garden

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From Hibernation

Hail Brave Hearts

The sleepy winter fades with the melting snow.  Snug bugs and amphibians stir beneath the thawing soil.  The deep freeze is vanishing as warm winds blow and temperatures rise.  The freeze and thaw of this years winter has kept us alert to weather changes.  Plunging minuses to optimistic pluses have been a earmark of this winters climatic fluctuations.  Snow, thaw, snow, thaw, ice.  On it goes, to April snowstorms and nesting birds, freeze, melt, but they sing anyway and herald in the new spring.

Slowly the ground wakes up and tiny hibernating creatures emerge from the soil.  Ponds start to live again and sap runs in the trees.  Our own stock of gifts from the natural bounty is nearly diminished.  That last spoonful of jam has melted into the toast and the yummy, sugary fruit of last year is now devoured.  Time for something new.

A huff of breath sounds in the wild as an awakening giant opens his eyes.  Spring.  The last of the belly fat, stored for winters long nap, has finally been absorbed.  Thin and hungry and very large, but alive again, the sleepy beast puts a nose out.  Is it cold out there?  Hmmm.  Thinking, thinking, what to do.  How hungry?  But the sun is shining, it feels OK, it will get warmer and there must be bugs somewhere.

The lumbering old beast sniffs the ground, but not far from home.  It’s not time to venture far yet, just enough for a public appearance, a photo shoot, a pose to show off the massive hulk of this animal, an announcement of this years fame and fortune to some.  A feat of his own development, as this aged animal reappears again to fight and bully and dominate his world.  Smiling at us, we smile back at him and dub him  “The Boss”

‘The Al Capone of Banff National Park’: veteran grizzly bear ‘The Boss’ still on top

He vanishes back to his home.  The warm hollow of his den keeps him safe and warm until he’s able to find enough food to keep him warm during nights of minus temperatures.   Then he can wander and show off.

His area is a protected land, but his life is wild and free.  He roams where he will and survives as his species adaptation allows.

Soon the spring meadows will awaken with flowers.  Bees will rise from winters’ sleep to swarm the fields for pollen and nectar.   Honey in the honey pot, from natures garden of different species of wild flowers.  Dandelion, fireweed, wildflower mix, the commonplace clover are sweet and bountiful, providing a source of nutrition for the beasts of the great wild and for us.  We need this too.  The sweet treat of wild honey, the beauty of the spring garden.  The world awakens to new nutritional value for us and the food supply increases with fresh harvest.

Soon we will plant our seeds and find our recipes for jam and pie.  Replenish the larder.  That last spoonful of jam, a decadent delight will soon make way for this years treasures.  Labours of love, the finest that we can eat, from the wild to your table, farm to table or your garden to table.

Spring is in the air, the treats are near

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

April 12.2026

Spring is in the Air
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Spring is in the Air

Hail Brave Hearts

It’s that time of year again, when the food supply  comes alive.  The garden and the springtime are almost synonyms.   Cast off your winter coat, indulge in the last of the winter larder, and start your preparation for this years treats.  It’s treats galore!

The infamous dandelion is back in full bloom, covering roadsides, hilltops, lawns and open spaces with bright yellow specs of early spring sunshine.  Pretty and nutritious, this hearty wild edible, is a plant that is either a friend or foe.  To those who think of this as a weed and find it a nuisance, it’s a lot of work to get rid of.  For those of us who indulge in it as a food supply, it’s free salad.  Perspective can be everything.   The larder can be full of sunshine dandelion goodness, if your recipe choice calls for it.  First in the spring, first on the table, the nutritional content is this plant is worth putting on the dietary list.

The beautiful bounty of your garden surpasses the fruit and vegetable plantings.  The edible flowers add a spark of colour and beauty to the garden and some help to deter pesky insects and slugs that  consume your vegetables as fast as you do.  Companion planting has mixed blessings, from deterring destructive insects to the beauty of salads, syrups, jams, baking  and other dietary delights, that pretty flowers enhance.  Choose your garden splendor, there’s time to grow a feast!

15 Different Types of Edible Flowers You Can Grow and Eat

A picture perfect salad, with a dash of rose petal,  tea from your marigolds, syrup of lilac, dainty cupcakes dressed up with violets,  it’s decadent, sweet smelling and creates a unique, inspiring garden and larder which enhances your dining experience all throughout the year.

This garden attracts useful pollinators, bees and butterflies to help the garden grow.  These beneficial insects  promote fruit and vegetable production, helping to give the yield that your hard work deserves.  The organic garden is preferred for this, since healthy insects need to pollinate without pesticides and your body is better able to absorb the nutrition of plants from organic gardens.

