My Great-Grand Mother always said “What we need grows around us naturally”, showing me over the years of my child-hood what to use for food and medicine from the local seasonal plants.
When I moved to the house in April of 2011, the garden hadn’t been looked at in years. I tilled it that first Spring and threw in whatever seeds I had left from my previous year garden from the Woodstock Road. The soil was good enough, so I added a bit of seaweed and wood ashes. I had lots of veggies and was still eating greens well into January when the first good hard freeze killed the greens. My carrots were covered and harvested through the winter with parsnips and Brussels sprouts also…
Last year was a tough year money time, too. I bought seeds three pkg for a dollar at the local Dollar Store and ate the same. I noticed as the garden grew that summer, there was a strange plant among the rows of sprouts. Being how I am, I let it grow. It turned out to be evening primrose, a medicinal plant not that common to our area. Looking it up in my grimore, I decided it was better for me than the cod-fish oil I usual take for ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder.
It’s best that the sweet-tasting yellow blossoms can be used fresh, pulling them from the plant and eating them. The root can be used in tea through the winter, if wanted. This year, I may try making a tincture using the fresh blossoms with vodka. Either way, it will help me stay calm and sleep well!
