The Organic Lady Gardener

13/10/2023

More diversity of flora and fauna all in one organic field In October

13/10/2023

Flowers of the field. Beautiful and so important for nature big and small. Organic all the way

13/10/2023

Butternut have been fabulous this year. Many picked and a few more yet to harvest. Will keep me and my piggy happy well into winter .

08/09/2023

Dahlias

08/09/2023

La rose

23/08/2023

Just knocking up a curry with fruit and vegetables all from the garden ( except the tomatoe as I have had tomatoe blight this year 🙄).
Ingredients from garden today inc:
Onion, celery leaf and stalk, yellow courgette, green courgette, beans, beetroot, sweet corn, figs, 2 different squash types, and my first cayenne chillies - I’m hungry now

23/08/2023

This is mullein. Specifically, a second-year plant.

Mullein is a biennial, meaning it grows for two years. The first year, it is a wide rosette of soft, fuzzy leaves. The second year, it starts as a rosette, but soon grows this tall stalk in the center...which produces small yellow flowers and seeds.

The entire plant is medicinal -- leaves, flowers, roots. Only leaves are available commercially.

The leaves are excellent for respiratory support. They make a nice tea (but strain through cheesecloth to remove the tiny hairs!), or can be added to a tincture or syrup. Coughs, colds, sore throats...really respiratory need, and mullein is your ally. (Pairs well with wild cherry bark, elderberry, pleurisy root, for lung needs. With astragalus root and echinacea for general immune support.)

Leaves can also be steeped in olive oil or your favorite liquid oil and strained, and used for earaches. (Try crushing a few cloves of fresh garlic + a mullein leaf or two in the oil...very good ear remedy.)

The roots -- I haven't worked with them directly -- can help to soothe slipped discs and other injuries in the back. Steep in oil and apply topically for this use.

Mullein often grows in rocky soil, or along the edges or creeks or streams. The plant here, we found growing at the edge of the woods, and my 10-year-old dug it up and transplanted it to our garden in the spring. It's thriving where it is.

Harvest the leaves throughout the season, "cut and come again" style. Dry them on a flat, breathable surface or in a dehydrator on low. Crumble the dried leaves and keep them in a mason jar for later use.

If you find some -- take some home! Consider growing it (it's not hard to grow, but the plants do take a bit to germinate and start off very tiny, so be patient). Or you can purchase from reputable herbal stores. It's a fairly common, inexpensive herb.

11/08/2023

More from Les Jardins de Caldiot

11/08/2023

Les Jardins de Cadiot - Dordogne - Jardin Bleu

09/08/2023

05/08/2023

Courgettes anyone ??

23/07/2023

Think I left picking my snozzcumbers - I mean gherkins - a little too long. Only another 50 more to pick - all from one plant!