Please take a moment to check out www.songcroftnaturals.com and to support our family farm by purchasing all naturals body, skin and hair care products that you use every day!

Here is a link to a youtube video on the topic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYOc_jyEpnI

This week I was asked to share more details about one of the plants that I wild harvest for SongCroft Naturals products. Since I am a contributing writer for Herb Mentor website, I decided it would be helpful to share one of the articles I wrote there. You will find it below. I hope you enjoy it!

About Mullein

To say that Mullein is up in my garden might be an understatement. I have Great Mullein that is eight feet tall. And holding a strong presence amidst the vegetables and berries.

Mullein is distributed all over Europe of parts of temperate Asia. It is an alien to North American but it has become common enough that many people think it is native to our continent.  Mullein is a biennial herb that can be found growing on roadsides, in gravel, sand or other spaces as long as it is well-drained. It seems to like uncultivated sunny dry spaces the best. It will, however, live in well-drained gardens with rich soil abundant in nutrients.

In the first season, Mullein will form leaves at the base of a stem, known as a rosette. These leaves average 6-15 inches long and up to 5 inches broad but are smaller as they ascend the stem. They are a whitish/grey color with soft hairs on both sides. They feel furry and thick. They make a perfect toilet paper if you are in need while hiking. The root is a long taproot which is fibrous on the outside but fleshy and soft inside. The flower-spike (second season) has been known to attain a height of 7 or 8 feet. Covered with densely crowded sulfur-yellow flowers about an inch across with five round petals.

In the Pacific Northwest, Mullein usually blooms in July and August. The entire plant can be harvest for later use.

Mullein has been used for many centuries. There is reference to it’s use in  Greek literature as well as the Bible. It ‘s medicinal value is backed by science because of the many studies that have been conducted.  Some of the valuable constituents of Mullein are Coumarin and Hesperidin. These have many healing uses. Research had indicated several uses such as an analgesic, antihistaminic, anticancer, antioxidant, antiviral, bacteristat cardio-depressant, fungicide, sedative and pesticide.

The leaves, root, and the flowers are anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, demulcent, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, nervine, and vulnerary.

Mullein oil is a very medicinal and valuable destroyer of disease germs. An infusion of the flowers in olive oil is used as earache drops. This is a very effective earache treatment. This infusion is a strong antibacterial. The oil being used to treat gum and mouth ulcers is very effective.

A decoction of Mullein roots is used to alleviate toothache and also relieve cramps and convulsions. It is also used in alternative medicine for the treatment of migraine headaches accompanied with oppression of the ear.

The whole plant possess slightly sedative and narcotic properties but beware because the seeds are considered toxic. They have been historically used as a narcotic and also contain saponins.

Mullein also makes a great tinder when needed. It will light right up with little effort.

In most places, this is the time of year to harvest Mullein so I suggest going out and gathering yours now. You can put it up as an oil and as dry it for decoctions when needed.

If you enjoy reading articles about things like this, check out www.songcroft.com where we write about all sorts of self-sufficiency skills including herbology.

High 65 Low 40                 Clear sunny day with some crispness

Want to live on a farm for the summer?

It is that time of year. The time when interns are moving on to farms all around the country in hope of learning how to grow food, work with livestock and for some run a business.

Our interns will get to learn some of all of the above and a whole lot more! We are opening our farm to up to three interns at a time. We hope to keep the same folks from June to September so that they can build community and learn the processes more deeply. A minimum of 30 days is required.

Most of you know that we run a Self-Sufficiency Skills School as well as Farm Camp and other classes. Our interns get to experience these things as well as be part of the day-to-day learning opportunities. Interns will work along side of us as well as independently as we grow food, harvest, save seed, put up the harvest, milk our goat, raise (goat and human) kids, make cheese, raise chickens, sell eggs,raise bees, tend our fruit trees, build an outbuilding and enjoy our silly ducks.

Interns will be living permaculture.

We are outside of Snohomish, WA on a 3+ acre family farm. We are not a big operation but rather a small farm working on a closed system, permaculture design and cottage business. We are close to lots of amazing hiking, beautiful lakes and a sweet little town that feels like it’s out of an old movie.

We have a weekly farmers market booth where we sell our all-natural skin, hair and body care products, www.SongCroftNaturals.com. This is a good opportunity for someone interested in learning about running a business. Social networking, marketing, writing a blog, bookkeeping, shipping and managing products are all part of the mix.

You may also have the opportunity to work on the subscription newsletter we publish.

We expect interns to have good work ethics, great communication skills and the ability to live in a somewhat rustic way with a good sense of humor, some knowledge of growing food, carpentry, animal husbandry, business or alternative energy. We are able to enrich your knowledge base but hope you have at least one of the above skills.

It would be nice if interns have some experience living in community/cooperatively.

Interns will have their own tents as well as access to our work studio, most of the time, which has a shower, kitchen and library. We also have Wifi available for you to use your own computer.

There will be lots of good healthy food as well as private spaces on the land to sketch, observe nature or?

The stipend is room, board and education. Interns get two days off a week.

If you are interested in exploring this adventure, please send a resume and cover letter to us via email by June 1st.  marilene@songcroft.com

Thank you!

High 33   Low 20

Snowing with high winds!!!Whoohoo!

(If you want to learn even a little of what you are reading here, our apprenticeship program starts Jan. 15th. Last call for registration!)

http://songcroft.com/index.php/the-songcroft-school-of-self-sufficiency/

Folks email me all the time saying they get tired reading the list of things we do. Well, you might want to grab yourself a cup o’ tea and kick your feet up ‘cuz this is going to be a long one because I’m going to give a summary of 2010!

All in all, it was a good year in many aspects. We accomplished some of our goals and completely failed on others. Okay, failed is pretty harsh. We just didn’t get everything we wanted to get done done. I am sure we got more accomplished than the average bear since both Brian and I are ‘Type A’ Capricorns.

Our apprenticeship program filled up and we had 3 teens all year!

We had a successful Fish Camp here in conjunction with Wolf Camp.

We took a few camping trips as well as went to our favorite seasonal gathering.

The things we didn’t get done were due to a matter of lack of weather, money, time or energy. The early part of Spring was very wet.

When we went on a camping trip, the chickens got out and scratch up much of our garden beds. I replanted and got things under control, so I thought, and one of the kids didn’t latch the gate so the chickens rearranged everything again. It is amazing what they can do with my tidy little rows in an hour! Of course, they left the forest garden alone since it would’ve taken more effort to walk over there.

We lost part of our duck flock, we think to neighbor dogs, so we are down to just three. Our son was heartbroken when he found his pet duck “Blackfoot” dead in the field.

We sold lots and lots of eggs all Spring and Summer. That was a nice supplement to the family budget.

We also sold a few goat kids too. We got a lot of milk and enjoyed the cheese.

Brians workshop was built and we will finish it in the Spring.

Our cabin was transformed in to a classroom and manufacturing facility for our SongCroft Naturals Personal Care product line. (The ingredients are so safe I can use them on my babies!)

We grew a good garden that is still providing us with fresh vegetables. We had tomatoes until early December and ground cherries too!

I “put up” lots of canned meat, fruit and vegetables, pickles, kim chi, as well as dried fruits, herbs and vegetables too.

I caught two bee swarms and hived them.

We put in the forest garden in April and it’s looking good.

We are one year closer to harvesting asparagas!

So, to the coming year. What are our goals? Well this is what I have settled on:

1. Finish Brian’s shop!
2. Enjoy our apprentices
3. Launch SongCroft Naturals our all natural Personal Care Products and have a Farmers Market booth.
4. Grow a bountiful garden that is well and truly chicken proofed!!!
5. Have more of the family’s help with harvesting more often so our production stays up and our waste in minimal.
6. Preserve more foods and herbs than last year.
7. Learn to smoke different meats.
8. Clear the spot behind the cabin so I can plant new beds. I haven’t decided what to plant there yet though.
9. Plant an evergreen edible hedge on top of a berm to create privacy as well as more perennial food.
10. Plant an evergreen privacy screen near the road.
11. Make more soap than last year. We ran out and I got too busy to make more.
12. Plant more trees for firewood.
13. Which reminds me, reinforce the goats browse area.
14. Fix all of the little jobs like greenhouse door handle, hinges on the compost bins, etc…
15. Re-design the lower part of our land.
16. Build new hay storage.
17. Build a new rabbitry.
18. Expand the summer chicken yard from 16×30 to something like 30×30.
19. Host Farm Camp.
20. Host Illumina Girls Camp.
21. Host Fish Camp.
22. Camp more, play more
23. Sing more.
24. Dance more.
25. Breathe more consciously.

I hope you enjoyed reading our summary of 2010 and being witness to us setting goals for 2011. Somehow it makes it a little more of a commitment if others know that the goals are set. (Maybe I should mention the 10 pounds?)

Oh, and if you come by for a visit, feel free to roll your sleeve up!

Thanks for reading. Your comments are welcome. Please do share our blog with others that you think might be interested. Happy New Year!

High 61 Low 45  Drizzly but warm. ( Our seedlings are loving this!)

Farm Camp

http://songcroft.com/index.php/farm-camp/

This month has been busy with all of the usually Spring chores of getting the cover crops turned in, garden planted, pullets out to forage, hens in their Spring/Summer home, goat kids birthed and settled in, does milked, cheese made, rabbits bred and the post-construction landscaping started, all the while enjoying the flush of green that has taken over our land.

Although these things have me excited, it’s Farm Camp that has been on my mind. In August we will be opening SongCroft up to those who would like to live and learn about how to run a family farm. This is so exciting that I am finding it hard to concentrate on other projects. We’re going to have a lot of fun!

You’ll experience instruction on dairy goats, chickens, ducks and rabbits as well as growing your produce year-round and preserving the harvest. Mushroom logs, the basics of permaculture, food forests, alternative energy and home arts are all part of the program. It’s great to read books and dream about living a more self-reliant lifestyle but it’s a rare opportunity to be welcomed on to a farm where you are able to learn and try things out for yourself!

Checked out the Farm Camp page. Tell us what you think, what you would most like to learn and if you intend to enroll don’t wait because space is limited.

High 52    Low 38     Overcast with rain from mid-day on

Okay, so I’m going to blatantly brag about my kid. What can I say, I’m a mom who loves her kids and like most moms, I’m proud of them. So bear with me while we both experience one of my proud mama moments.

First, a little background, our fan club on Facebook has been experiencing a lot of activity lately. Folks have been really getting in to sharing their favorite ways to use different wild plants that are harvestable this season. The creativity has been really fun.

Harvesting wild greens is a fun pastime for the kids and I, so Sofie, our twelve year-old daughter, has been enjoying reading what others are posting on the Facebook wall. She has always been a really creative girl and has become an exceptional cook.

In fact, her cooking skills surpass those of many adults.

While I ran to the market one day this week, she made me lunch. Upon returning, I was pleasantly surprised to find maki sushi awaiting me on a plate complete with wasabi and soy sauce. Maki sushi is the name for sushi that is rolled, typically in a sheet of nori. The presentation was pretty with the black nori, white rice, bright yellow of the egg she gathered from our hens and vivid green sprigs peeking out the end. When I took a bite, I was surprised and delighted to realize that the greens were chickweed.  It was such a lovely fresh combination with the rich egg cooked Japanese style, tamagoyaki, and the brightness of the taste of Spring carried in the chickweed. I ate the whole plate!

It’s always a good feeling to see my children become accomplished at something. It feels great to know that they will not only leave our house with the basic skills of being able to cook for themselves but it is a blessing that they will also know that they can identify, gather and use wild plants from season-to-season. And admittedly, it is sheer pride I feel when I see their creativity and ingenuity manifest itself into something as wonderful as chickweed sushi!

