issues, I was happy to learn about Cleavers (which then began to grow in great patches of my field, along with never before seen Milk Thistle). And we can enhance these medicinals with plantings of our own (since much of our ‘wild’ medicines have been eradicated from their native places and free sowings) like Echinacea, Elderberry, and Bee Balms. Last year, my body (and mind) was finally ready to tackle some big shifts and maintain some equilibrium and St. Johns Wort began growing in my herb garden.

This is not to say I think there is a sentient being bestowing blessings upon me, but I don’t believe in coincidence, either. I am not one to believe there is a reason for everything that attends to a great and culminating design, however, I think there are reasons by many agencies unbeknownst to us at any given time — so, not a design, per se, but decisive or called for directions (most having nothing to do with us humans). Such as the natural conditions of Jewelweed are also the natural conditions for Poison Ivy (because the cure and the ill are not just about humans) and that they offer each other support in a way I do not know that just happen to benefit me (but not me, because my body is unaffected by the urushiol, surprisingly since my body also naturally attracts so freaking many things out in the world trying to eat me or give me rashes).

And I struggle with folks who fight the idea that there are herbal medicinals because simply put: 1) where do you think the original medicines came from and 2) why do you bother to eat apples or anything you think is ‘good for you’ if you don’t believe it affects you. So, with that said, last Summer and Fall I put up tinctures of St. Johns Wort, Lemon Balm, Evening Primrose (root, flower, and seed), Hawthorn, Cleavers, dried Red Clover blossoms and Raspberry Leaf, Monarda, Yarrow, Boneset, Mullein, Caledula, more Cleavers and Usnea. I sourced some Antler Reishi (and got some Hemlock Shelf beauties yesterday from a friend!) and Chaga, dried Elderberries, Skullcap, Milky Oats, and Lavender. I like tinctures, teas, and baths though I have a friend who makes elixirs and another who likes capsules. There are many plants and stages of plants I prefer fresh and that is where my daily and seasonal foraging comes into play — I never believe that what I eat is just food. It should all be medicine and all has an effect.

This year I’m hoping to add more barks and roots to my medicines (likely willow and witch hazel, maybe prickly ash, buckthorn, and wild cherry, as well along with burdock, mallow, and sarsaparilla). And I’ve added Horehound, Ashwaganda, and Vervain to my garden.

My beautiful Tulips (J & D) made me some apothecary shelves a couple of years ago which I store all my goods, plus many herbal books, tools, tea making supplies, etc. They help me take good care of myself and them. I’m onto drying and tincturing that new Reishi and being in the garden today to get ready for new plant babies.

The ramps really set me off to a good start this year. I love foraging for dinner. I love fresh and bitter greens, especially after a crazy Winter; my body craves a good cleaning and support. I love new flowers for food. I love Spring roots and buds. It’s a reconnection with lovely growing things, and exactly what my body wants and needs.

The Farmers Market at Mill Park in Augusta had some folks slinging the cleanest and nicest cut fiddlheads I think I have ever seen (and really affordable, I wish I could have got more — their visit was super short, a mere two weeks before it got hot!) which we just roasted up on a sheet pan with fresh baby garlic bulbs and sea salt. We ate them as a veg side to some local lamb chops we bartered bread for but you could throw them into a Spring lemony pasta at that point, or a quiche, or onto a nice bed of rice.

Then we needed some dandelion fritters — soak a cup or so of dandelion heads in enough water to cover with a little sea salt for an hour, drain, rinse, and let sit for a half hour to drain/dry a bit. Toss with just enough flour mixed with a little sea salt to coat plus a little more (I also added a little lemon pepper spice I had, garlic powder would be great, too) and fresh black pepper. Then add 1 beaten egg and mix — you want the mix to just come together into 3″ patties but still be a little dry. Saute in ghee or olive oil about 3min each side or until all the edges are crispy golden and the center feels firm. Serve with a little homemade aioli (in a small food processor blend 3 egg yolks with 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of olive oil — use the little well for the latter so it goes in slow or add in a slow stream while blending, adding more lemon juice if needed) or mayo or sour cream or Feta Ramp Dip!

The next day we had Saag Tofu — a dish from Eastern India made of stewed greens and for us crispy tofu chunks (I love Maine’s Heiwa tofu, the texture is unbelievable). I used a base of my CSA greens from Andrews Farm (a bunch of beet greens and bunch of rainbow chard) and threw in handfuls of fresh violet leaves, young primrose leaves, red clover leaves, and dandelion with the spice mix Panch Phoran (also known as Bengali spice, or Indian Five Spice — or make your own with fennel, mustard seed, fenugreek, nigella, and cumin — I used about a Tbsp with a little extra mustard seed and cumin), a couple of potatoes and carrots, an onion, and garlic all chopped small (I brown the spices and the veggies in a little ghee or olive oil first, then add greens until they wilt and cook down a bit), and then add a can of coconut milk and cook down to my preferred thickness. When I make the tofu, I cut it into cubes and marinate for an hour or 3 in amino acids/soy sauce, olive oil, and a little minced garlic. Then I toss it in brown rice flour mixed with a little sea salt and bake on a sheet pan at 360 degrees for about 20 minutes or until I’m happy with the crispness, shaking occasionally if I remember. I save the leftover marinade and add it to the saag, and shake in the leftover brown rice flour a Tbsp or 2 at a time over the saag to thicken it if I need. When the saag is done to my liking, I add a little (like 2 tsp) turmeric powder, garam masala, and a Tbsp of lemon juice — stir, then fold in crispy tofu. If I really want to hearty it up, I throw in a can of rinsed chickpeas after I’ve thrown in the greens. We eat it with jasmine rice, or flatbreads (naan), and I like mango pickle (J likes a simple chopped raw onion/lemon juice/ with chili powder pickle).

Then last night we had “Lobster Cheese Dip” with crostini. There was actually no lobster in it, I use Surimi (Simply Surimi is clean and well-sourced), but you could use lobster or crab meat. 8 oz of Cream Cheese, 1 cup or so of Mayo, a fat splash of Worcester, a cup of shredded cheese (I used cheddar this time but I’m not adverse to jack), a Tbsp of lemon juice, a good grind of fresh black pepper and a little dulse sea salt — mix it all up (a heavy fork works nice) in a 8×8 baking dish. Stir in a whole little package of Surimi (I break it up a bit with my fingers) and then I added a cup to 2 cups of blanched or tender greens (daisy leaves, red clover, nettles, italian parsley or even baby chard or frozen spinach if that’s what you have — thaw and drain the latter, you could also add fresh herbs like thyme or marjoram, or skip the greens and add a can of chopped/drained artichokes or a cup of chopped asparagus), stir in, top with a nice little layer of shredded parmesan and bake at 360 degrees for about 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. After I threw it in the oven, I sliced up a fat sourdough baguette into crostini and laid out on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil and sea salt — about halfway through the dip bake, I put the bread in and toasted for 10 minutes (keep an eye on it just to make sure you’re happy with the toast, don’t overtoast). Serve with lemon wedges if you’re feeling fancy.

I’m hoping tomorrow night be some tender blanched and roasted milkweed, hosta, or day lilly shoots/buds with baby garlic with fregola (Sardinian couscous), lemon, and fresh herbs, and parmesan cheese.

I know this weekend we’ll be doing some homemade pizzas around the fire pit with daisy shoot/buds, dandelion greens, the last of the ramps and hopefully having some lilac or forsythia infused cocktails…mmmm, foraging.