Spring in the Methow: A photographic journey

We had a beautiful day in the Methow Valley today and I enjoyed taking a walk around our cabin to see the first signs of spring.



The bluebells are out in full force, carpeting the forest floor with their blue abundance.



Yellow bells are one of my favorite edible roots. They also strongly illustrate how harvesting wild plants can actually increase their growth. When you harvest these bulbs you will find a bunch of tiny bulblets on the bulb. Separate these off and replant them in the same area. In this way you can literally increase their growth in an area by 50 times from how you found it.

The chinese use a species of yellow bells (Fritillaria cirrhosa and F. thunbergii) for medicine and it's on my list to experiment with our own native species, Fritillaria pudica.



Spring beauties (Claytonia lanceolata) are one of my favorite edibles. We eat the aerial portions as salad greens and dry the roots to eat in our winter stews.



These tiny yarrow leaves are beginning to pop up from last's years growth. Yarrow is one of my most used herbs for a myriad of conditions - from UTIs to bug bites to fevers to wounds.

You can see more of todays photo on my flicker account by clicking here

Now that is good news!

Amy Stork of the Methow Valley Newspaper writes a delicious food column each month.

This month featured a recipe from yours truly.

Check it out here.

Saskatoon Circle Primitive Living Skills Gathering

I am so happy to be highlighting this Primitive Skills Gathering held near my home in the beautiful Methow Valley.

This gathering is focused on learning ancient crafts while enjoying community.

The class list is quite extensive and the cost is for the weekend is unheard of!

I'll be teaching several classes and hope to see you there!

http://www.saskatooncircle.blogspot.com/

Morels and two beauties in the Figwort family

We headed out to the forest today to gather morel mushrooms. My husband brought home a decent amount, but my luck was more in the plant kingdom. It was a hot and dusty day and I headed down to a creek to cool off and found some monkey flower and American speedwell (Veronica americana). Both of them are in the Figwort family, both like to live near streams, and neither of which I had seen in the wild before.










Monkey flower became a dear friend of mine this winter while I was, in technical terms, freaking out about our steep, curvy, icy driveway that I was sure to plummet over the edge of every time I needed to leave our cabin.

Kiva, an herbalist living in the wilderness of New Mexico has the following to say about Monkey flower: (excerpted from her fabulous post on nervine differentials)

Monkeyflower (Mimulus spp.) - Neutral, moist - Flowering tops - Sweet

For sadness and stress accompanied by a sense of joylessness and lack of wonder. A true sunshine remedy that brightens the spirits and can alleviate mild to moderate depression. It has also proven helpful for when someone is wound up on stimulants of any kind, to bring them back to earth from a hyped up, strung out place. Likewise, it can very useful when someone is hysterical to the point of being paranoid, unreasonable and frantic. It won’t sedate them into a stoned out kind of place, merely bring them back to the present moment and solid ground. I’ve also seen it help alleviate chronic insomnia with restlessness and frequent waking.

I am less familiar with American Speedwell or Veronica americana. Another figwort this has opposite leaves and blue flowers with four irregular petals and two stamens. (Most figworts have four stamens).

It's a tasty potherb and is also used as a diuretic, astringent and expectorant for unproductive coughs.

And lastly here are some beautiful morels. You can read more about our adventures on the blog my husband Xavier is overseeing at: http://fourseasonsprehistoricprojects.blogspot.com/

Prehistoric Projects with Lynx

Part of the reason we moved to the Methow Valley was to be closer to Lynx Vilden. After years of studying with other outdoor living schools we were excited to find Lynx who, along with her partner Rico, were taking things to the next level. They truly live what they teach and are a daily inspiration to me and my husband.

If you are interested in reconnecting to the earth through primitive living skills consider taking classes with Lynx.

Copied from her flyer:

November 16 - 22 Basic Skills Intensive
In depth fire making and use, stone tools, cordage and gloves, primitive cooking, shelter building, and animal processing.
$550 with meals and camping or $400 with out meals and camping

December 7 - 13 Winter Skills
Winter travel and safety, shelter, clothing, fire, food and water procurement.

