Custom Blending herbs, teas and spices is one of the many cool and creative things I get to do for The Herbal Sage Tea company. 

This week we began to harvest Spicebush Berry for a new custom blend. Spicebush   Lindera benzoin  also called wild allspice is an abundant understory plant in SE Ohio.

 

Years ago one of the old timers showed me how he and his family would harvest the twigs and soft branches during the fall season to  make a tea. He also would pick a few twigs and chew on them. Though I like the gentle spice from the branches of this plant, I prefer to harvest the berries, dry them, then add then to herb blends.
My current custom blend request is from Denison University located an hour or so north of The Herbal Sage Farms. They wanted a BIG RED blend, we'll also be adding our native Elderberry fruit to their blend , more on amazing elderberry next time!

I think these berries qualify for a BIG RED theme, don't you?

Winter Elderberry

Finally a reprieve in our winter storms, at least for a few hours. David and I have been checking on our young elderberry plants ( Sambucus canadensis) throughout these winter months and have a few images to share. For those of you familiar with Herbal sage Farms or have seen our talks at @MotherEarthNews these images will be more of an update.

Early summer 2013, we were able to harvest 80% of the mature rootstock from a local winery which was no longer going to grow elderberry for their wine. From the plants themselves we planted 139 cuttings. 
In the fall of 2013 we realized that we had a success rate on these starts of about 75%, which is quite good. As fall turned to winter, our protective fencing was not good enough to keep the deer out and we had plenty of deer damage. 

 The last image shows a start that had developed quite a number of buds before winter arrived and remained untouched by the deer. This will be our comparison start to see how the others do.

 Elder elderberry growers ( nice play on words, yes?) assured us that this damage would not affect the starts come spring 2014.These wise elders told us that elderberry is very hardy in this area and would recover by putting out plenty of new shoots as the warm weather arrives.

Stop back for updates, we'll keep you posted as the warm weather arrives...it will arrive won't it?

Hunting the Elder plant in SW Florida

I found this plant while biking on Pine Island Florida this week. It is called Kalanchoe delagoensis. Common names are Mother of Thousands or Chandelier Plant. Although not a native plant,I have seen it blooming this week in Pine Island Sound and along the Manasota Key area. I was told that it was brought here as a house plant years ago and has since gone invasive on Florida's coast. The bright colored coral tubular flowers hang together, hence the name chandelier plant. The two places where I found it were near old home sites, long since abandoned. I was also told that it takes 2-3 years before the plant flowers, but once it starts to grow it is very invasive.I was on a mission to find the Beach Elder or Marsh Elder, native to Florida when I found this beautiful plant. The Beach or Marsh Elder is not a true Elder (Sambucus), but nonetheless I was intrigued when I was told that elder grew amongst the ocean areas.I have a real affinity for elderberry and love to use it when I can in my blends. When I travel to SW Florida yearly I bring extract made from elderberry that grows in SE Ohio known as Sambucus nigra (black elderberry) for some local friends. The health benefits are far reaching with a focus on supporting one's immune system and helping to fight off the flu. At The Herbal Sage Tea Company we make a highly concentrated extract with the elderberry fruit, as well as adding these powerful antioxidants to our Family Health Tea with elderberry. Thanks for reading this blog and I will share new plants that I discover as I travel the way of the Herbal Gypsy.

Elderberry Harvesting

The whole world stands still for us when we see the elderberry beginning to fruit. Watching the bushes as they grow taller and taller, sometimes out of our reach, umbels cascading with green, semi-green and then deep purple fruit, give precedence to our days here in Tealand in SE , Ohio.
A storm blew thru night before last and as it woke me, thunder crashing, my first thoughts were to the elderberry fruit. How are they handling this wind and rain? Knowing that many "seeds" were dropping to the ground, beginning growth for next season, I hoped Mother Nature would leave enough on the bush for harvesting.
Our harvesting this year is leading us deeper into overgrown areas. The vines, thistle, multi floral rose,poison ivy and snakes creates an exciting and challenging wild crafting adventure. This type of work, I must admit, is my favorite part of being an herbalist. Working and harvesting in the field allows me to feel the presence of Mother Nature. I could do without the possible snake sighting, but we watch were we walk, when we can see the ground and hope for the best!
Some of the berries will be dried and added to our Family Health Tea, the rest will be made into an extract and be made available on line and at our local farmers market. I've added a link for more information about the healing qualities of elderberry.
As early as 2007, research studies have found that black elderberry to be effective in shortening the duration of influenza A and B.Elderberries are unusually rich in the phytochemicals known as flavonoids. Among all fruits, elderberries are the most concentrated source of anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids that act as powerful antioxidants to boost the immune system.

Flu Season Hits Hard

Just off the phone with my family. Seems many of their friends have had bouts with the flu. They too have had some illness but all are recovering and that's the good news. H1N1 has been the hot topic this winter, I've included a link below, to share information about the use of the herb elderberry in fighting influenza.
http://tinyurl.com/elderberryinfluenza
I think about the way we care for the flu. So many over the counter medicines that often times are developed to ease the symptoms,to help us feel more comfortable while actually being sick. It's amazing.Does this sort of OTC remedies help us get better by making us feel more comfortable?
I for one, have been making plenty of tea.I eat fresh fruit , fresh veggies and keep myself hydrated. I do not forget my daily vitamin, nor have I had one day without some type of tea. The Herbal Sage elderberry tincture is taken every other day. I use 1 dropperful ( about 1/2 teaspoon) 2 times a day.Some studies suggest taking elderberry tincture daily during flu season. as an immune boost. Others suggest taking it daily when you have the flu. Either way,elderberry is a great addition to one's flu fighting arsenal!
Elderberry is one of those herbs that help to nourish me during flu season. The elderberries were harvested by both Cynthia and I, then dried. Some of these berries were added to the Tealady's Cold Care Tea recipe and others have been made into extract. This natural medicine sits in my medicine cabinet, a component of health here in Tealand.Here's another link in reference to use of elderberry in extract or tincture form.
http://tinyurl.com/elderberryinfluenza2