The Wild & Weedy Apothecary

What happens when we quiet down long enough to truly listen to the plants? They begin to tell us their stories and in doing so, they can help us share our own.

Join me online for an evening of plant-inspired creativity, imagination, and connection. I will share reflections on the living wisdom of the Earth and the ways plants serve as teachers, healers, and gateways to deeper knowing.

Together, we’ll sip a fragrant Rosemary elixir before embarking on a guided meditation to meet the spirit of Rosemary and enter her story. Long associated with memory, remembrance, clarity, and devotion, Rosemary has much to teach those who are willing to listen. Through an intuitive writing exercise, participants will explore the messages, images, memories, and insights that arise from this encounter, allowing the wisdom of the plant world to inspire and inform their own creative expression.

Mark your calendars! August 6th from 6:00pm- 8:00 is the first night of our 7th annual August Speaker Series!
Theresa Beck will be presenting "Pollinator Planting and Eco Gardening."
Learn about soil health, Montana blooming natives for a full season pollinator garden, what plants serve as host plants for pollinators, and how to identify many beneficial insects in the garden.
This event is FREE! Theresa will be presenting in our hoop house. The hoop house is open air, but shaded. Please bring a water bottle as it will probably be warm! The nursery is located at 5605 Highway 93 S in Whitefish. Please plan to arrive 15 min early.

Howdy Friends,
you may have noticed the lack of new product showing up locally...
the reason for that is because I have been without a printer for over 6 weeks...
there was a malfunction with the unit, so it was returned to HP since it was under warranty...
and they STILL haven't sent me a replacement printer...
they've been dragging their feet, and dragging me down...
I have three boxes of different salves & balms waiting to be labeled, but can't do it without a printer...

As soon as is possible, I'll share photos of the beautifully crafted and labeled items we've created and get them out to you.

Thank you for your patience and understanding... I know I certainly don't have much left of my own!

Mint – aromatic and attractive

Some of the more popular mints and easiest-to-locate by mail order or at local garden centers include:

apple mint
chocolate mint
Corsican mint
ginger mint
various citrus mints, including grapefruit, lemon and lime
orange mint, also called bergamot mint and eau de cologne mint
pennyroyal
peppermint
pineapple mint
spearmint

This list does not include certain trademarked varieties such as Berries and Cream Mint, Margarita Mint and Oregano-Thyme Mint from Richter’s in Canada.

There is a wide assortment of mint, Mentha, species, with many sub-species of some of those.
For instance, amongst the spearmint group there is curly mint, Scotch mint, English mint, and Kentucky Colonel mint – bringing to mind a refreshing mint julep – as well as others.

Chocolate mint is a type of peppermint with a distinctive “peppermint patty” fragrance.
Corsican mint is a low-growing ground cover with delicate round leaves; it is not as hardy as some mints and doesn’t like to get dry.

Orange mint is luscious and beautiful, it is easy to see why it is called Eau de Cologne, it is so very fragrant.
The flavor is not as sweet as other mints but it does have some culinary use such as in the following recipe for a mint-infused wine inspired by one found in The Herbal Pantry by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead.
Of course, I “adjusted” the recipe to please my own palate, which is what I encourage you to do as well.
This wine would make for a wonderful picnic libation.

White Wine with Orange and Mint

1/4 cup each, water and sugar
1/4 cup orange mint leaves or spearmint leaves
3 strips orange zest
1 bottle (1 fifth) dry white wine
1/4 cup brandy
2 tablespoons orange flower water (find in specialty or larger grocery stores)

Combine water and sugar in small saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves, then cool to room temperature.
Place the mint and orange zest in a quart-sized glass jar, then pour the sugar syrup over the leaves and stir.
Next, add the wine, brandy and orange flower water.
Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the jar, then put the lit on.
Steep in a cool, dark place for 2 or 3 days, then filter the wine into an appropriate decanter – maybe back into the original bottle if you’ve saved it.
Chill before serving and garnish with a mint leaf.

Most mints do not breed true from seed and must be propagated by cuttings.
Once you grow one or two varieties, you will likely want to grow others.
Just don’t grow the different types in the same bed or close together in the field as they will likely cross-pollinate and lose their individuality.

Mint makes for a good container plant, and depending on the variety, combine very nicely with certain flowers.
It is a good companion plant for members of the cabbage family.

Mint is native to the Near East and the Mediterranean regions. During biblical times, it was used as a tithe and as a medium of exchange.

In her fabulous compendium of “old school” herbs, Mrs. M. Grieve notes in A Modern Herbal, “in Athens, where every part of the body was perfumed with a different scent, mint was specially designated to the arms.”

The aroma of mint brings up a feeling of brightness and clarity.
It was often used as a “strewing herb” over the packed clay floor, during the Middle Ages – in the age before vacuum cleaners, when winter guests may have included the family milk goat and some ducks or a couple of hens.

While most of us don’t strew herbs about our homes these days, fresh mint in vases or even bundled and hung to dry lend and atmosphere of cheer and optimism.

© Doreen Shababy

This article is adapted from the one in my book, The Wild & Weedy Apothecary.

https://doreenshababy.com/mint-aromatic-and-attractive/

Lavender Lemonade… and hugging trees

Here I am in my usual tree-hugging posture; this photo was taken “somewhere” up Lightning Creek, where we enjoyed a relaxing picnic (cooking meat on a stick) on a summer afternoon.
It was quite warm and a bit muggy, but we stuck to the shady areas and did okay.

Too bad we didn’t have a couple quarts of thirst quenching Lavender Lemonade with us.
Here’s the recipe from my book, The Wild & Weedy Apothecary.

Lavender Lemonade
1 cup water
2 tbs. dried lavender flowers
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons) – pick out the seeds!
4 cups water

Boil 1 cup water, remove from heat, add lavender, stir, then cover and steep 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine sugar, lemon juice and 4 cups water in a large pitcher or jar, stirring well to dissolve sugar.
Strain lavender tea through a fine mesh, then add to the lemonade. Chill well, and serve over ice.

Special thanks to my friend Jayne for the recipe (which I admittedly tweaked)…
You can sometimes find Jayne at the Sandpoint Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays, selling her beautifully handcrafted beaded jewelry, lavender wands, and other creations.

© Doreen Shababy

Note: this article is from a couple years ago... you can't get up Lightning Creek right now because there are several major wash-outs and the road is impassable at this time.

https://doreenshababy.com/its-still-just-baby/