Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Powerful Herbs ~ Learning as I go

We are to heat up to the 80's today.  They sky is looking strange this morning.  One direction looks like a storm brewing, and the other, the sun rising with very dark clouds above it.  We had very bad wind yesterday.

Once again, you are being entertained with a blog draft from June of 2017.  To be honest, I don't remember buying the book.  I think a blog follower sent me her copy, but anyway, a very old draft to entertain you with.  It does have me thinking about other herbs now.  I have, as of last year, started to harvest our wild growing goldenrod.  I had to laugh reading this draft, because I do not remember growing Gotu Kola seeds indoors either.

We are blessed with a lot of wild growing herbs and weeds, but you do have to know what you are picking as well.  Stinging nettle requires some very thick gloves, or your hands will be pricked by the stinging part of the nettle.  

When we had barn cats, I never had a problem finding wild growing catnip.  I dehydrate it for my homemade bug spray (which does work, but has to be applied often or you just sweat it off).

Do you have a favorite herb?  Do you have a favorite herb resource book?   Do you infuse a regular herbal tea for health reasons?

I hope you enjoy this today.  I think I have reduced my drafts down from 80-something to under 30 now.  

Remember this book?  I actually bought it after borrowing it several times from the library.   It's half full of recipes, has pumped me up in the way of adding more herbs/spices to my meals.  I do already, but this has pushed me to a new level.  


I've learned a new word recently - adaptogen .  I'm researching herbs for a brain booster tea, or infusion, and keep coming across ingredients such as "Rhodiola."  When I looked up this ingredient, I see it is a plant grown in the arctic, but not enough research for me.

So far my list of herbs for a "brain booster" tea I've collected are:

~Gingko
~Rosemary
~Gotu Kola, and herb grown in India (new one for me, but Mountain Rose Herbs carries this and I also bought seeds and have started them indoors this year.
~Ginseng, an adatogenic herb

Other herbs I'm considering:
~sage, my research has found it in "thinker's tea" recipes
~peppermint
~Green tea


I'm checking out more and more books from the library.  I hope to find a tea recipe that is suitable and with ingredients I can trust putting in my body. 

So many of the books I want to read are printed in the UK and only on Kindle.  Hmpf.  I don't want to read books on my computer and I don't have a kindle.  Kind of frustrating, but my library will still get my business.

I just learned about eyebright and goldenrod too.  Both are good for spring/fall allergies.  I'm reading as much on these as I can, and have plans for the goldenrod this fall.

I have also been experimenting with different herbs for a hot cup of healing tea.  I felt the second tube that was horribly and very roughly put down my nose and down my throat last winter, damaged my throat.  It hasn't been the same.  I've been drinking a hot tea (off and on) with a bit of sage, thyme and chamomile.



Powerful Herbs ~ Learning as I go  © April 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

 



10 comments:

Mother Em said...

Granddaughter and friends just came for a few days from Ohio...the Georgia pollen has taken a toll on all of them. Was not fun walking, sight seeing with what little is left of pollen here to "rub them the wrong way!" Course, some of the other trees are still putting out pollen. Poor boy was bent over sneezing for quite a bit ("so I wouldn't sneeze on anyone else"), swollen eyes and 13+ hour sleep last night. Oh, well, plan accordingly if coming to see grandparents in the future, haha!!! Hope you are doing/mending well. Happy Sunday.

Betsy said...

It's so interesting to read about the herbs and all you can do with it. I get frustrated with Kindle only books too. I have a kindle but only use it when we're traveling on planes, etc.
Blessings,
Betsy

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Until I started watching baking shows I knew zero about the use of herbs in cooking, this was any interesting post

Far Side of Fifty said...

I don't use herbs in cooking...my Mother and Grandmothers never used them:)

Leigh said...

I didn't know that about rosemary! Thankfully, my rosemary survived last winter, although just barely.

I hear you about eBooks. I used to have a kindle, but like a lot of tech, they don't last long enough to make it worth it. Plus, they are not that enjoyable to read. I didn't mind reading one-time fiction on it, but for informational or research books, they stink.

Another pet peeve, is eBooks that people decide to publish as paper books. None of them have indexes! That's a serious ding on their usefulness.

Sorry to go off on a rant! Great post, which makes me realize I need to be making and drinking more tea.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Mother Em, so glad your family came for a visit, but sorry to hear about the pollen. I am sure that can be frustrating.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Betsy, a friend told me I should get myself a kindle, but I really do like having a real book too.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Jo-Annne's Ramblings, I still learn something almost every year too. I love cooking with herbs and spices.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Far Side of Fifty, interesting. Herbs are getting pretty expensive in stores, so I am thankful for the gardens.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Leigh, yes, a book without an index is frustrating for sure. You are right about those kindles and other electronics not lasting very long too. My rosemary plants did not survive winter. I will have to replant mine this spring.