Chickweed is not only delicious but it also is nutritious and has been used in herbal medicine for centuries. If you are interested in more information, check out the SongCroft Facebook page to see what others are doing with this wonderful winter perennial.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SongCroft/232174564481?ref=sgm

Washington State University Extension has been hit really hard. As a Master Gardener, I know value of the many programs that the extension services offer. In these changing times things are harder for many people. Teaching our communities how to grow their own food, preserve food and food safety are important roles. Helping farmers (new and existing) with new business information, technology and sustainability skills are vital to our food supply. The WSU Extension programs are needed.

Yesterday, another program was cut. Master Food Preservation and Food Safety Consultant. Does this sound like a good idea to you? With all of the issues that have happened with commercially processed food, I doubt that many of us are going to do much worse at home but the reality is that except for in rare cases aunties and grandmas no longer gather to preserve the harvest, where are people going to learn these skills? How will they learn them safely? Will they be forgotten all together or will people get sick following outdated books that no longer apply to the genetically modified foods who’s acid levels have changed?

These are some of the issues that brought SongCroft in to being. Whether you participate in the programs or read the newsletter, we hope to pass on some of these essential practices before they are lost.

If you are interested in food preservation, you can purchase the Fall 2009 issue of the SongCroft Newsletter. There is a lot of good information to be had there.

High 49  Low 37  Slight afternoon clearing

This evening I found myself asking my almost teen daughter to turn down the stereo. It’s not an unusual request since she loves music, the louder the better. But tonight, was different. She wasn’t listening to music. You see, ever since our trip down to Oakville last week, she has been listening to Barbara Kingsolvers “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.” http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/

Sofie enjoys the story parallels to our own family life and I think she even feels comforted at times. She has commented on Camille’s recipes and commentary, Barbara’s witty way with words and sense of humor as well as her ability to take her thoughts and form them into beautiful and clever sentences. Sofie even chose Animal Vegetable Miracle as an offering for our Mother-Daughter Bookclub because she would like to discuss issues of local food and growing our own with other kids!

Sofie is an amazing artist and I suspect writing may be part of her future.  In the eyes of my twelve year-old, Barbara Kingsolver rocks!

This is not to say that our eight-year-old son doesn’t also listen to Mrs. Kingsolver. He was only halfway listening until he heard her talk about the character who’s other name is “Malcolm You Get Your Backside Over Here or You Aint Getting No Dinner”! After that, he was sold and has been right there next to his sister, folding paper airplanes or rolling cars across the floor, listening to the book on tape.

For me, it is nice to have my kids hear that I am not the only mama who refuses to buy fruit out of season, who does her best to grow or raise most of our food and who might be heard yelling, “You all have 3 minutes to get that stuff off the table or it’s going to the landfill!” (I took secret pleasure in having them hear that!)

Although I normally prefer to read books with my kids rather than listen to them, listening to this one has been a family pleasure. We are on the eleventh disk out of twelve. I wonder what we will do when we’re done with the set?

Any good suggestions?

High Temp 52 Low 40
Slightly overcast with patches of blue sky              

Tuesday January 19th, I took my twelve year-old daughter to Wild Thyme Farm inOakville, WA. It was a great opportunity to spend time around other permaculture enthusiasts and two people well experienced in the herbal world. Michael Pilarski is a well-respected teacher of all things permaculture and herbal. He has been teaching folks in the Northwest for decades. It was a privilege to be able to bring my young daughter to learn from him. Also there was resident Marisha Auerbach. Marisha is an inspiring young woman who is also a well respected permaculture teacher and herbalist. We spent the day collecting Devils Club, Usnea and a several other plants. We worked together to clean and process the what some might refer to as plant material. I consider our harvest gifts from the land. Some would make good potherbs and are great eaten fresh.We brought some home to dry and put in to tinctures and tea. They will become part of our home apothecary. Life is good.

http://www.wildthymefarm.com/