October: A month in the life of a herbwife

When a whole month rushes by in the flicker of turning leaves, you know you’ve been busy. Usually, it is September which promotes the panic of harvesting and foraging. This year, October’s warmth and beauty kept us outside to gather what we could.

Most months, I offer two workshops. In October, we met for the last time at the Sanctuary and I was intending to hold the other in my garden and kitchen at home. I was also asked to put on a herb walk and workshop for the Kushinga Gardening Group which helps support homeless refugees from all over the world in Birmingham.

I am dreadful with dates. I think I know when something is and tell others, but when I check, I’m often incorrect. I thought I’d advertise my second workshop locally and three women duly booked before I realised the date was wrong, so I ended up delivering two workshops, two days apart. It wouldn’t have been so bad but two of the three cancelled on the morning of the workshop, leaving me with one person to guide and entertain for over four hours.

Each workshop was extremely productive. At the Sanctuary, we gathered haws, New England Aster, calendula flowers and seeds, marshmallow leaves and seeds, elecampane root, blackberries, nettle seed, milk thistle seed and Solomon seal roots. We also processed dried nettle seed, mugwort, goldenrod and hops. Helen, one of my apprentices plied us with a new tea of dandelion, dock roots and nettle leaves which was surprisingly tasty.

There was also time to think about the energetic side of trees growing in the Sanctuary. We found the earth/water vortex at the back of the pond where two self-sown hazel saplings are growing. People gathered twigs and branches of their chosen tree to make various crafted items including two willow dreamcatchers.

Either side of the workshop, I gathered crab apples and rosehips and Chris dug a basketful of horseradish roots. Once home, I made crabapple jelly (the first of two batches) and eight pints of hedgerow cordial. The first four quinces went into two liqueurs, one simple and one spiced and the liqueurs from last year were decanted and put away for Christmas.

Hedgerow cordial

250g elderberries

500g haws

500g rosehips

1 nutmeg grated

1 tsp cinnamon or 1 stick

6-10 cloves

1inch ginger root grated

Place everything in a large saucepan or stockpot. Cover ingredients with water (about 1 or 2 litres). Bring to the boil and simmer for thirty minutes with the lid on. Mash all the contents with a potato masher to release as much as the juice as possible. Strain, retaining the liquid. Wash the pan. Measure the liquid and return to pan adding 1kg of sugar to 1 litre of liquid. Bring to the boil, then pour into sterilised bottles and seal, label and date. Serve in a goblet or mug with boiling water to taste adding lemon or orange juice if the cordial is too sweet.

Crabapple Jelly

2.5Kg crab-apples

1.7l water

Wash crabapple, cut into quarters, without peeling or coring. Put into a pan and add the water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 1.5 hours until the fruit is mashed, adding a little more water if necessary. A few cloves or some ginger root can be added while the apples are cooking to give added flavour. Strain through a jelly cloth and measure remaining liquid before returning it to the cleaned pan. Add 450g sugar for each 500ml liquid. Stir until the sugar has dissolved then boil rapidly for ten minutes. Tip 1tblsp of jelly onto a saucer and check for setting point (when it cools a skin should form when you gently push against the edge of the jelly). Skim any scum from the top of the jelly then pour into small jam jars sterilised in the oven for ten minutes. Sterilise tops by boiling in a saucepan for ten minutes. This jelly can also be made with any cooking apple. Herbal jellies can be made by cooking the apples with a bunch of a herb (mint is a good one to try first), reserving some of the herb to chop finely and add once the setting point has been reached.

Spiced Quince Liqueur

2 large quinces chopped and grated in a food processor

1-2 cups of sugar

Vodka

3 cloves,

1 nutmeg grated

1 cinnamon stick broken into halves

(other spices such as star anise, ginger can be added if wished)

Place the grated quince and spices in a large jam jar. Add the sugar. Cover with vodka, stirring to remove air bubbles then fill to the top of the jar. Leave somewhere dark and warm for 8 weeks then decant. The pulp can be infused again with more vodka and fresh spices if wished.

Some of the haws were put to infuse in vinegar, as was the New England Aster, and the mugwort vinegar which had been prepared the previous month was strained and put away. The flavour of the mugwort was so delightful, I determined to make more!

During the second workshop, we dug more elecampane and processed the Solomon’s seal roots. We also discovered how good the dried New England Aster stalks tasted in tea. Holy basil and chamomile seeds were harvested and the stalks used to make vinegars at a future date. Some stray vervain and agrimony stems were also found and tinctured the following day.

To make the most of the Solomon seal harvest, I always tincture the sliced tuber and make a double infused oil from the peripheral roots. Recent discussion infers that the tincture taken internally in drop doses is the most effective when it comes to restoring ligaments and joints but I’ve found the oil helpful when added to a mixed salve for frozen shoulder and other joint ailments.

