Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Herbal Homesteading


Elderberry Growing at Possum Creek Herb Farm

Frugally Sustainable Blog Hop! 
Here on the farm thoughts turn to how will we manage during the winter, whether that's financially, emotionally or physically. There are three of us. I have two strapping boys that are growing so tall that the eight foot ceilings are becoming boundaries when these two stretch out. I, on the other hand, am not getting any taller and I wasn't strapping to start with. Health issues in our house fortunately are few. We've had a few scrapes and broken bones, but (knock wood) so far that seems to be it.

I spend a great deal of the late summer and early fall preparing for winter health issues. Colds, flu and just general malaise can run a family down very quickly. In our herbal first aid kit are my "go to" herbs of elderberry, echinacea, ginger, goldenseal, holy basil and spearmint. There are others but like I said, I reach for these herbs first. Most of the time I have a little platoon of tincture soldiers all lined up shoulder to shoulder in the cabinet. They are easy to make and quick to take. The kids have been raised on them and don't find the fact that there may be a cloudy substance in the morning juice very odd at all. Elderberry tincture is well known for its attack on the germs that cause flu. Science is proving what we already knew for years that it will knock down the flu and colds faster than any chemical prescription could.  Echinacea and Goldenseal are often used in tinctures or in capsules because their taste is pretty rooty (tastes like dirt). Again, here we use tinctures. Both of these herbs can be used when the flu and cold is upon you and you just have to get out to do your day's work. I can promise that in a couple of days with those tinctures you won't taste the rooty flavor anymore. Ginger and spearmint are our herbs of choice for stomach issues. Tea is the best way to get these into your system and a nice way to comfort the symptoms.

This year, after much thought and planning, I wanted to share some of what we use here ourselves. While yes the main portion of the farm is devoted to growing herb plants for wholesale and retail many have asked "what else do you do?"  I thought that creating an Herbal CSA (community supported agriculture) was the perfect answer. I am already making what we need for the seasons so why not just make a little more. It is becoming apparent that it was a good idea by the amount of response I am receiving. If you want to see what it is all about please click on the link above and scroll down a little on the page for all the details. Please don't hesitate to email me if you have questions.

We just came through a very long election season and the country has chosen. I feel the need to keep working hard taking care of my family and running my business to the best of my ability. Praying for the best to happen to this country but preparing for whatever comes.  Possum Creek hosts a farm page and its sister page Herbal Homesteading on Facebook. We talk about herbs, of course, but I think delving into preparedness even lightly has become a hot topic.

Michele Brown is the owner of Possum Creek Herb Farm located in southeast TN. She has been in the herb growing business for fifteen years.

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1 comment:

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