Harvesting Nettles

We drove for over an hour deep into the mountains and into the wild beauty of  Squamish, then it was down an old roads, on which we got stuck, but us gals managed just fine and with a few pushes Zahra and Shanti had us out!

The forest is alive and bursting with growth this time of year, moss is vibrant and dripping off of the trees and the local salmonberry bushes are bursting with deep pink flowers, and of course the nettle patches are lush and full, it truly was magical!

First we gave offerings and prayers to the land asking for permission to harvest the nettles and other sweet pickings, tossing sweet pollen from my bee hives laced with lavender and big pinches of sage and tobacco.

Then of course nettles sting so we had to don our gloves for the task, somehow I still managed to come home with tender arms and legs, but it was well worth it!

Nettles are high in Iron, calcium, magnesium, iron, B complex A and D, potassium, zinc, copper and many other nourishing vitamins. Nettles are great for a myriad of things, but mostly they serve as a nourishing tonic, especially for  us woman. Nettles are great for menstrual cramps, anemia and serves as a deeply a fortifying tonic for anyone who is pregnant or lactating.

Most years I can get my hands on a small amount of these from the farmers market, but this year I was able to harvest a large basket full which is a true blessing!

Once we got back home I excitedly began making nettle vinegar which I have always wanted to make but never had enough to really get a good batch or more more then a tincture or some nettle chips which I blogged about last year.

I was also able to get several bunches together for drying, and these will be made into teas and nettle salt.

The rest I have cut up for making Nettle soup{Next time it will be nettle gnocchi!} with the leftover stems and other bits boiled into a broth that will go into the garden as a tonic give back to the land, the flowers love the extra nutrients!

Yes today we all were truly nourished, full of offerings from the land and giving a little back for out part in taking.

I feel truly grateful, and blessed to be living so close to such abundance.

Nettle Soup:

Ingredients:

3-4 large potatoes

1 med sized onion

½ lb- young nettles-approx 8 cups

7-8 basil leaves

2 tbsp butter

4 cups chicken or veg stock

sea salt & black pepper

4 tablespoons sour cream

Method:

Peel, chop the potatoes and boil for 10 min’s in salted water. Drain.

Wash & chop coarsely the nettles and basil

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the nettles, onions and basil and stir cooing the onions until tender. Add the potatoes and  stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

When all is cooked and soft, cool slightly & purée in a blender, adding salt, pepper and the sour cream.

A swarm and another turn on the honeybee wheel.

Spring has hit Vancouver in full force! The cherry trees are in full pink bloom, allergies are high and the bees have been out gathering pollen for weeks now.

Having said all that as a beekeeper there are certain things that I need to be aware of this time of year, but mostly it is watching and waiting for May 1st when the winter cover can come off the hive and we begin watching for swarms. However.

My bees were decidedly busy this season talking every opportunity of the early warm days to gather pollen and this triggered the queen into some early laying which made them outgrow their home very early in the season.

What does this all mean you may ask?

Well I have a story to tell you, about the bees, so grab yourself a mug of tea or coffee and read ahead…..

It was a sunny morning and the garden was beckoning me, so I grabbed my boots and shovel and started weeded the spot around the bee hive that had been waiting for me all week to get to. Within a few moments of pulling up weeds close tot he hive, a few bees came out to see what I was doing which was not unusual, I had a great little chat with them explaining what was going on and figured that would be the end of it, but within a few minutes more were gathering and so I decided that perhaps I was disturbing them that much so I stopped and moved away from the hive. Once I was standing up and could see the larger picture of what was going on I said to Zahra who has since joined me in the garden “The bees seem swarmy today don’t you think?”

No sooner then the words had left my mouth I knew that they were not just swarmy, they were actually swarming!

Now if you have never experienced a swarm before, let  me tell you that it is truly a beautiful and powerful thing to experience. Imagine 20,000 bees buzzing and peaceful swarming up into the sky and all around you. The sound is intense and powerful and deafening!

I had been fortunate enough to help my beekeeping sister a few seasons ago with her first swarm, but since I was taking photos and holding space I was having a completely different experience then she was, as she was running around making sure that she did her job as their beekeeper in getting them back into a hive. I blogged about it “Here”

This year it was my turn, my “beekeeping initiation” as Nao called it and it was truly magical and stressful and wonderful all in one!

As soon as I realized what was happening I knew I was going to need help, so I made a few calls, the first one being to Nao, for emotional reassurance and a few tips before going in to gather the swarm, and my neighbors two doors down that are interested in learning to keep bees so they can help us when we go away in the summer. The were about to unknowingly get a crash course!

