What can I harvest now?
All of these amazing herbs and now what to do with them? What can we harvest now and prepare for later? Much of what I have harvested I am drying and will use in oils, creams and teas over the year to come. Some of what I have harvested is sitting on a sunny windowsill and infusing, others are sitting in honey in a dark cupboard to infuse.
What can I harvest now?
🌱lemon verbena, plantain, sweet Annie and mullein leaves
🌼calendula, mullein, Japanese honeysuckle, St John's Wort, rose, arnica and selfheal flowers
Of course there are many others. The list goes on! Leaves are generally better to harvest before the flowers bloom.
What can I do with these herbs?
🌱tea: lemon verbena, honeysuckle, St John's wort, mullein, selfheal, sweet Annie, rose
🌼honey: honeysuckle, lemon verbena
🌹oils and creams: mullein flowers, St John's Wort, selfheal, plantain, rose, calendula and arnica
There are many more too. Also, as I think tinctures really need to be used with caution as they are strong, I recommend amateurs to use herbs as teas, honeys, vinegars and topically.
The most incredible oil is St John's wort. How amazing is it that a fairly regular looking yellow flower, from what many consider to be a weed, turns into an incredible ruby red oil with supportive herbal actions. It is still flowering in my South Canterbury garden and in the wild place I forage it from locally. I pick it in the morning and leave it for an hour or two on the bench to wilt a bit (overnight it it's been picked damp). I then chop flowers and buds, place in a clean glass jar and cover with organic olive oil. I leave it to infuse four weeks on a sunny windowsill. You need to ensure the oil completely covers the plant matter to prevent mould issues. The oil should start changing colour after about 10 days. After infusing, strain through muslin and it should keep up to one year in a glass jar in a cool dark area.
This glorious coloured oil has both antibacterial and anti viral activity. If you choose to take this herb orally it would be best to see a herbalist to ensure it is right for you. There are potential interactions with medications. Use the oil topically on skin irritations, nerve conditions from things like neuropathy and sciactica, shingles and cold sores and to support the body in the case of injuries and burns.
St John’s wort oil has a beautiful colour
Such a glorious colour from these weedy yellow flowers. The colour of the oil is due to the pollen.