Sixth Picture Meme

Games are fun especially when the lead to an easy blog post. Maggie at Prairieland herbs blog tagged me for this "6th picture meme". By the way, here is the definition of meme given by wordnet.princeton.edu: "a cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one person to another by non-genetic means (as by imitation)." The rules of this meme are:

1.Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures

2.Go to the 6th Folder, then pick the 6th picture in that folder

3.Post that picture on your blog and tell the story that goes along with the picture.

4.Tag 6 other people that you know or don’t know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.

This had me a little worried as my computer is full of quite a few crazy pictures my son takes, so I was happy to see that the sixth folder was just herbs. These were pictures I took in my garden several years ago shortly after getting a digital camera. The top picture here is the sixth picture. It is a sage (Salvia officinalis) called Bergarten. It has shorter and rounder leaves than the typical garden sage and is a very low and dense grower. I remember getting it at a Herb Society plant exchange. It grew very nicely for me but now that we have moved I do not have one anymore. Perhaps that will change this spring! I use sage as a culinary herb but also as a tea to gargle with for a sore throat. Actually, my son right now has a red inflammed eye and I gave him a sage tea on a washcloth to put on it. Seems to be doing much better now.

Because this folder was full of herb pictures of course I had to post a few more. The second picture is that of blue spruce which I use alot for distillation. It has a nice woodsy aroma. The next picture is a mullein (Verbascum) rosette. Although I like to keep a couple mulleins growing, it is hard to control their spread. The flowers of mullein infused in oil along with garlic can be used as eardrops for ear pain.

The blogs I am tagging for this are:

Mountain Mary's Blog

Leos Favorites

Rosemary House

Violet Lady at Home

Mary Ann Kudera

Inner Ki Journal

I hope they like to play!

What are we doing today?

I have been spending alot of time recently fixing up my workspace and hadn't gotten around to distilling the fennel I had put aside. So, today is fennel distillation. The shop smells wonderfully of anise/fennel. I use fennel distillate/hydrosol in my anti-aging cream that is becoming so popular. Fennel is a perfect herb for dry aging skin and has been long used for that. It is also good for tummy troubles and will freshen any breath. Next on the still will be blue spruce which I use in my hand/body lotion.
Saturday I participated in the Colorado Cupboard's Open House. This Tuesday I will participate in a Holiday open house at Advanced Family Chiropractic owned by Dr. Jessica Thompson. Stop by if you are in Longmont and say hi. The open house starts at 4:00pm.

Whats in the Still?

I haven't distilled as much as I've wanted to this summer. My newly planted herbs just haven't grown big enough to have the amounts needed for distilling. This is disappointing because I have bought a new still. I have been able to combine some of my herbs with those of gracious friends and neighbors though to be able to have enough.

I have been able to distill comfrey, catnip, lemon balm, blue spruce, and chocolate mint. Catnip distillate I use as a base for making my bug repellent spray. Comfrey is a herb that heals epithelial cells so it is good for any skin care product. Comfrey distillate has worked well for me sprayed on a burn in the kitchen. I will also try using it for muscle aches and tendonitis that I seem to get alot of from l weed pulling. Blue spruce I spray on my face for a boost of energy. Lemon balm is great for many skin care applications including burns, rashes and irritations. Its aroma is light, lemony and uplifting. Cookbook author and culinary herbalist, Susan Belsinger, gave me this recipe for Goodnight milk:
To one cup of warm milk add 1 tsp of lemon balm distillate and 1 tsp of maple syrup. The soothing properties of this milk will surely bring about a good night's sleep.

Distillates contain the parts of the plant that vaporize at a temperature at or below that of water. This includes microscopic droplets of essential oils that dissolve as well as organic plant acids. Distillates or hydrosols as they are often called are good for use directly on the skin, especially the face as a toner. Mix with a little glycerol and they become a great toner/moisturizer. If you want to keep a distillate around for awhile though it needs a preservative. Otherwise, keep it in the refrigerator and spray it on your face for a cooling refreshment during the hot days of summer. You can still get several types of distillates from Sagescript including comfrey, lemon balm, blue spruce and catnip.