The following day I determined to clear most of the herbs which had been drying in paper bags in my hot cupboard over the summer. To make room, I made some calendula oil from last year’s harvest and was pleasantly surprised to see how deep the oil turned during the second infusion. It was satisfying how much chamomile, sage and calendula petals I’d been able to gather by picking just a few flowers whenever I could. There will also be lots of seed for next year’s planting.

During the third workshop, I took my newcomer on a comprehensive tour of my garden, identifying and talking about the herbs still growing. I’d dug up and washed more elecampane root and this was split between an infused honey and sliced for drying. We made a double infused chickweed oil and I turned it into an eczema salve with St Johns wort and calendula oil for the attendee to take home.

Another trip to the farm yielded a harvest of purple New England aster, ashwagandha roots, roses, calendula flowers, purple sage, lemon verbena, milk thistle seeds and a huge harvest of quinces. My father kindly picked a load of crabapples and horsechestnuts so I was able to make a second batch of jelly and the conkers are waiting to be turned into oil if necessary.

The following day, the calendula, sage, lemon verbena and half the New England aster were put to dry. The ashwagandha roots were tinctured and half the quinces were made into jelly. The horseradish root was washed and chopped in the processor, ready for the next day’s workshop but I used the opportunity to put up a large jar of fire cider vinegar, just in case we get a winter of colds and other nasties.

It was good to return to my student haunts in Selly Oak. The Kushinga garden is owned by the Bournville village trust and sits behind Hope House run by Selly Oak Methodist Church. It grows an array of fruit and vegetables including native and exotic herbs. Only four people joined us for the herb walk but others were waiting when we returned to the church hall to make fire cider and rosemary digestive vinegar followed by hedgerow and nettle and rose syrups.

Fire Cider Vinegar

Equal portions of horseradish and ginger root – grate or whizz in a coffee grinder. (It is your choice whether you peel the roots or not.)

1 head of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 good handful of rosehips (fresh or dried)

6 cloves

2 tsps paprika

2 tsps tumeric

2 tsps cayenne pepper

(If you have access to fresh chilli peppers, you can add these as well, leaving the seeds in to give extra “fire”!)

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large glass jar so it is filled about half full, then add cider vinegar stirring well to remove air bubbles until the jar is full. Place cling film over the top of the jar before sealing with screw top lid. Label and date. Place jar in warm, dark place for 3 weeks. Strain and use.

Rosemary digestive vinegar

2” root ginger grated

1 small head of garlic peeled and crushed/chopped

1 large handful of fresh rosemary chopped coarsely

1 large handful fresh or dried rosehips

1 small handful fresh or dried haws

Holy basil stems

Dandelion roots or leaves (optional)

2 tblsps freshly grated orange peel

2 tsps ground coriander

1 whole red chilli

1 tsp powdered turmeric

Cider vinegar

Layer your ingredients in a large glass jar until it is halfway full then cover with cider vinegar, podging with a chopstick to remove air bubbles then refill with more cider vinegar. Put clingfilm over the mouth of the jar before putting on a metal lid. Strained the infused vinegar after a month and re-use the ingredients after blitzing with more cider vinegar to make another infusion.

Nettle and rose syrup

Gather a large amount of fresh nettle tops and wash well. Either place in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for twenty minutes then turn the heat off and leave overnight or place the nettles in a bowl, cover with cold water and leave overnight in a cool place. The next morning, strain the nettles and add the petals of seven red roses to the liquid in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes. Strain and measure the volume of remaining liquid. For each pint of liquid add 1lb of sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon, bring back to the boil and simmer until the syrup is reduced to the desired consistency. Pour into heated, sterilised bottles. Seal, label and date. Store in a cool place. Keep refrigerated once opened. Use to make a milkshake with cold milk. This can be made with dried nettles and rose petals, but reduce the amounts.

Two of my apprentices, Kathy and Lorraine, travelled over fifty miles from Gloucestershire to help with the workshop. I was so grateful for their help in preparing the herbs and syrups and working with the refugees and other locals who came to make some medicines for winter. 

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and we were treated to a wonderful vegetarian lunch prepared by one of the refugees who used to run her own restaurant back in Malawi.

It has been a busy month with all my herbs. In between, both my sons have moved house and asked for practical support with electrics and loft boarding. A close friend of the family, (my unofficial third son!) was married last Saturday which provided the opportunity to visit Warwick Castle with my grandsons the previous day. We hoped things would calm down a little once the festival was over but it was not to be. Maybe November will bring the quiet time we crave.