Weeds can be a treat.  Chickweed is edible and can be used as a garnish or in your salad.  Lambs quarters has a medicinal value as well.  Just be sure that all of your consumption has a food value and is not poisonous.

So here’s to spring and all of the goodness that it brings.  Good health and good eating to all.

Written by Dr. Louise E Hayes

May 23, 2025

 

 

 

That Awesome Rainy Day
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That Awesome Rainy Day

Hail Brave Hearts

It’s a stormy day with the thunder crackling.  Lightning lights up the sky and the torrents of rain fall heavily.  Lucky us.  The rain with it’s magical nutrition, watering all of the earth.   A day when we can pass on watering the outdoor flowers and lawn and let nature take control and provide the much needed moisture.  Fabulous rain, taking that chore off our hands and providing a day of indoor retreat instead.

It’s a delightful day of inside pleasure.  The canning, pickling and jam making is on the list.  Pies, muffins, breads and cookies all come to mind.    It’s a wonderful day of baking and cooking, sewing and playing board games.  Inside goodness awaits us, while the rain falls and takes the stifling heat from the air, bringing cooler weather for different activities.  Run like the wind, cycle the roads and trails, the cool will only last for a few days, before the summertime heat sends us back to the beach to play.

Meanwhile, the house fills with the smells of fresh baked pies.  These rainy days are filled with blessings.  No more need to run to the beach to catch that last swim in the lake before dark.  Today is the rainy day of thunderstorm pleasure, when we reach for the recipe books and head to the larder.  These are the fabulous days, when there’s no place like home.

The berry patch has been abundant this year and the freezer has been filling with a variety of garden choices.  The delectable treats oozing with goodness, waiting to be consumed.  The baking tins come out of hiding, being prepared for the best of the best in garden baking.  Raspberry, white chocolate comes to mind.  These are the days of the happy chef and the smiling participants in the joy of cooking.  Lovely. It’s always clever to keep a supply of garden goodness for those rainy days.

Stinging Nettle Cake – Skovkær (nordicforestfoods.com)

Let it pour.  Let the rains come down in buckets.  Let the Earth take care of the watering and let the plants soak up the goodness of the water.  Let it rain, so that puddles form and the water splashes on our rain boots.  The thunder rolls in, lightning lights up the sky.  The heavens display a crackling of light and sound.  There’s an awesome display of power in thunder and lightning that sends a communication of awe in the uncontrolled weather.  Dark clouds billowing, rain descending.

🔴 Heavy Rain and Thunder Sounds 24/7 – Deep Sleep | Thunderstorm for Sleeping – Pure Relaxing Vibes – YouTube

Lucky are we to have a fine shelter, with garden delights to occupy our days.  There’s so much indoor goodness to attend to.  These chores are not chores.  These are a special gift of time.  A time when being forced to flee the inclement weather is a fine gift of welcome time.  Time to spend on the pantry.  Tine to fill up the cookie jar and prepare the fine feast.  Time to sew that garment and make gifts for our friends and loved ones.

That welcome storm.  The Earth needs the nutrients of the water and we need to rest and refresh ourselves.  Baking, sewing, spa.  It’s a rainy day.   A day for a treat.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

August 20, 2023

 

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National Herbalist Day

Hail Brave Hearts

Enjoy the nutrition of the land and the many medical marvels that it reveals.  It’s a new day dawning for the Herbalist.  A day of worthy mention.  National Herbalist Day!  Wow!

The subject matter is superb.  Now that spring is here, the welcome backyard medicine cabinet is opening it’s doors.  New spring teas from fresh shoots, leaves and plants.  Lovely.  Fit for any larder, the beautiful abundance of natural goodness is in your yard.

The most obvious, killer weed, that notorious Dandelion.  Awesome!  The nutritional value of this plant is a keeper.

Plantain, St John’s Wort, Daisy and many more.   A special day for those of us, who seek natural remedies for those aches and pains.  I’ve been lucky with Nettle, Red Currant, Apple Leaf and Rose Hips, but these are just a few of the many natural wonders of the wild world.  Home made salves and soaps, fragrance and tea.  Natural healers to boost energy, to calm, to induce sleep, to improve circulation and help achy joints and achy pains.  Your garden is an Earthly delight.  Those pesky weeds, so hard to get rid of , might freshen your breath, improve your eyesight, add luster to your hair and make it shine.  The self indulgent gardener might even find a cure for what ails themselves.  There are many good gardening books which will help to plant an herbalist garden.

But are natural remedies important?  They are, if you want them to be.  Do they actually provide cures?  Yes, they do.

To quote Chris Dalziel at Jobillee Farm.  who has a  book Growing Abundance, the Garden You Harvest in a Week.

Monday is National Herbalist Day!  It’s a day to acknowledge the herbs that keep us well, help our gardens grow better, make our food taste better, and give us abundance.  Its also a day to recognize the herbal mentors in our life.

Who taught you about using herbs in the kitchen, the garden, and the apothecary?  Did you learn from a mother, a grand parent, a neighbor? Are you self-taught from books and the internet? Did you take a class? Or are you just beginning to learn about herbs as an adult?

Learn about Plantago major — Plantain

I love teaching children about herbs.  My 2 year old granddaughter knows to look for plantain (Plantago major) if she gets a bee sting or a mosquito bite.  “Plantain” comes from an old French word meaning “sole of the foot”.  It grows in compacted areas, where the footprint of humans or animals have compacted the soil.  Its a healing plant for the soil as much as it is a healing plant for us.

Often plantain is the first herb that people learn to use.  It can be an “a-ha” moment, when you hand them a leaf and tell them to put it on the “ouch”.  Relief is fast.

I’ve had the privilege of introducing plantain to tough motorcyclists, stung on the hand while riding, hikers, farmers, beekeepers, wee toddlers, and grumpy teens, mowing a lawn. Plantain is just one of the many gifts that God gives us to nourish and heal us.
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A Treasure Trove

Hail Brave hearts

This spit of land that you call home is now your sanctuary in the wild.  A place of whatever contentment you can make of it.  Be it a small shack or a home for a larger family, these dwellings in the bush were a paradise to those who had no other place to call home.

The ardent adventurer, tough, skilled, a mind set on survival.  A hunter, a trapper, a woodsman.  Trained in survival skills to surpass the perils of cold, drought, hunger, hardship and the persistent diseases.  The people of the outdoors, of the woods and plains, but newcomers just the same.  Some of whom lived alone in an isolated place, apart from society, willing to live their lives off the land, from hunting, trapping and fishing.   An interesting and unusual difference from the life of bustling Europe, where this kind of existence was unheard of.  The hunter and trapper were a new kind of man, far different from the civilized person who was left behind in the cities.

A call to adventure, the need to explore, the will to gamble all of your possible potential in a game of chance which was for some, too large to play.  A new world.   An unheard-of life.  Was this properly explained?  The fur trade was booming. Furs and the call for furs filled the air, the ears and the brain.  The cry of fortune, the call of fame, the money, the land the freedom.  Now, it’s survival.

A twist of fate and the money’s not there.  A mistake in the route and the land vanishes.  Great brave heart, find your way!  The life of a hunter and trapper is filled with danger.  A life of perilous uncertainty awaits those who are unprepared.   The harsh land in the cold of winter.  A necessary fur coat, fur pants and mitts.  Fur!  The sound of the word is money in your pocket or survival on your back.  The much needed and so much desired, fur!

An exciting world of harsh possibilities.  Friend or foe might find you out there.  As remote and hidden as your selected place might be, strangers still might enter your life. Strangers with a map like yours, looking for refuge as well.  A sanctuary in the storm of life.  A cabin with a fire and a food cache close by.  Comfortable and warm, with a hot coffee on the fire, bread in the oven and a pot of stew.  The mouthwatering delicacies of life on the land.

A pregnancy is a delicate part of life.  The struggling embryo fighting to survive.  The will of this precarious life, demanding attention, demanding an existence, demanding to survive.  Joy!  Joy for the parents, joy for the offspring, a new generation brings hope for a family.  Hope for creation, for community for that blessed gift of life and eternity.

Now, above all else, that decision to embark on this challenge, becomes the dream of procreation, of fulfillment of care.  The dare that was accepted is now in fruition.

Dare!  I dare you to go there!

Now the hands of the clock have turned.  The hour is upon us.  Live or die, oh child of mine.

A Homesteaders Food Cache

HIDE YOUR FOOD. You Better Be Prepared. | Secret Homestead of Survival | MMNP Farm Series S1 E4 – YouTube

Written by Dr Louise Hayes

November 6, 20

 

 

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Need More Gardens?

Good Day Brave Hearts

During the cold and dark days of winter, we rise to the challenge of a nutritious food supply.  The fall canning season filled the larder with a precious stock of daily living that will take away the winter chills and stave off the winter flues.  A nutrient packed diet from your organic garden to save you all winter long.  It saves the pangs of hunger, it warms the body, it cures the winter chills.

Your food supply is your health and wellness which feeds your mighty brain and helps to cure your aches and pains.  Food to cure the common cold, food for the brain, food for aches and pains, food for your social happiness.

There is a  long list of comfort food that nourishes the mind, heart and soul.  It’s divine and the time is now.

Those special little seeds that were stowed away last fall, come to the forefront of the mind.  Each little one, packed with the energy to produce a bountiful crop of fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs or spices.  That decadent nasturtium, so showy and bright in the garden, yielding a powerful pack of seeds full of earthly delight.  Those spunky little violets, such a gorgeous floral treat decorating those cupcakes.  Winter is gone, bring on the harvest!

Bring on the watercress, the chocolate mint, the sunflower, the basil.  This year’s garden will be a splash of colour and dietary indulgence.  Oh the yellows!  Nasturtium, sunflower, pumpkin, squash (flowers) and tomato.   The reds of rose, dainty cherry blossoms, and olive.  Purple violets, blueberry and saskatoon.  White of potato and apple blossom.  The garden comes alive with colour and nutrition.  The food supply is back!

15 Brain Foods to Boost Focus and Memory – Dr. Axe (draxe.com)

Plant your pallet of garden colour.  A pallet of herbs, vegetables, fruit, flowers and spices.  The choices of fragrance to add to the show.  Musky black current, fragrant rose.   The garden of earthly delights is as aromatic as it is healthy.  Enjoy a sip of summertime wine, made for last years wild rose petals.  Indulge in sorbets of fruits from the vine, sip that delectable apple leaf tea.

We are blessed.

From our small properties, filled with natures harvest, we dine.  Dine with fine delicacies from our own backyard.  This oasis of healthy bliss to indulge ourselves in.  Choose your flavour, choose your colour, choose your diet, it’s just divine.  That backyard of ours, so pretty and colourful, so full of natures wonderful diet.  Enzymes, and nutrient, vitamins and minerals, all from carefully selected plants, flowers, herbs and spices.  The garden cure all.  It cures your senses, so fragrant and welcoming, the garden tantalizes us with beckoning gestures.  Come in, come in, it calls us to indulge.  Plant the seed, plant for what cures you.  This organic garden could save your life.   Plant with anti-oxidants to stave off cancer, plant with brain power to retain your fine mind, plant with cures for heart disease and arthritis.  Yes, your garden is heavenly.

The backyard is not just a playing field.  That land has a useful life.  Not just the trampoline, but also the garden of earthly delight.  Pick your flowers, pick your colours, plant away and enjoy the benefits of a well planned garden. Plant, enjoy, harvest, enjoy, this is a stellar room with a view.  That room which pulls us out of the house.  Out to the great outdoors.  To till the soil, to enjoy the land, to mix and meddle with the array of botanical inspiration.  Not just a flower garden, not just weeds, those are precious edibles that garnish soups, mix with salads, add colour to the plate and surprise us with yet another flavour.  Something nutty, something spicy, a bit peppery, maybe sweet.  Your internal chef might be inspired.

It’s time to plant, forage on.  This is spring and it’s time to garden.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

March 23, 2022

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Those Divine Weeds

Hail Brave hearts

Still exploring, still living that awesome adventure, still looking forward to the next great day.  Still working those muscles, still struggling with pain.  Not so!  Your diet could save you.

On and on the canoe is paddled, on and on, those muscles work.  Through rapids, portages, endless days on the water, trap the fur, bring it home, make a fortune for that clever, illustrious businessman.  Be the vehicle to their desires.  Work your body, your mind, your spirit to the bone.  Leave your loved ones, travel with courage, bring home that cherished dime.

The difficult life of the courier de bois, the homesteaders that followed them and the settling of Canada.  The price that was paid in life and livelihood, as the courageous Canadians make their way into the great wild.  Survive you must.

The land takes it’s toil and exhausts us.  The strain and stress of this life is full of great challenges.  There are dreams of gold but hardship is plenty.  Tell us your secrets.  How did you survive?

In the great wild, there is plenty, if you know what to look for.  There was game to catch, fish in the streams, fruit, berries and edible plants along the way.  Some of this is medicinal and works to cure that obvious.  Vitamin C for scurvy, vitamin A for your eyes.  The long days of sunshine gleaming off the water, the eyesore from reflections from the water without sunglasses, the sunburn, the pain of it.

Somewhere in the wilds of Canada is medicine for all of this.  Salves, ointments, tinctures, treatments for cuts, bruises, scrapes and burns.  Somewhere there are treatments for pain, vision loss, inflamed joints, sore muscles, pulls and sprains.  Somewhere there is treatment for disease and mental impairment.  Our healing is abundant and our forefathers prove it.  Somewhere in the great wild nutrition is abundant and the natural world gives us relief from aches and pain, from disease and keeps us well.  Somewhere in the wild, there is food that will save us, if you know what to look for.

 

Lambs Quarters:

Why was Lamb’s quarters used as an herbal remedy?
The plant was used traditionally as an herbal remedy for eczema, rheumatic pains, gout, colic, insect stings and bites. Also a decoction made from the herb was used to treat tooth decay. The sap extracted from the plant stems was used to reduce freckles and treat sunburns.

Lamb’s Quarters Uses in Cooking and Benefits as a …

http://www.herbal-supplement-resource.com/lambs-quarters-he…
See all results for this question
Why is it important to eat lambsquarter leaves?
Lambsquarter is an important source of food that can be considered a key staple, while at the same time it is also an extremely valuable medicine. When the leaves are chewed into a green paste and applied to the body, it makes a great poultice for insect bites, minor scrapes, injuries, inflammation, and sunburn.
  • https://www.joyfulbelly.com/Ayurveda/ingredient/Lambs-Quarters/267

    Lamb’s quarters contains more protein, calcium, and vitamins B1 and B2 than cabbage or spinach, making it a wild edible fit for Pop-Eye, our favorite green vegetable hero. It is also rich in iron, phosphorus, and vitamins B1, B2, C, and A. Lamb’s Quarters warms your mouth, is slightly salty, sour, and mildly spicy.

  • Lambs Quarter – Wild & Edible www.thegypsythread.org

    https://www.thegypsythread.org/lambs-quarter-wild-edible

    2021-07-27 · Internal uses range from treating diarrhea, relieving stomach aches, and for scurvy (due to the high Vitamin C content.) Lamb’s quarter tea is also known for decreasing inflammation and increasing circulation. Lamb’s quarter poultices are said to relieve itching, swelling, and relieve burn pain.

    Yarrow

    In short, Yarrow has the following medicinal uses:

    • wound treatment
    • stops bleeding
    • digestive herb
    • diuretic
    • anti-inflammatory
    • anti-spasmodic
    • anti-catarrhal (removes excess mucous from the body)
    • diaphoretic (reduces fever)
    • lowers blood pressure
    • stimulates blood flow in the pelvic area (especially the uterus)
    • antimicrobial
    • used for hemorrhage
    • used for treatment in pneumonia
    • used for treatment in rheumatic pain

    Purple Aster

    • Principally used in the cure of rheumatism in the form of infusion or tincture; recommended, however, in hysteria, chorea, epilepsy, spasms, irregular menstruation, etc., internally; and used both externally and internally in many cutaneous diseases, the eruption occasioned by the poison rhus, and in the bites of venomous snakes.

      Wild Asters medicinal uses | V I Farms

      Are there any medicinal uses for wild asters?
      Wild Asters medicinal uses. The warm infusion may be used freely in colds, rheumatism, nervous debility, headache, pains in the stomach, dizziness, and menstrual irregularities. This, together with A. cordifolius, has been compared in value with valerian. Aster aestivus …is recommended as an antispasmodic and alterative.

    •  Aster aestivus…is recommended as an antispasmodic and alterative. Principally used in the cure of rheumatism in the form of infusion or tincture; recommended, however, in hysteria, chorea, epilepsy, spasms, irregular menstruation, etc., internally; and used both externally and internally in many cutaneous diseases, the eruption occasioned by the poison rhus, and in the bites of venomous snakes

    • Aster Plant Uses – Learn About The Edibility Of Aster Flowers

      https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/asters/edibility…

      2020-08-30 · The flowers and leaves can be eaten fresh or dried when eating aster plants. The Native American people harvested wild aster for a multitude of uses. The roots of the plant were used in soups and young leaves were cooked lightly and used as greens.

       

    • Daisies

    The Medicinal Herb Daisy The herb may be used for loss of appetite as it has stimulating effect on the digestion system and it has been used as a treatment for many ailments of the digestive tract, such as gastritis, diarrhea, liver and gallbladder complaints and mild constipation.

    Wild daisy is a plant. The parts that grow above the ground are used to make medicinal tea. People take wild daisy tea for coughs, bronchitis, disorders of the liver and kidneys, and swelling ( inflammation ). They also use it as a drying agent (astringent) and as a ” blood purifier.”

    The young flower heads or buds can be added to salads, soups or sandwiches; or the flower heads used to decorate salad dishes. The leaves can be eaten raw despite their bitter aftertaste, but are better mixed in salads or cooked and might be used as a potherb. The buds can be preserved in vinegar and used in cooking as a substitute for capers.

    Nutritional profile

    It is both an anti-inflammatory herb and a vulnerary (improves circulation) herb. Drink daisy tea for the plant’s health-giving and restorative properties. A modern study of wild edibles used during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–95) showed that daisies contain 34 mg of vitamin C per 100 g.

    Common Thistle

    The roots have been used as a poultice and a decoction of the plant used as a poultice on sore jaws. A hot infusion of the whole plant has been used as a herbal steam for treating rheumatic joints. A decoction of the whole plant has been used both internally and externally to treat bleeding piles.

    Save yourself, with the delicious, nutritious weeds of the wild!  Our great ancestors had nothing else to eat.  The knowledge  of the food value and medicinal value of these weeds offered to us by the aboriginal people of Canada, saved us then and could help us now.  Eat, drink and be well.

    written by Dr. Louise Hayes

    August 22, 2021

     

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It’s the Tea up here

Hail Brave hearts

Your health, fitness and wellbeing are imperative!  The awesome adventure of your life is within your grasp.  Focus on the achievement, propel yourselves to this destiny.  This is what you live for, life for all that it’s worth.

The aches and pains of your body, cry for help. What remedy will ease this pain and cure the discomfort of the joints and muscles?  The daily workout is becoming the daily grind.  So much tension, so much repetitive strain.  Muscle tension and fatigue.  The more the body works, the more it is capable of work, but the getting there is more difficult than being there.  Our powerful power packs of nutritious blends help us, massage and muscle relaxants work for us, but there are other cures out there.

Way back on the farm in bygone years, the daily toil was a constant strain.  The tilling, the planting, the harvesting, the gain, all come at a price that the body and mind must endure.  Early mornings, long hours, fatigue and toil, provide a constant demand for good nutrition and rest.  The powerful berry patch resolves vitamin and mineral deficiency, but what about the rest?  Perhaps there’s another cure in the berry patch.  Perhaps there’s more to the backyard harvest than we collect.

Tea is one of the most highly consumed beverages in the world.  It’s part of traditions, customs and daily life.  A cup of tea is a welcome drink on a cold winters day or a cold brewed tea on a hot summers day.  The value of some kinds of tea is a powerful cup of anti-oxidant, vitamin, mineral and enzymes that help to complete a balanced diet.  These are the teas that some will find in their own back yards.

There are many opportunities to harvest tea.  Your backyard oasis is calling you, tempting the impossible, rid your body of pain and suffering, add an additional cup of tea.  The red raspberry patch has the additional potency of raspberry leaf tea, or black currant leaf tea, dandelion tea, fireweed tea, apple leaf tea, nettle tea, blueberry leaf tea, to mention a few.  The advantage of tea is the leaf is ready before the berry is and is easier to pick.  A tea needs fewer leaves than berries for a pie, so this is also an advantage.  However, is it healthy enough as a replacement in a lean berry year, or as nutritional benefit at any time?  Perhaps.  This is a list of health benefits of fruit leaf tea.  Be careful what you pick, some of your harvest has poisonous leaves.

Health Benefits of Raspberry Leaf Tea:

What are the health benefits of red raspberry tea?
High in vitamin C and gallic acid as well as other phytonutrients, the effects of raspberries and red raspberry tea have been show to help protect the heart and circulatory systems and slow down the advancement of age-related diseases, according to the Berry Health Benefits Network.
beneficial in weight loss.
 Drinking raspberry leaf tea is just as beneficial for people suffering from cold, flu, psoriasis, eczema, acne, obesity, indigestion, constipation, high blood pressure, aching joints, and general inflammation.
Health Benefits of Blueberry Leaf Tea
Blueberry leaves are rich in antioxidants, which have a number of different health benefits, including lowering fat levels and potentially protecting against hepatitis C. A cup of blueberry tea beside a spoonful of fruit. This amazing kale pesto is only 210 calories and anti-oxidant rich!
Potential Health Benefits of Blueberry Tea
  • Improved heart health. . High levels of potassium make blueberry tea a heart-healthy beverage.
  • A stronger immune system, that can make you sick less often and speed up your recovery.
  • Better brain function. Blueberry tea can help your brain work better. 
May Boost Heart Health. Blueberry tea can provide a boost to your cardiovascular system.
May Improve Cognition. 
Might Improve Digestion. Gallic acid is a naturally occurring potential antioxidant in blueberries.
May Improve Immune System. Our immune system can be bolstered by both
May improve vision
May improve kidney function
May help as an anti oxident
May improve bone density
May improve circulation
 Health Benefits of Black Currant Leaf Tea

The major benefits of this tea include its ability to strengthen the immune system, boost skin health, and induce sleep, among others.

  • High in vitamin C
  • Antioxidant activity
  • Antiviral and antibacterial properties. [2]
  • Reducing inflammation throughout the body
  • Protecting the skin against various conditions
  • Inducing sleep and preventing insomnia
  • Boosting mood
  • Regulating hormones
  • Improving cardiovascular health
  • Optimizing digestive function
  • Anticancer potential
  • Treating cold and flu and infections
  • Improving memory
  • Preventing urinary tract infections (UTI)

Side Effects

Drinking an excessive amount of this tea can result in a number of side effects, such as the following: [5]

  • Complications of pregnancy
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Potential bleeding disorders
Health Benefits of Nettle Tea
    1. Nettle Tea for Muscle Pain. Nettle tea is widely consumed to treat muscle pain. 
    2. For Cardiovascular Health. You can maintain your blood pressure levels 
    3. It Maintains Healthy Kidneys. You can reap numerous health benefits from nettle
    4. Improves Digestion. 
     Nettle tea is a delicious and beneficial beverage that helps reduce oxidative stress, relieve pain and inflammation, and lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. It also gives relief from urinary problems, soothes allergies and hives, gout, and improves skin, hair, and bone health. The tea is a detox drink that helps reduce hay fever, boost the immune system, protect the heart, and optimize digestion among others
  • Fights oxidative stress
  • Source of antioxidants
  • Blood tonic
  • Hair & nail care
  • Improves kidney health
  • Relieves menstrual problems
  • Increases lactation
  • Promotes weight loss
  • Used for skincare [10]

Health Benefits of Fireweed Tea

  •  Balances digestive health Promotes relaxation Builds immunity Improves mood Strengthens circulation Supports the kidneys and urinary system Detoxifies.

    2020-08-02 · The antioxidants in fireweed benefit the digestive system, the circulatory system and the immune system, the lungs, and the skin. Fireweed tea isn’t just dried is fermented. Fireweed tea has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries in Russia and can be a powerful aid in digestion and cultivating a healthy gut biome.

    2018-08-13 · Health Benefits of Fireweed. Traditionally, Fireweed has been used to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. It is also considered useful against wounds, tumors and prostate enlargement. Aside from the previously mentioned health benefits, fireweed also promises advantages for the following ailments: Promotes relaxation; Boosts immunity .

    2021-06-11 · Fireweed is used for pain and swelling (inflammation), fevers, tumors, wounds, and enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH). It is also used as an astringent and as a tonic. How does it work? Fireweed might contain substances that reduce swelling (inflammation)

    Health Benefits of Dandelion Tea

    1. Protects Bones. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body.
    2. High in Vitamin K. Vitamin K is an essential fat-soluble vitamin.
    3. Cleanses Liver. 
    4. Fights Diabetes. Dandelion tea and juice help people with diabetes.
    2019-02-08 · 7 Ways Dandelion Tea Could Be Good for You 1. It reduces water weight If you’re feeling bloated, dandelion tea could provide relief because it acts as a diuretic.
    2. It Could Promote Liver Health Dandelion root has long been held as a “liver tonic” in folk medicine.
    3. It Can Act as A Natural Coffee Substitute
    There are a number of impressive health benefits associated with dandelion tea, including its ability to detoxify the body, regulate digestion, help in weight loss, prevent cancer and other chronic illnesses, protect the skin, and increase bone strength, among others. Dandelion tea has many amazing health benefits.
    Health Benefits of Apple Leaf Tea
    1. oral health, prevents tooth decay
    2. prevents Alzheimer’s
    3. fights Parkinson’s
    4. Control of all types of Cancers
    5. Lower the risk of Diabetes
    6. Reduce Cholesterol
    7. Grow a healthier heart
    8. Break down gallstones
    9. treat diarrhea and constipation
    10. treating discomfort bowel syndrome
    11. Prevents hemorrhoids
    12. weight loss treatment
    13. cleanse your liver
    14. increase your immune system
    15. avoid cataracts
    16. rich in antioxidents
    17 averting asthma
    18 increase endurance
    19. promote bone health
    20 improve night vision
    using the leaves only can improve your skin. acting as a treatment for acne and dark spots and blemishes.  It’s a treatment for darks circles and puffy eyes and helps hydrate the skin to improve radiance.
  • There is also evidence that the leaves can heal obesity, arthritis, bronchial asthma and prevent some cancers and chronic illness

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

August 1, 2021

It’s Birthing Season
by

It’s Birthing Season

Hail, all you Bravehearts

The spring magic is bursting, it’s flames fill the air, heady with perfume, the fragrance is everywhere.  Colours of rainbows, the infraction of light, darting licks of sprouting things, the springtime comes to life.  Brilliance of beauty, the delight of newborn lives, nesting calls of symphony, the choir of our lives.  Behold the wondrous species, they all have missions here, to fill our world with Earthly praise, to a planet we  hold most dear.  The budding trees are blooming now, the bees are hard at work, for pollen, nectar and honey is the plan of natures work.  A stork will bring the babies, a notion so absurd, the animal chain of learning pain, brings babies from the woods. It’s nests and eggs that hatch the young, it’s thickets, where they lay.  That overrated stork lost out, to the trees and forest at play.

Lovely splendor, lovely birth, the drama of the fall, has an outcome so desirable, it’s babies after all.  Little adorable ones, needing so much attention.  Stop!  Don’t miss that chance, to capture them on camera.  The wildlife are beaming, they know now what to do.  Stand by the roadside in the Parks and wave at the calamity of you know who.

An adventure for this praiseworthy day, a photo or several, or two, of babies coming to join us, in this hinterland of guess who.  Nature may be difficult, it’s predator and prey, but come into the world of babies, and it protection and play.  Lovely little ones, so cute and soft and adored, we all become their mothers, just to nurture a world to be explored.  They’re fabulous and new, they shriek at us, coo coo! We all come a running with baby food.  The spring and the parenting, the planning for next year.  Raise those babies wisely, they represent the herd!  No dowdy ones, no unmatched socks, put on your sleek new coat.  You are a representative of a genetic stock to rival any goat. Survival of the fittest is the game all parents play.  When babies are born and pride is given to a new cast of characters today.

The love and devotion of springtime happiness, is turned to a summer of responsible parenting togetherness.   Chattering with pride, they show off their newborn delight.  Just look at little elk calf there, he’s blossoming with intellectual might.

The fish eggs are hatching, the frogs sing with all their might.  A lovely day on planet Earth, fills their little lungs with a chorus of pond song, after dinner, choir serenade delight.

The sounds of the season are love and loving sounds, as the great gifted planet, spins it’s eternity  of  marvel all around.  All creation, all for good, a special aptitude, the great gifted planet, spins it all just for you.  Just for you, oh little one, just for you to share, the fabulous stretch of wisdom, greets you everywhere.   This gifted, great planet, in it’s protected, universal space, is a wealth of brilliant life form abundance, for everyone, even the human race.  Welcome and acceptance, treat it all with care, for this great, ingenious planet, can concoct new species, if it’s dared.  The life forms are brilliant, it’s beauty and adored, the planet exudes it’s wealth of creation for all of us to explore.

Rise and shine, it’s springtime, so go out and greet the day.  For all of us, are from planetary dust, just go out and play.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 11, 2017

The Awakening
by

The Awakening

Good day all of you Brilliant ones!

Here is today, a day of awesome splendor.  A day when the world shows off it’s beauty and thrives in the warmth of brilliant sunshine.  Here is today, a day for you.

The Earth is warm and sends it’s healing power to you.  A healthy life of intelligent pursuits, carrying you forward towards your goals.

The rejuvination of  springtime, when all of the world awakens to the early morning sunshine and the warm, streaming sunshine pulls you from your restful slumber, into the dawning of the new day.  Warm and inviting, the world awakens and the call of the wild sings to the planet.  Songs of joy, of cheerful living, songs of love to nest and nurture, songs of gathering to keep themselves together.  Sing for the joy of being, of happy pleasure, of grateful life.  The dark cloak of nighttime vanishes with the dawn and today the Earth reveals yet another of its wonders.  Another new flower pulls up its showy head and waves to the world, and nods in graceful elegance.  I have bloomed.  Here I am!  It is me!  I have bloomed.  And with this showy, colorful, fragrant blossom,  we are saved.  Saved from extinction, saved from being a mark in history, saved from devastating loss.  Here I am!  It is me!  We are saved.

Again and again, the showy blooms rise to meet this glorious day.  Again and again their colorful attire sparkles the landscape with dots of beauty.  Reds, yellows, blue and white, the showy dainties cast their spell on the landscape and fill it with the colors of the rainbow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwI2u23LRx4&spfreload=10  secret garden, first day of spring, by Andreea Petchu

Hail to the great planet,calls these precious  dainties of life.  Brilliant and bold they rise to the morning sun and wave and dance to the playful tunes of warm breezes.   The life that fills the planet with color, scent and beauty.  Flowers in a spring meadow, surprising with their brilliance.  Cold resistant and sturdy these fragile, adaptive plants fill the forest, the meadow, the plains, the mountain with an array of color, variety, design and interest that cheer the soul of horticulturalists, botanist and curious amatures.  The world swells with the awakening of spring and the wonderful plant life that we fortunately find.

A tiny, brilliant dot of a violet, tucked away along a path, blue clematis, paintbrush, strawberry and primrose, the competition for finery is unmatched in these species.  Lovely day and lovely findings.  The wild has awakened with the dawn of this day and splashes its paintbrush of color all across its land.

Lucky for us, this day, as we stroll along a mountain path and breathe the clean, pure air of mountain sunshine and rejoice.  Today the world shows off her glorious inventions and the variety and beauty of her landscapes saves us once more.  A day of simple, grand design as the planet entices us from our beds and our secure homes.  Come into my garden, calls the great, good Earth and smile at the day that welcomes you.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 4, 2015