Never Measure Anything If You Can Help It

It's true. If you were to make a recipe of my life, it would consist of those eight words.

Herbapalooza!! - an Herbal Evenings Party in PA (photo by Scott P Yates)

I say that because the lovely Danica Zirkle (above, in green hat), recently asked me to share a few "recipes" from a recent Herbal Evenings Party with her friends - so here they are! Happy holidays, D - MUAH!!

I put "recipes" in quotes for a few reasons. First, the whole point of playing with herbs is to PLAY with them, and for these simple and safe blends, the only way you can do it wrong is by worrying that you're doing it wrong.

Second, I don't like following directions, so I see no reason to make them up for anyone else. One of my favorite pastimes is reading cookbooks and how-to books, but I don't view them as rules so much as success stories. So while I do take careful notes of my experiments and custom blends, I rarely follow them to a T - and neither should you! Having said that, essential oils are very concentrated, and a little goes a long way, especially when using them on skin.

Beloveds, life is open to interpretation. These are notes, and you're welcome to change them or follow them as you see fit. If you have questions, feel free to call me at (802) 578-7931. I'm happy to help!

Facial Scrubs and Masques

Tips: Facial masques should always be applied to damp, freshly washed (and/or scrubbed) skin, and followed by the moisturizer or toner of your choice.

Basic Recipe
1 part organic powdered milk
2 parts oatmeal
1 part ground dried herbs (lavender, calendula, chamomile, rose, catnip, raspberry leaf, etc.)
essential oils of lavender, carrot seed, atlas cedar and/or chamomile

Directions:

In a clean coffee grinder, blend oatmeal until it becomes a coarse powder.
Blend large herbs separately, checking every few seconds to make sure they're not too fine - a few pulses should do it. If using chamomile, you may have to remove stems.
Mix dry ingredients and add essential oils a few drops at a time until you reach the desired scent, stirring frequently. Add sparingly.
Store in a small jar, tin, or baggie - if using essential oils, they will lose their scent more quickly if stored in plastic.

To Apply:
Mix one tablespoon dry ingredients with enough liquid to form a paste (see variations by skin type, below). For a scrub, rub gently into face and rinse. For a masque, let paste thicken for 1 minute, spread thinly onto face, let dry, and rinse.

Optional Exfoliating Additions for Scrubs:
ground almonds (don't grind them too fine, or you'll end up with almond butter!)
ground sunflower seeds (ditto)
cornmeal

Variations by Skin Type
For dry/aging skin: Apply with cream or milk. Don't use dried peppermint.
For oily skin: Add 1 part brewer’s yeast and/or 1 or 2 drops tea-tree oil. Apply with witch hazel, rosewater, or milk.
For sensitive skin: Apply with rosewater, water, or chamomile tea. Do not use cornmeal or peppermint leaf. Test on inner arm before using on face.

Again, have fun, let me know how they turn out, and consider treating yourself and your friends to a personalized class or Herbal Evenings Party - you'll love what you learn!

No Shame in My Game (hamsters, karaoke, and herbs, oh my!)

So I spent the past week  month  year week being pretty busy...as per my usual routine.

I've been working on a couple of really exciting herbal commissions, including a moisturizing castile shampoo/body wash that's turned into hours of fun chemistry experiments. I don't follow very many rules in life (or the kitchen) but I do try to follow the "mostly organic and always pronounceable" policy. All of the natural recipes I've found resulted in a really watery product (think Dr. Bronner's), so I'm experimenting until I find the right combination of texture, conditioning, and cleansing properties.
 So far, I've made about 6 different versions of soaps and soap-lotions - even a soap/massage oil! - but nothing I'm completely satisfied with. Yet.
Tonight I played around with the shampoo + salt = bath gel trick, and somehow ended up separating out all the oils and fats from the from the water. I've got a few more ideas to try tomorrow, though, and I keep tweeking the essential oils, so the whole cabin smells amazing. I feel like such an inventor!

In other news, my friend Danica and her daughter came to visit from Pennsylvania. In addition to swimming, raspberry picking, visiting the farm, and harvesting wild mint and St. John's wort with us grownups, Avey was gracious enough to regale me with stories of her new hamster, Miss Pretty Pretty Princess Fiona Angel Loveykins the First. Apparently, Miss PPFALF is quite the charming companion, and if any readers are lucky enough to visit her, you're encouraged to bring gifts of both wildflowers and fresh vegetables, as befits a rodent of her distinction.

Besides concocting and visiting (and of course farming) I spent last Thursday night at a friend's karaoke birthday party, held at the fantastically divey Frannie O's bar (conveniently located behind the almost-empty K-Mart plaza, for all your plastic needs). It was glorious. Not only did I make some new friends, I got to continue one of my favorite hobbies - Sucking At Karaoke On At Least 6 Continents. Whoo-hoo, half-way there!

This is a big deal for me, folks. I have dreams of building a sturdy bridge of international goodwill and cameraderie on the solid foundation of off-key and poorly timed renditions of popular songs. Nothing says "I demonstrate respect for your culture by embracing my role as visiting laughingstock" like missing the high notes in front of a crowd of semi-drunk people who have the option of insulting you in another language.
In this case, the language was Vermonter, a dialect composed almost entirely of unintelligible glottalizations, spoken in a cadence reminiscent of the jarring motions of a small rowboat adrift in heavy seas. Lacking other offerings of socio-anthropological significance, I offered up my ego in 2 1/2 minute doses for the locals' perusal.

The whole evening was a blast, but it's left me wondering why I'm so game to make a fool of myself in front of strangers in pursuit of my own enjoyment. Certainly I wasn't always like this. In fact, I used to have terrible stage fright, and I distinctly remember spending countless sleepless hours during adolescence, squirming in embarrassment over a seemingly endless stream of social blunders and unintended pratfalls.
Is it possible I used up most of my shame reserves prematurely?  Have I doomed/blessed myself to a future of strange, self-selected autism?
How terrifyingly liberating.
As a side note, I should point out that I mean no insult to nor jest at the expense of anyone anywhere on the spectrum - I'm pretty sure when we're done pathologizing everyone who falls out of the mean range of "normal," society as a whole WILL feel a sense of well-deserved shame for our treatment of people with differences. That one of my first thoughts about this period of potentially amazing mental health was to wonder what the DSM would make of it is an irony I haven't lost.
Still, "socially shameless" isn't exactly a descriptor that applies to most women in this culture... any culture, really. Where's a good feminist treatise when you need one? Help me, Simone de Beauvoir, you're my only hope!
Sigh. Maybe this is all just part of being a healthy, functioning, self-loving individual. But if that's the case, how come so few of my sisters (and brothers, for that matter) are joining me?

Can't Stop Smelling Myself...

...and that's a good thing.

You know that thing that happens when you put on something that smells so good, you find yourself turning your head a lot or gesturing a little larger, just so you can catch a whiff? I just made a spur-o-the-moment astringent/toner about five minutes ago, and I can't stop sniffing. "Man," I keep telling myself, "I smell great."
If somebody were spying through the window, they'd probably have a hard time figuring out whether I'm grooving and boppin' to a little song inside my head, or cheerfully in the midst of a neurological breakdown.

In an unattractive twist of fate, I break out more in my 20's than I ever did back in high school (oh the irony...). Add to that the facts that I'm usually covered in dirt, it's hot out, and I can't be bothered with fancy lotions or whatnot, and it's a wonder my skin still looks like skin at all! Not a very good public image for someone who sells body care products, but there you go. Enter the spray toner: portable, quick, with a spicy, fresh, almost Christmas-y smell. In the words of the inestimable (and aggrevatingly well-complexioned) Mr. Yates: Done.

Sniff Yer Face Spray Toner

• 2 oz. organic vodka
• 1/2 oz. organic apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 oz. water
• 5 drops each of the following organic essential oils:
• Bay (astringent; antiseptic; soothes and heals irritated & bruised skin; acts as tonic for hair & scalp)
• Lavender (promotes cell growth; regulates sebum while promoting skin elasticity; soothes and heals acne, sunburns, scars, boils, etc.; bacteriacidal)
• Rosemary (astringent; antiseptic; skin & hair tonic)
• Lemon (astringent; brightens pale/dull complexions by removing dead skin cells, smoothing broken capillaries & cleansing greasy skin; astringent; antiseptic; circulatory tonic; soothes and softens scars)
• 1 1/2 T. dried organic lavender blossoms
• 1/2 the skin of a clementine, torn into three strips.
• Directions: Mix all ingredients in 3 oz. spray bottle and spray over face, neck, scalp, etc.

... I just took a break from typing to flip my braids around and smell my wrists. And it's still true:
I smell fantastic.

June Update

Some people sit through their lives under fluorescent lights and buy their exercise at the gym. We have sunlight, a broad fork, and the wheel hoe in our favor.

Howdy folks! It's been a wildly busy few weeks up here in the gorgeous Champlain Valley, between farming and kidsitting and squeezing in some summer in between. I made a really fun Dancing Porcupine Bath Salts blend last week for the CSA pickup, and have some other nifty ideas up my sleeve for this week's market - like essential oil bubble wands for the kids. How cool will those be?!

The farm is so much fun - and so much work. Even though I'm only there a few days out of the week, my life revolves around that plot of land like it tends to do around good and growing places. And this is such a good place. When I'm here, I think about Dave's farm in Pennsylvania, and Julie and Onassis's place in the Mayan jungle, and I feel a joy I've only ever felt outdoors.

It seems so simple, so naturally obvious that this is the way to live. There's a satisfaction that comes from a day well-lived; a sense of rightness that coats your bones when you're earning new muscles honestly. Some people sit through their lives under fluorescent lights and buy their exercise at the gym. We have sunlight, a broad fork, and the wheel hoe in our favor.

The girls laugh at me every Thursday night when I come home because I'm too tired to do anything other than flop down and cuddle one or the other to sleep. Sometimes I have enough energy for a shower, but it's rare. It's an irony in my life that I spent months getting rid of my jungle calluses, only to start earning farm ones as soon as I came back to Vermont.

So what are us interns doing when we're not skinny dipping during lunch breaks, camping during thunderstorms, or eating fried chicken for breakfast? Well for starters, we're learning a lot! Our bosses are great, constantly explaining the whys and hows of farming to us, and patiently sharing their knowledge and experience through every new activity and chore. Unlike other folks who take on interns, they haven't quite figured out the whole "delegate the drudge work to your indentured minions" thing, and work side-by-side with us until we know enough to do things on our own. After the first group day, we all piled into their pickup, and they took us to the lake for pizza and beer. And when we finish a really big project, they're quick with praise, gratitude and a high-five or hug. They always welcome visitors, but do me a favor, ok? When you do come, please don't tell them they're doing the boss thing all wrong. We've kinda got a good thing goin', if you know what I mean.

Besides learning (or during it, I should say), we're busy weeding, hoeing, laying beds, shoveling pathways, sowing seeds, weeding, planting seedlings, watering, sorting, harvesting, washing, packaging, checking the new beehive, tending the sheep and chickens, moving fences, learning, and weeding. Followed by more weeding. And bringing the one Escape Chicken back to her coop.

All of this leaves me on the bank of the pond during lunch time, toasting my muddy feet in the sun and contemplating the blackbirds as they swoop, preoccupied, through the cattails.

"Best. Summer job. Ever," I tell them, but they're too busy nesting and feeding and singing to each other to respond. It's ok. If they weren't so focused on their own perfect lives, I'm sure they'd agree.

Summer Products List

Woohoo! Check out the products page for a partial list of available products. Please contact me for custom blends, pricing, etc.... more to follow!

As an aside note, I start my first day at Bloomfield Farm tomorrow, followed by my brother's graduation, so I'll be out of the internet ethers for a few days.

And, in other news, I dried an entire basketful of wisteria blossoms in the dehydrator with the help of my favorite eight-year-old.
"Eight-and-a-half-almost-nine," she corrects me.
"Oh, excuse me," I reply, entirely straight faced. Eightandahalfalmostnine. It is one word, the way she says it; an entirely logical way of describing the liminal and absolutely separate stage that one exists in in the several months preceding an Important Day such as The Day One Finally Turns Nine. Duly noted.
Regarding the wisteria: they came out wonderfully. The scent is a delicate version of the intensely sweet, floral smell of the fresh blossoms (the way Concord grapes taste, I always think), and the color is brilliant; a tad more blue than the fresh blossoms, but with a depth that matches the scent. Lovely.

Wish me luck tomorrow...

News and Notes from New England!

Welcome back!

Since blogs (like plants) do require occasional tending, I figured I'd drag myself inside long enough to post a few quick updates:

First and foremost, Blackbird's Daughter will be winging her way back to Vermont for the summer, and bringing with her more herbs and fun than you can say "yum!" to. 
In between farm-work and woods walks, I'll be mixing up batch after batch of sensuous beauty products, decadent teas and treats, and natural medicines - and spreading the seeds of health and joy with everyone who wants to get their hands dirty and their noses happy!

From Green Kids' Parties to "Make-Your-Own" Herbal Evenings to "Kitchen Witch 101" classes and custom consultations, Blackbird's Daughter has the perfect way to add some herbal love to your life. As always, special requests, custom blends, new customers, and curious friends are most welcome, so send an email to blackbirdsdaughter@gmail.com and we'll mix up some herbal magic!

Also, I've got a giant order of deliciously inspiring ingredients on the way from Mountain Rose Herb Company, including a variety of exotic clays, essential oils, soothing plant-butters, and nourishing herbs, so if you've been wondering "When is she going to update the products pages?", the answer is "As soon as I get my paws in those boxes!!" (I'm so excited, I feel like a kid at Christmas!)

The arrival of wisteria days and tree frog nights here in New England signals the start of summer, and with it, the end of another beautiful spring-season. For me, Spring is the time to wake up, stretch, and look around with wonder at the cascade of surrounding miracles - and then start dreaming out loud about how to play with them. It's also the time of year when everything seems to happen at a fast-forward pace; nature and life-in-general making up for all those dark and dormant months by packing in more growth and adventure and work than seems possible.
Some personal highlights from the past month include restoring the family Peace Garden in New Hampshire, digging quahogs in Maine (and turning them into "chowdah"), and sleeping out under the stars in the Hudson River Valley - and that doesn't even include returning from Mexico!

Can one tiny season possibly hold anything else? I don't think so, so although summer doesn't "officially" start until mid-June, I'm officially bidding a loving adios to the season of Birth and New Beginnings...

...and extending a gleeful welcome to the season of Growth and Hard Play! Looking forward to sharing the green love,

 Blackbird's Daughter

PS- Wondering where all of these happy greenwitch photos are coming from? They're all courtesy of Mr. Scott P. Yates over at I SPY Creations; thanks Scott!