Autumn home-keeping rituals are underway at my house -- drying and tincturing a few more plants, roasting a pan of tomatoes to make 3 cups of
tomato sauce, and making
thyme tea bundles. I tried the bundle technique with chocolate mint but the stems are just too long even though the flavor is fantastic. The olive-looking things in the pan of tomatoes are chocolate cherry tomatoes, in case you're wondering.
Nearly everyday I go outside and rinse off another potted plant to bring back in the house but there isn't much else I want to harvest from the garden. I'm beginning to change my views about the obligatory harvest -- realizing we don't have to eat or preserve every single tomato, plum, or bean. Some of the bounty is for people, some is for wildlife and the rest goes back to the earth.
More seed packets have been made and jars properly labeled, labeling is my weakness. It occurred to me that I rarely make quart-size medicinal tinctures anymore, except for echinacea. When I first trained as an herbalist everything was made quart-size and sometimes even larger -- new herbalists can be overzealous. Actually, that goes for anything new I guess. More than once I heard "not to go overboard with your herbal pharmacy because you'll end up throwing it all out in 10 years." Which is exactly what happened. Small batches are not so intimidating to make or use -- infused vinegars are pint-sized now and medicinal tinctures are even smaller, as I delve into the energetic use of plants as medicine -- using 3 drops instead of 30.
Every fall I look at that brown pillow cover and every fall I don't know what to do with it. Today I decided to either replace the existing patches or turn them into houses. I sort of like the houses. The calendar cloth is from last year's full moon
sewing ritual.
Today is a waxing
moonday in Pisces, a moist and fruitful time. Piscean energy is creative and intuitive and we may just find ourselves retreating from the outside world to spend time in the inner world.
To a beautiful week.