Mysteries of Growth

October 2010
The Mysteries of Growth

I found some nasturtiums in my garden yesterday, that I didn’t know were there. This gardener (if I dare call myself that and if forced would call myself a guerrilla gardener) should explain, that despite aspirations of at least having some flowers this year, I wasn’t even able to handle that. I was lucky that the petunias that guarded the top of the path, lasted as long as they did, a whole month.Our south exposure means that a one day lapse in watering can be fatal. It was a rather wet summer, with only a three week heat streak. By the end of August, once the rain and cold started again, the few hints of flowery pleasures around me were gone. Yet imagine my surprise to find the nasturtiums in a full bush of glory yesterday. The dark big leaves were climbing up and over the dead sunflower stalks and the intensely yellow and orange flowers were peaking out abundantly down below. Happy Thanksgiving!

Nasturtiums are one of those plants I love to have. They fill out so nicely, the flowers are somewhat exotic and offer a variety of vivid colours. The best part though, for this foodie, is that you can eat them too. Not just the leaves but the flowers also give a nice zing dingy taste to the salad bowl or sandwich. How this one plant made it thru is my question. I have had some seasons that the plant, despite all my best watering efforts just sits in a stunted sad state all summer long. So what conditions helped this plant survive all the wet cool weather, then the August heat forced upon it, more wet and cold and now in October suddenly blossom into a prize plant. Little gifts from the plant kingdom, is all I can be thankful for.
Now I can show my one son what I meant about pickling the Nasturtium seeds. We were joyfully eating some capers one day (yes eating them individually) when I told him we could make our own, if only we had some nasturtiums. When the flower dies away and the seed is formed, you can harvest and pickle them for a taste similar to a caper. It helps to have a lot of nasturtiums if you really want to produce a small jar at a time. For this year I will just have to work at a small jar with extra attention, for the sake of the demonstration.
This miraculous survival has me wondering about some of the other flowers and herbs I like to harvest. For some reason this year, the wild clovers did not seem to produce. I usually get to pick my yearly stock in June when the first crop of clover appears. Maybe I was too lost in my blur of work or they suffered a season of rest. Hm .... I suffered the plant just rested. The second crop in September did not seem to appear either. Now my nerves that are generally maintained (or some of you might say not) by the loyal clover in my daily tea are needing a replacement. Ergggg....arghhhh ............Cut the drama. Just go and buy some at Anna's Vitamins in Vernon. They always have a great supply of freshly dried herbs.
I meant to pick some daisies this year too, as one cheerful friend claims it brings cheeriness thru her teas. I forgot. How can one forget cheeriness medicine?
I also needed to go find some kinnickkinnik last month. It has been years since I really suffered from a urinary tract infection, so quite frankly it was easy to ignore the glorious herb. Glorious because it always heals this infection rather quickly. Off I went to the patch to harvest. But where were they? Why was there no sign of them? A hardy perennial weed, like that, should not just disappear, should it? Did I over harvest it and kill it off the last time I came? I noticed the little trees were no longer little and really had to admit that it had probably been 8 years since I had a calling for Uva Ursi.(Latin name) I made the most of the walk and strolled some more around the other deer paths. Strolling might not be the right word used when walking a deer path but I am not sure what word would best describe it. Then suddenly there was a patch of the lovely Uva Ursi.

This time it toke more herb than usually to heal the infection so I needed pumping the tea up with extra healing herbs, like horsetail and corn silk. The corn silk luckily, just in it;s prime season and ever so easy and quick to dry for some back up. Plus I got to eat the delicious fresh corn from Dolmans farm. When the corn is fresh like that, I like to even eat it raw.
Anyway, I am glad to say that I am over my pissed off ailment ( a Loise LeHay prognosis) and I am thankful for all the free and useful herbs that got me there.

Some days I wish I had taught the kids more of the local herbal lore. Lately I notice how easily they can be lead into a world of pharmaceutical consumerism, even for the simplest of ailments. Then I remembered that while looking for some Uva Ursi in my dried herbal bin, I found an interesting stash. I found a packet of dried plantain that my son had dried and stored, neatly labeled, Plantain for Eli. This family knows the handy use of plantain on slivers (and stings) which we seem to get a lot of. Larch firewood is great for burning in our wood stove but great for slivers too. Even the deepest set sliver, needs only some plantain poultice to lift it out. So,in a moment of being prepared, the smart kid put a hardy stash of medicine aside.
Modeling, it seems, has had an effect and it is so much easier than teaching.

Now all I need to do, and I am sure my kids would agree, is remember the daisies next year.

Pickling Nasturtium Seeds
Pick seeds when dry. They look similar to a caper bud, a round and green bud, where the flower fell off. Sterilize a small canning jar and fill with seeds. Pour hot vinegar over the seeds and put lid on. In 4 weeks you have a product similar to capers.