Some weedy nourishment for your gardens this incoming Spring season.
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Oh, sweet spontaneous earth, how often have the doting fingers of prurient philosophers pinched and poked thee , has the naughty thumb of science prodded thy beauty . how often have religions taken thee upon their scraggy knees squeezing and buffeting thee that thou mightest conceive gods (but true to the incomparable couch of death thy rhythmic lover thou answerest
them only with
spring)
-- ee cummings
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March is a full month: it contains the swift energy of change & at its center, it brings us to the Vernal Equinox on the 21st.
Here in North Carolina, we have been having some lovely, breezy warm days & it has brought me out into the gardens to prepare for the growing times of the year. Minori & I have been making new beds & pruning back the Roses & dreaming up what we would like to introduce into the gardens this year. The Chickweed (pictured above!), Speedwell, & Henbit are flourishing at this time of the year & I have been setting some of these precious Spring weeds aside to make a nourishing tisane for the gardens!
I feel so grateful to have garden space & to tend to the Earth at this strange time in our world. I love tending to the Earth & it has become such a hugely integral part of my practice with plant medicine. I have been really focusing on bringing medicine not just for people, but for the earth & the plants. Thus, I am so glad to share this Garden Tisane with you as it is such an easy, simple, loving way to give some intentional nourishment back to the Earth.
This recipe is perfect for the smallest or the largest gardens, or for the wild spaces around you that you'd like to extend a little love to. You can make this for potted plants, garden boxes, fire escape gardens, raised beds, or beds that are nestled right into the earth. This simple recipe calls upon
the lush, verdant, abundant Spring greens (most considered weeds) to nourish our plant friends.
Most of our Spring greens are rich in protein, nitrogen, & potassium, amongst other vital minerals
& nutrients. This is what makes these plants both wonderful for our health & for any of our verdant friends including trees, shrubs, flowers, & herbs. You can make this at anytime during the season & I am sure that the recipe will shift throughout the months, as more plants start to grow & some of the earlier Spring plants end their phase. I will include a list of possible greens to add into this brew with that in mind!
Hopefully this will inspire you to be outdoors, getting your hands in the Earth, & feeling the grounded peace that brings ~
You'll need:
-- 1 gallon jar
-- distilled, filtered, or rain water*
-- strainer/sieve
-- bottle for storage
-- a heavy stone
-- fresh, nutrient rich spring greens, such as: Comfrey leaves, Chickweed, Dandelion flowers & leaves, Nettles, Henbit, Violet, Speedwell, Cleavers...
*rain water is great to use because it is easy to collect during the watery Spring season & it is something that plants truly love! Distilled & filtered water are nice because there are no additives or chemicals like chlorine
Recipe:
-- fill your gallon jar about half full with your chopped Spring greens
-- place a stone upon them to weigh them down inside the jar
-- fill your jar with water, cover with a lid if you wish, & let this sit for a few days-a few weeks
-- during this time, the proteins in the plants are breaking down, so don't be alarmed if it smells or looks off
-- strain your liquid into a jar -- label it, keep it in the fridge, & use it within a month -- do add the strained plant material into your compost!
-- you will use your tisane as a concentrate so, dilute it with water in a watering can -- I tend to do about 1/4 of the watering can with the tisane + fill the rest with water
-- feel free to add a few drops of a flower, stone, or environmental essence if you wish
-- you can do this once a week, diluting it further if you plan to use it more than 1x/week
-- when you run out, just make another batch
Have fun ~