I should also mention that we are a very close neighborhood, so once the word got out what was happening everyone brought their kids over to see the swarm and experience it, so the house was full of little ones running around, asking questions and generally being excited!

Then of course the bees decided to land on the highest branch of my neighbors tree!

Yes it really was to be a neighborhood experience, so it was off to borrow a ladder across the road from Peter and then back with Jason and Jayne, my sweet hubby Sohrab  and Zahra with the camera to capture everything-literally!

Here are some photos of us cutting down the swarm:

Slowly, Slowly…..

Then it was down and safe in our hands-Whew!

Finally I shook the branch out into a big plastic tub and closed the lid, it took awhile as you can see!

Carrying it back to our yard down the back alleyway.

Then it was a matter of getting them in and the lid on the hive safe and sound!

And there it is in full circle fashion, the bees sorted themselves out, got a bigger home and now I have 2 hives of bees again, the first with a new top house and loads of room to grow, who are happily awaiting a new queen to be born, and the swarm hive safe and sound with their queen, ready to grow into a full sized hive.

Life, Death, Re-birth, the circle turns again……

Diggng in the Dirt

I had no idea how much I missed dirt until I started truly digging in it again. Placing my hands in the rich topsoil, turning it under, pulling out weeds and saying hello to worms and grubs as I unearth them from their dark beds.

This week the garden was extra lucky because it got my large vat of beet and pomegranate juice and pulp that I was using to dye my drums with, it is such a rich mixture I can’t imagine dumping it anywhere else but in the garden.

I am fascinated by how dirt has so many magical properties and is just as renowned through out history for it sacredness, as the more well known things such as honey, oak leaves, incense, or crystals, just to name a few.

People have been blessing their gardens and asking for fertility from the goddess for their land for time immemorial,  especially at this time of year being so close to Beltane, we are all thinking about dirt and fertility.

People also have been bringing back vials and pots of sand and dirt from places they visit as sacred for centuries, considered as good luck and holy dirt caries with it the distilled essence of the place it came from.

There are stories of holy dirt curing ailments,  from places such as El Santuario de Chimayó where one must make a paste from the dirt and rub it on the place that is bothering them, or they make it into a mud like drink and consume it.

It has also been said that sprinkling holy dirt on a fire during a thunder storm will calm it, but I have yet to try this theory out.

Ages ago I wrote a blog post about bones of the earth, a post about how stones are the bones of the earth, but dirt is the flesh of the mother, the living force that allows things to grow and be nourished.

There are some beliefs that say to make a proper spell you must bury it{the spell objects} in the earth for a month and then dig it up under the full or dark moon depending on the intended purpose. The ground sanctifies and consecrated the object, and I have been known to bury some of my most treasured objects and beads if I felt that they needed cleansing in a different way then that of the moon or using running water. Sometimes it is only for a few hours, or day and sometimes the object needs to be buried for the full cycle of the moon.

Practitioners of Hoodoo use graveyard dirt for spells of protection and not so nice love spells, and in the Santeria tradition dirt is gathered from various locations and depending on where it came from, the forest, the ocean etc..  used to create amulet bags for spellwork.

I find dirt extremely fascinating, as a do the many traditions that use it in their spiritual work. Personally my work with dirt is more organic {pun intended} and leans towards the more traditional uses as a greenwitch and herbalist. The most I use dirt for is to consecrate personal items and for growing things in, of course in my pathfinder/shamanic work, the underworld is a place I frequently go, and find the darkness  of being under the earth soothing.

I like to bring dirt back from places I have been, but I also like to bring back little stones, shells and bones because to me they are all sacred.

The earth is sacred to me and I have pledged to never knowingly do it harm, which is a pretty daunting and yet simple task as I do my small part in recycling and composting, but I have to admit that the bigger picture alludes me and often leaves me feeling overwhelmed, and wondering how I can do more.

When this happens I find that the best place for me to go is directly to the garden, dig my hands in deep and ask the kind spirits that reside there what to do, the answer I seem to always get is simple, start where you are.

And so it is with this “start where you are” theme in mind, that today I will venture out with my family and our amazing neighbors two doors down to bring chickens back to our little plot of land where a beautiful new coop awaits them!

Yes as of today we shall have our own manure to fertilize the garden with and eggs to show for all of our hard work.

Blog post to come…..

Happy Sunday-ing everyone!