All prices have a 10% discount for early registration - inquire for details.

For information on classes or for the 2009 project Contact Lynx:
Four Seasons Prehistoric Projects
929B Twisp River Road
Twisp, WA 98856
509-997-0064

Free talk on Plants in the Methow Valley

For those of you local readers I'll be giving a free talk next Tuesday on Medicinal, Edible, and Poisonous Plants of the Methow Valley as part of the Methow Conservancy's First Tuesday programs. I've been working on the powerpoint presentation for weeks have humbly think it's going to be a fun entertaining evening. Hope to see you there!

For more info about the Conservancy go here.

Here's a blurb about the evening:

Monthly Program: Edible, Medicinal and Poisonous Plants of the Methow Valley
Tuesday, November 11th, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Twisp River Pub
(on the 2nd Tuesday due to Election Day!)

Rosalee de la Foret will help us explore everything from beloved natives to disastrous weeds and look at how they have been used in the past as well as today for the health and well-being of humankind. We’ll also look to the villains of the valley to learn what poisonous plants have to teach us. This informative evening will be full of pictures and tasty recipes right from your back yard.

The pub will open at 6:00 p.m. for attendees who would like to purchase drinks or something from the light menu. The event is free and open to everyone. Questions? Contact Mary at 996-2870 or info@methowconservancy.org.

What's up in the Methow

July is already here! With such a busy spring I am constantly reminding myself to slow down and take time to enjoy the summer.

With that said here's a listing of what's up in the Methow (otherwise known as my to do list).

Elderflowers have been beckoning from the roadsides starting a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday while out picking a second round of flowers I noticed several bunches are making the turn to green berries. In a couple more weeks they'll be ready for making "capers". Hawthorne berries are a good size with a slight twinge of red to them.

Also in roadside bloom is fireweed and yarrow is blanketing the hillsides and forests. Mullein is starting to flower and plantain is well on it's way to seed. Even the dock's seed heads are already a rusty brown.

Saskatoons are ripe on the valley floor and I ate my first handful yesterday, followed by my second third and fourth today. (Does anyone use these shrubs medicinally?)

I finally found a small patch of St. John' Wort. I am not sure if it's big enough for all my St. John's Wort needs however. If you are in the valley and know of a good patch - please let me know!

Not only are the plants in this community rich and diverse the community of people is awesome as well. I spent the last three days harvesting many baskets of lavender from a neighbor's garden. She and her husband planted a long row, but seldom use it, so she offered it to me. As a result my husband and I spent the 4th of July making Lavender Faery Wands which we sold at the Farmer's Market the next day.

Being the 4th with many people in town we sold a lot of salves, lip balms, and other herbal products at the market. A fabulous herbalist in the valley stopped by to say that my lib balm is the best she's had and ordered a wholesale lot to sell herself. (Truly flattered.) Also, one of the local proprieters of the health food store in town came by to buy more of my herbal all purpose cleaner and said if I made up a bunch she would carry it at the store as it is her favorite cleaner at home.

Which is all to say this week will be busy in the herbal apothecary. I have fresh arnica oil to make into salve as well as some fresh plantain, comfrey, cottonwood, calendula salve to make as well.

I picked my first calendula flower of the season today and last week from www.ancestreeherbals.com I received fresh red clover flowers, coltsfoot leaves, wood betony, and feverfew. This coming week I have meadowsweet, hyssop, and rue on the way.

Phew!

New house - new plants

We recently had the incredible opportunity to house sit for the summer. Friends of ours had just built a brand new home and were leaving for the summer so the dad could be a ranger in the back country of Yosemite. We've only been there three nights but have so thoroughly enjoyed this special place.

The home was built entirely with a "green" mindset as many of the materials were resourced locally and many were recycled. The house is run entirely on solar power which is being stored in recycled batteries from cell phone towers. They have both a cook stove as well as a gas stove for the hotter months.

One of the best features of the house is its ability to regulate the temperature. It should remain 60-70 degrees year round. Yesterday it was over a hundred degrees outside - but it still remained in the mid 60's inside. I am currently blogging from out old house where it's 87 degrees inside - I think we moved just in time!

They have a very simple heating system that collects the heat from the roofs and stores it under the house. The collected heat will then diffuse over the winter (where it often goes below 0 degrees) to maintain that 60 - 70 degrees temperature.

Being in a solar powered home has really raised our consciousness to the amount of energy we use. Lights are never left on, and the few electrical appliances we use are kept to a minimum and only during daylight hours.

In the fall we hope to have enough money saved to move into a geodesic dome. At that point we'll waive goodbye to electricity all together, so this is a nice way to transition ourselves.

(We do all of this in the effort to take responsibility for our actions. We've become tired of complaining about the dams destroying the salmon runs... for us it's important to live in a way that doesn't support the need to have the dams in the first place.)

For those of you unfamiliar with the Methow Valley we have moved from the Valley floor to the mountains. Instead of sagebrush we have pine trees and douglas firs. As you'll see below the flowers are still blooming as well.

The previous pictures are of Mariposa lilies and Indian paintbrush.

The following pictures are of our new home as well as some shots from a hike we took yesterday.

The living room

View from the front window


Tiger lilies are blooming in the mountains. I haven't found reference to medicinal uses of this beauty, but you can eat the bulbs.









Photo of Black Pine Lake - a short distance from our house.









Didn't see many columbines, but they were a welcome sight.








Native Dandelion...









One more view shot. I live in a beautiful place!

Methow Valley Plant of the Week: Lamb's Quarters

Botanical Information

Scientific Name:

Chenopodium album

Family:

Chenopodium or Goosefoot

Lamb’s quarters are a common weedy vegetable that countless people try to rid from their

garden in vain. When I see this hearty green popping up in my garden soil I am overjoyed for here is a highly nutritious plant that is easily cultivated, harvested and consumed.

This inconspicuous plant is recognized by its wavy triangular green leaves and whitish

coloring underneath. It grows anywhere from one foot to ten feet tall and has plentiful black seeds. It often has a reddish tinge at the base of the stem. As always be sure to correctly

identify this plant before consuming.

The leaves are incredibly high in calcium, beta carotene, thiamine, niacin, and potassium.

A 1/2 cup of the seeds provides the recommended daily allowance for calcium and healthy servings of niacin and potassium.

Historical Uses:

Lamb’s quarters has been used by many cultures all around the world. Archaeological findings show that it was an early food in northern Europe as well as in northern and southern America.

It was historically grown during times of warfare when other food sources were scarce. The black plentiful seeds of this plant were grounded to make a black bread for Napoleon and his troops.

Contemporary Uses:

Lamb’s quarters taste very

similar to spinach and can be used in the same way. We love them in scrambled eggs, crepes, or quiche. They can be eaten raw or cooked. However, also like spinach, they contain oxalic acid which can be rough on the kidneys—so moderation of raw greens is advised.

The greens are best when harvested young, or less than a foot tall. They can be blanched for future use by boiling for one minute and then freezing.

Lamb’s Quarters Quiche

1 prepared pie crust

1/2 onion chopped

1 lb of nitrate-free bacon

Several handfuls of Lamb’s

Quarters

6 Eggs

Pinch of Salt

Tsp mustard

Tsp of dried basil

1 Cup of Local Raw Milk

1 cup Goat Cheese

Chop the bacon into small slices about a 1/2 inch wide. Sauté until almost entirely cooked, add the

onion and cook until onion is

translucent.

In a medium bowl combine the eggs, salt, basil, milk, and mustard and mix well.

Place the cooked bacon and

onions in the prepared pie crust, sprinkle the goat cheese over the bacon, and then add the egg

mixture.

Cook at 350⁰ or until the edges are brown and it is solid in the center. Let cool and eat warm or chilled.

