Sassafras, Redbuds and other adventures

Every spring I look forward to the Sassafras festival! I drink sassafras  throughout the year, and step up the frequency in the spring. A wonderful smelling and tasting spring tonic! The festival is held in one of our small town and it is fun to share this ritual with others:)

We all gather in a communal room around long tables and enjoy the food, the tonic and the being together after a long, sometimes isolating winter.

The event is in the towns old opera house. Ellisville is a town on the Spoon River with lots of history and charm.

I always renew my sassafras root supply at the event also, as they keep some bags of fresh dug root behind the cashier table. I find it kind of funny they don’t put it out where everyone can see it. Almost as if they are hoarding a secret that only sassafras lovers can know;-)

  From herbalist Jim McDonald in a video on Herb Mentor, I have learned that the leaves may be used also. I had always just enjoyed the root. The leaves are very mucilaginous .Sassafras is a cooling demulcent for inflamed and dry tissue. An example would be a sore throat. So the leaves are a very different medicine than the roots. Whereas the roots are a spicy, blood moving, blood purifying tonic, the leaves are cooling, soothing and demulcent! Wow, am into this one folks! All over it as one of my best buddy’s has plenty to share:) Before the sassafras my brother Eric and I enjoyed a walk through his property.

He had quite alot of bloodroot and so I was able to transplant some here to Comfrey Cottage’s gardens. They have made themselves right at home:) We saw many familiar plants and had several field guides to help us discover new ones.

We enjoyed nibbling on a few of these Spring Beauties which are super sweet right now:)

Have you ever enjoyed a redbud trees beauty?

I have learned that the buds and flowers were an important part of the local Indians spring sources of vitamin C. So Dylan and I have been enjoying not only the beauty of these native trees but also the nice taste of the spring buds, and probably this week the flowers will open so will try them in a tea:)

To let you know how tasty they are, Dylan always asks for a nibble when we pass these trees on our walks:) And they look so pretty in salads!

Sweet Spring! It is just impossible to sit in the house now that we have tasted the freedom of the outdoors again! And my little buddy and I wander here and there from parks to friends wilder properties, enjoying stretching our muscles and eating fresh from nature:) And laughing at waters movement, which we both enjoy immensely!

Stopping frequently for a good roll in the new grass and flowers

while still finding time for a soiree hosted by the library! This event was attended by Lily and her bff Mya, and Mya’s little sister, Julia

For those of you who are friends with me on facebook, there is a lot more photos of the grandchildren and their different happenings there, and you have interest:)

I am doing a couple cool garden comparisons. I have several bleeding hearts and having recently learned that the wild flower Dutchman Breeches are in the same family, I have planted a few of the wild flower near the garden bleeding hearts. I have sweet woodruff in one bed and have put cleavers from the woods, in another near it. They are both galiums .Cleavers are high in vitamin C and also a diuretic blood purifier. A good tonic for the lymphatic system and strong anti inflammatory properties for the urinary tract. There is a history of the Micmac, Ojibwe, and Penobscot tribes using this plant. Good for clearing heat, inflammation and toxins from the system.It is also useful for psoriasis, dandruff and other dry skin conditions, and a plant I am getting to know and will post about using more of using cleavers, also known as bedstraw, in goat cheese making soon!

Well I have been on here way to long and must get to it! big herbal and honey hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages