Valentine

Happy Valentine’s Day! All hail St. Valentine who was martyred for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and his service to Christians in Rome. Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is February 12th and George Washington’s Birthday is on the 17th. Of course the sentiment of love is in the air with an individual risking his life to join two people who have found love. And Christ is love. I left the materialism of the holidays behind many Moons ago. I eat chocolate year round and my gardens are a floral delight - in season.

Thankful for the drop in temperature however brief. It has been Spring since mid-January and as a gardener not a favorable omen. Ticks emerge sooner in the warmer weather and having had a bout with a dog tick last June, not looking forward to it. 43º and rain for the last two weeks. Maple Syrup should be flowing with freezing nights and above freezing days. Garlic should be peaking up their lovely heads. A friend of mine on Long Island said she has had flowers since mid-January. So here we go folks - the 2020 growing season is afoot! I am finishing up my seed order and as I sat before my IPad going through my seeds I had music playing and was singing at the top of my lungs, seed purchase brings me such joy! I’ve come to realize that there are those of us who are married to the land. I had a conversation with a newcomer to farming and I was discussing a fellow farmer who had been displaced three times in their farming experience and she couldn’t understand why anyone would go through so much trial. In that moment I realized that we are a tribe, a tribe of stewards who have no choice, but to find ourselves on land and develop the relationship. To plant a seed and coax it into a plant is like giving birth. Of course plants are far more resilient than a human baby, but we give them life nonetheless. I have no children so they are my babies. Hundreds year after year! Mama Earth dips and reels and as a gardener, I await the season with bated breath. We are out of the normal temperatures at least a month now, so the season has shifted ahead.

I take Winter photographs just to see when the earliest plants emerge. Some plants have new growth at the end of the season. Chickweed is one of my favorites. She is found creeping at the edge of the sidewalk.

Chickweed, Stellaria media

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale, Boraginaceae, Perennial, Europe) and Valerian (Valeriana officinalis, Valerianaceae, Perennial, Europe, West Asia) were producing new growth right up to the end of last season.

I found what I thought was Wild Strawberry (Fragaria versa, Rosaceae, Perennial, Turtle Island), but have since been stumped because Wild Strawberry has three lobes and this plant has five.

?

Comfrey, Symphytum officinale

Carrying on with my Plant Family’s wild species:

Chickweed, Stellaria media, Caryophyllaceae, Annual, Eurasia
I first encountered Chickweed at Stone Barns. She is often found in abundance on the perimeter of greenhouses. Last year one of White Pine’s greenhouses was overgrown with Chickweed. She is a brief, delicious delight for our Wild Salad May and September. I have had patches here and there at SDG and Flora Jones. 2020 will be an investigation into what of my Wild Plant Family occurs at Hiddenbrooke. Chickweed contains steroidal saponins, a soapy substance that can seep into membranes, removing boundaries both cellular and cosmic, aiding the absorption of nutrients in the digestive tract. Her saponins can also reduce swelling in the lungs and throat, remove toxins and deteriorate bacteria cell walls. Externally, chickweed juice can be used for warts. Chickweed tincture can be used for ovarian cysts.

Cress, Cardamine hirsuta, Cruciferae, Annual, Northern hemisphere
Even more brief than Chickweed, Cress is in flower and done by the time I enter the garden come April. She’s also sporadic and I don’t usually take the time to harvest her. I had heard of a Cress that was available wild for many years. Who doesn’t love Watercress? I don’t recall noticing her outside of the last few years. I usually pick some leaves and munch them on the spot. The flavor is peppery, unlike Watercress, though. The root is also edible, tastes like horseradish.

Winter Valerian, Valeriana offfinalis

Winter Valerian, Valeriana officinalis

Cress, Cardamine hirsute, Cruciferae

Spring has sprung and off we go to see what Mother has in store for us in 2020. May we have vision and clarity. May benevolence and compassion give patience to our Human Family so we can create harmony and a place for us all. Let’s dance!

Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, Asteraceae, Perennial, Northern hemisphere
Said to have been brought to Turtle Island 600 years ago by the Vikings (who were not interested in conquering), Dandelion is the plant I discuss in my classes when I want to illustrate a plant’s life cycle. Dandelion can be used from leaf to flower to root in Spring and Autumn. I like to call her a multivitamin, she holds so many nutrients. Dandelion leaf can be eaten in Wild Salad, soups and stews. High in protein as well as iron and calcium. Dandelion flowers can be used externally to refresh skin and internally to strengthen the heart, relieve headaches, cramps and stomachache. Dandelion wine is made out of the flowers and is nourishing. Dandelion sap can be used to remove warts, corns and pimples, to name a few.

Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale