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The wild part of the garden.
Well .. one of the wild parts..

That's a blanket of Self-Heal, the blue you're seeing in the photo.

 I learned, in that moment, that it's true what they say about mosquitos being pollinators as well as bloodsuckers. I reached down to pluck a leaf and up from the blossoms came a cloud of thousands of them - and straight for my tender hide, of course. I was forced to flee the area. Ha! 

We're having the perfect spring. Granted, there's been some Weather, ie an ice storm that was, okay, a bit dramatic in terms of power outages from falling trees. But it came before the leaves were leafing or the crops were cropping so no losses there. And it has meant a plethora of material for those of us who make use of such things as downed branches. I've got jars and jars of aspen oil and a particularly fragrant pot of poplar buds. Yum.

Then there was the Big Rain, which was a bit nerve wracking for those living near the already high-from-spring-run-off river. Nerve wracking but oh so good for the land. Several years running we've had hot, dry springs, stressing the fruit trees and parching the fields - but this year the land is lush and I don't think I've ever seen the trees (and dandelions!) as floriferous as they are right now.

Rain every few days, glorious sun but not too hot in between means the nettles are tender, the rose bushes are verdant, the un-mown grass in the back yard is already knee high and dotted with purple through and through - violets, self heal and creeping charlie - there are Bumble-Queen bees galore.  Soon enough the red clover will be blooming as well. We have very well nourished bumble bees. 

Crone couture

Thanks to an enthusiastic volunteer population of blackberries and other tannin rich plants down the bottom of the yard in the (other) wild part, I've been able to fool around with bundle dyeing, the process by which colours and shapes of leaves can be imprinted onto clothing, like the linen dress to the left. 

It's a Delight to be able to wear one's garden as well as eat and make medicine from it. Is there no end to the fun I can have in my own back yard? It would seem not.

The process of dyeing one's clothing with plant materials is NOT as complicated as many sites (and expensive courses) on the interwebz would have you believe. It can be done without chemical additives on one's kitchen stove. A couple of banged up pots, (the more banged up the better, as the metals can help to fix the colours), some tannin rich plants, a piece of clothing (scraps, when you're just experimenting), some string - that's all it takes, really. Bundle/roll the plant material and fabric firmly together, tie tight with string, simmer awhile in rain water, let it sit overnight to cool .. and unwrap your surprise. 

It's funny - well sorta - how SIMPLE so many things turn out to be. Foraging. Medicine making. Making wearable art.   

Recently I was getting some osteo massage work (now that's a pleasant experience!) from a lovely and very skilled lady in the next town over. I gave her aspen oil to use on me and she raved about it. So I gave her more, and she's been turning her clients on to it. She's really intrigued, wants to learn to make the oil and other remedies, knows others who want to learn - would I be willing to teach a class or two? Of course I would, it would be my pleasure. 

What would you charge? she asked. 

What? Charge?? 

Think about it, she said, and I did, and at my next appointment I told her, firmly, NO CHARGE. I do not charge a fee to share what I know. And she argued with me. And I stood firm. And it was all very awkward. And at my next appointment the topic never came up.

People are funny, aren't they. Suspicious of anyone giving anything away - even knowledge. 

Is that why so many people are suspicious of what nature gives us without charge? If it can be plucked from the ground or a tree - for free - how can it be "worth" anything?

To be self-taught these days is to be met with suspicion. No, I did not take a course. I read - books! imagine!! - and I went forth and tried. And succeeded (mostly) and gained hands-on experience. But that, alas, is seemingly not to be trusted if I do not place a monetary value on the sharing of it.

It's not sharing if there's a fee, though, is it. 

There is a time and place for money, of course there is. But there are some things I'd just rather do out of love, yanno?