and rose petals drying on my homemade drying rack. Photo by Grey Catsidhe, 2016.
The warm weather is here, and I’m working to improve my relationships with plants. I’m always learning about herbal properties, plant identification, methods of preservation, and various magical uses. My paternal grandmother started to teach me when I was little. She had a beautiful herb garden and apple trees at her home. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of our time exploring the garden together.
Presently, I have various plants drying from my drying racks. Some will season food, others will become tea, some offerings, and many will serve multiple purposes!
Today we went strawberry picking. It’s alway a lot of work but great fun! My daughter certainly enjoys it. We picked three big baskets. As soon as I got home, I started to process them. I have several in the freezer and made some jam. I’m going to throw some on the dehydrator later. A friend suggested I make strawberry shrub syrup which I hadn’t ever heard of before, but I’m intrigued! Perhaps tomorrow. I may even have enough to make more jam!
While picking, I found several patches of wild chamomile and red clover. I brought some home to dry. Both are great in tisanes. My hands smell delicious…
A few days ago, we had our first bonfire of the year at our home. We decided that we would toast some vegan marshmallows we had leftover from Bee’s birthday party. I taught Bee that we need young wood on which to place the marshmallows while we toast them. We brought an offering of water to the nearby apple tree. Bee reached up and asked permission without any prompting! She then held the cup of water up, presenting it to the tree. She poured the water and then I found suitable branches to cut. We gave the tree our thanks. I explained to Bee that I normally don’t harm trees, but sometimes young wood is necessary. I was really impressed with her respect and how easily the words came to her. I’m definitely a proud Druid mama! Hopefully the tradition of working with plants will continue in my family for another generation.
Author M. A. Phillips 