Works consulted:
Linda Runyon, Crabgrass Muffins to Pine Needle Tea
Janice Schofield, Discovering Wild Plants

Spring Beauty (Claytonia lanceolata)

Now that the valley is bursting with life we will be harvesting more and more wild food for our meals. Today my husband spent a few hours harvesting spring beauties. We had this beautiful salad for dinner. We ate the entire aerial plant which is high in vitamins A and C. It tastes much like miner's lettuce from the western part of Washington state. They are both in the Purslane family of the claytonia genus. He also gathered a lot of the corms which we will process tomorrow, so I will post about that with pictures then.

I spent the day harvesting dandelions - the flower, leaf, and root. At herbmentor.com we are studying dandelion this month and I am looking forward to being able to participate in the dandelion discussions. It'll be a big processing day tomorrow - I can hardly wait to get started. Of course I'll take pictures of all my concoctions and share it will you.

Also tomorrow my husband plans to harvest a lot of bitterroot - also in the Purslane family. I'll of course be writing about that as well.

Wow, that's a lot of teasers for one night. :)

Farmer's Market and Native Plant Hike

It's been an incredibly busy weekend. First, I was selling my herbal wares at the local farmer's market on Saturday morning. This week I had a table set up for people to identify local plants that was really successful and fun. I simply put some plant cuttings in cups, and then fixed a label to the backside stating the common name, botanical name, family, and some edible, medicinal, and utilitarian uses for each one.

I had yarrow, dandelion, yellow dock, mallow, mullein, and oregon grape out. Most people got dandelion, but the rest were not so easy! People were absolutely amazed you could eat some of them, or that yarrow is such a powerful medicinal (it grows everywhere here). It's so surprising to me that what I know isn't common knowledge!

Directly after the market I went up to Patterson Mountain to lead a native plant hike. I was worried headed up there that I would be too tired after such a big morning to lead the hike well, but I think it went great! I spoke a lot to the edible and medicinal uses of many of the plants we saw. There were lots of wildflowers out and over the next week I will be posting more about each one.

The beautiful picture above is of larkspur or Delphinium spp. It belongs to the buttercup family and is highly toxic to humans and cows. Apparently sheep aren't bothered by it. It's a very striking flower - the showy part is actually 5 sepals with the actual flower being in the center. After seeing it up on the mountain we found it growing on our property as well.

Methow Valley Update (Mid April)

We went on a beautiful evening walk tonight and I want to record all that is happening so that I can compare notes with the following years.

Today was the first day we noticed the river growing - caught us totally by surprise. A few days ago we were down by the river chasing marmots when we found a hawthorn! Quite the find. It's strange we've never seen it before, but we've been eating a lot of hawthorn berry vinegar lately and it's like it jumped out of the landscape.

So many plants have just shot out of the ground. Lomatium dissectum, or chocolate tips, is out and flowering and seems to be everywhere!







Buttercups are dotting the hillside as are yellow bells and blue bells.










It's the perfect season for harvesting yellow dock leaves - see all that green? It's all dock!









Switching from flora to fauna - can you see the marmot tracks? They like to hang out in my dock field.










Oregon grape is getting ready to bloom its tart yellow flowers.









Today we also noticed the elderberry is starting to sprout leaves and we did a little pruning to clear out the dead branches and make room for the new. (My elderberry wine is sitting in bottles right now and I can hardly wait for it to be ready... just six more months!)

Arrowleaf balsam root was just peaking it's head out of the ground a few days ago and now the leaves have grown tremendously and the flower heads are out as well.

Mullein is looking healthy and the sqaw currants are completely leafed out. The pussy willows outside the house are covered in green fuzzy tips and the bees have been busy buzzing around while the warblers and swallows have been busy eating them up. The red wing blackbirds are constantly crying out to "poke yerrr neighberrr" and at times there are at least fifty robins eating in the field.

Dandelions are growing in the garden as are little tiny leaves that are too young to identify. Xavier wonders if it will be all the squash we composted last fall... In general the hillsides are getting greener, but there is still snow in the not to distant mountains.