At Springfield Herb Sanctuary
View from the Sanctuary over the Cotswolds
The herb beds I helped to dig
Elecampane coming up
For more photos see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153255717357938.1073741890.657002937&type=1&l=6c20633d26
Back home in the kitchen I put Dandelion roots & leaves into a jar and filled the jar with vodka to make a another batch of tincture. I have been taking 2 half teaspoons a day since decanting the first batch, it definitely seems to be helping with my digestion. I washed and chopped up the Dock roots into a separate jar to make tincture, which should be helpful for poor absorption, anaemia, skin problems, sluggish bowels, constipation & liver congestion. Any dock with yellow roots can be used as this indicates the presence of the medicinal compounds.
Last weekend I harvested a big bag of Nettles and a bag full of Cleavers at the allotment, plus a few Wild Garlic leaves. Some of the Nettles were used for Nettle Aloo (see recipe on previous post) as part of a dinner for friends, accompanied by raita made with natural yoghurt and finely chopped Wild Garlic leaves. I also made Nettle Pasties (see recipe below) to take to the woods for a New Moon picnic. My husband got in the act and made Nettle Soup with onion, potato, celery and nettles, with some Miso added at the end to make a nice rich dark nourishing broth. The Cleavers were roughly chopped and put in a jar with vodka to make Cleavers tincture, which should be useful for lymph congestion or swollen glands such as Tonsilitis.
I also paid a visit to the woods and picked Hawthorn leaves to make a tincture with brandy, which can be combined with tinctures of the flowers and berries as they appear, to get the maximum benefit. Hawthorn is renowned as a tonic for the heart and circulatory system. My husband dug up a patch of Lesser Celandine, also known as Pilewort, after the nodules on the roots which look like haemorrhoids. This is an example of a traditional plant signature in which physical features of plants were thought to indicate what sort of conditions the plant would be beneficial for. And indeed Pilewort is a remedy for piles, both as dried herb used to make an infusion for internal use and to make an ointment from fresh herb by making a double-infused oil and adding beeswax, to use externally.
Recipe for Nettle Pasties - makes 2 large pasties or 4 small pasties
Pastry:
8oz plain flour
Pinch of salt
4oz butter
3-4 tablespoons of cold water
- Sift the flour & salt into a bowl, add the butter chopped into lumps and stir to coat the butter in flour.
- Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
-
Sprinkle the water over the mix and stir with a round-bladed knife till
the mixture sticks together in large lumps, if it is a bit dry add a
bit more water.
- Collect the dough together into a ball.
- Knead it lightly on a lightly floured surface to make a smooth dough.
- Wrap the dough in cling-film and leave in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
Filling:
Large colander of washed nettle tops with stalks removed
Medium onion finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves very finely chopped
1 medium mushroom finely chopped
Wedge of blue cheese crumbled
2 beaten eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
- Saute the onion to soften it, add the garlic & mushroom.
- Steam the nettle tops in a little water for a few minutes till well wilted.
- Squeeze out the liquid with a wooden spoon, drain the liquid into a jug to use in stock for soup.
- Mix the vegetables with the cheese & eggs, add seasoning.
- Roll out & cut the pastry to make rounds.
- Put filling in the middle of pastry rounds and top with another round, press the edges together all the way round to seal.
- Use any left over pastry to make pastry decorations, stick on with a little water.
- Bake in a medium oven for about 25 minutes.
- Eat hot or cold, they are perfect for taking out for a picnic.
Filling:
Large colander of washed nettle tops with stalks removed
Medium onion finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves very finely chopped
1 medium mushroom finely chopped
Wedge of blue cheese crumbled
2 beaten eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
- Saute the onion to soften it, add the garlic & mushroom.
- Steam the nettle tops in a little water for a few minutes till well wilted.
- Squeeze out the liquid with a wooden spoon, drain the liquid into a jug to use in stock for soup.
- Mix the vegetables with the cheese & eggs, add seasoning.
- Roll out & cut the pastry to make rounds.
- Put filling in the middle of pastry rounds and top with another round, press the edges together all the way round to seal.
- Use any left over pastry to make pastry decorations, stick on with a little water.
- Bake in a medium oven for about 25 minutes.
- Eat hot or cold, they are perfect for taking out for a picnic.
Nettle Pastie
Dock roots being prepared for tincture
Dock Root Tincture
Cleavers Tincture
Hawthorn Leaf Tincture
Lesser Celandine/Pilewort
Making Pilewort Double-infused Oil
References
'Hedgerow Medicine' Julie Bruton-Seal & Matthew Seal
'Letting in the Wild Edges' Glennie Kindred
'Wild Drugs' Zoe Hawes
