herbs and hildegard hedgehog

I haven't been in the blog-sphere for the last few days because I've been busy buying out the nurseries......READ MORE.

violet syrup, violet cooler, and violet lemonade

Recipes using violets......READ MORE.

natural insect repellents- outdoor challenge

The best essential oils for homemade insect repellents.......READ MORE.

magnolia oil and cherry blossoms- outdoor challenge

More tree blossom love to share.......READ MORE.

oatmeal-honey face mask

Here is a great gentle oatmeal mask for those of us that have sensitive skin. I guarantee this will leave your face feeling clean, soft, and smooth. READ MORE.......

winter sunflower and oats scrub

A recipe to rehydrate your skin using ingredients from your cupboard......READ MORE.

a gentleman’s sleeve pine sachet

By the time we were ready to take the Yule tree outside, we had little fir needles all over the place. They still had a delicious aroma and I knew tossing them outside just wouldn’t do. A special fir needle and lavender sachet, using a sleeve from my husband’s old dress shirt, was in the making.......CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS.

highlights of today

Thought I’d share the highlights of our day.
Araina LOVES making clothespin people! I know this is not a new idea to the blog world.....READ MORE.

get well gremlin and vegetarian chili

I forgot to mention one more flu comfort the little ladies enjoy. They love to take a cotton ball to bed that has 2 drops lavender, 1 drop peppermint, 1 drop eucalyptus and 1 drop tea tree essential oils on it. This makes their breathing better and opens up those stuffy nasal passages. Now the problem is where to put the cotton ball, it tends to get lost in the bed? Today I came up with this little........READ MORE.

ivory soap experiment (ptoe- oxygen)

Do you know what this is?????? Nope, it’s not shaving cream.



It’s a bar of Ivory soap after being cooked in the microwave for a couple of minutes! It’s a very cool experiment that you must try with your little ones! I developed a little booklet to guide this experiment. This is also a great experiment to do with the PTOE when discussing Oxygen. READ MORE......

"feel better" herbal wreath

Sunday was a rainy cold and wet kind of day; an indoor activity was needed. After being so sick last week Araina thought it would be a great idea to make a ”Feel Better Wreath.” A wreath full of herbs that “make you feel better.” We went outside.......READ MORE.

yellow wood sorrel (ptoe-oxalic acid)

Yellow wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta) is another backyard edible. The leaves, flowers and unripe fruits are edible, with a sour, tart, lemony flavor; it’s sometimes referred to as “sour grass” because of the sour taste. Wood sorrel can be added to salads, soups......READ MORE.

Shakespeare and fairy brooms

We are really enjoying the tales of Shakespeare! So far we have read The Tempest and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and are so wrapped up in their enchanted worlds. In the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oberon tells Puck and the other fairies to clean the royal castle. Fauna’s idea of fairy cleaning is little brooms and mops made from........READ ME.

Plantain Insect Sting and Bite Remedy

Romeo: Your plantain leaf is excellent for that.
Benvolio: For what, I pray thee?
Romeo: For your broken (cut) shin.
-William Shakespeare

Plantain (Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata) is easy to find and easy to use (there are over 200 species). It is FANTASTIC for bug bites and stings because it’s an astringent that creates a soothing and cooling effect. Plantain.......READ MORE.

Acorn Jewlery

One of the most beautiful finds in nature, to me, is the acorn. Acorns are so whimsical with those cute little caps and the crafting possibilities are endless with them! Don’t they make the most perfect little pocket to hold more of nature’s little treasures? READ MORE.........

Elderberry Syrup for Immunity and Flu

The American Elder, or common elderberry, (Sambucus canadensis) is a shrub that grows up to 13 feet high. It is a member of the honeysuckle family and is found in moist places along riverbanks, roadsides, woods and thickets. We are lucky to have it growing in our brush pile among the blackberry brambles and young volunteer walnut trees in our backyard. It was a favorite herb of Hippocrates; love making medicinals that the great Hippocrates would make for his patients! The berries of the elder are very nutritious. They provide large amounts of potassium, beta carotene, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C. It works amazingly well on colds, excessive mucus, sore throat and the dreaded flu.



Last year when Fauna came down with the flu she took a couple tablespoons the first day and it zapped the fever and all symptoms within 24 hours! Usually, when Fauna gets sick she is sick for 3-5 days. Really amazing stuff!




I use Rosemary Gladstar's recipe for elderberry syrup because it doesn't use white processed sugar or alcohol. And it is quite tasty!

What you need:
1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried elderberries
3 cups water
1 cup raw local honey

Glass jar with lid

Steps:
1. Heat the berries and water to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 30-45 minuets.
2. Mash the berries, strain, and add 1 cup of honey. I add a half cup of the purple liquid to a measuring cup, then pour in honey until the total volume is 1 1/2 cups. Then stir to mix well, and add to the rest of the reserved liquid.
3. Bottle and store. Keeps in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.
4. Enjoy a tablespoon daily to keep the immune system strong. If sick, take more often at first signs of the flu. If you drink peppermint tea along with it, you increase the fighting punch!

*Caution, I am not a doctor and don't pretend to be one. I am 100% sure of the identification of the plants I harvest and research like mad before posting a recipe. Some books say Elderberry leaves, seeds, bark, stems and root are toxic. Only the berries, which must be cooked first, and the blossoms are edible.Use your best judgement when using plants from the wild.

Calendula officinalis (Pot Marigold or Poet's Marigold)

If you don't have this wonderful herb growing in your garden, I highly advise you plant some seeds in your garden next year. It tolerates poor soil and will come back every year because it reseeds like crazy. The petals and stems are edible; they make a pretty garnish to a salad but taste a tad bitter. We grow calendula not because it's edible but because of its medicinal value. Herbalists use it for many ailments, too many to list here, but my favorite use of calendula is for the skin. You can use it as a local topical application to boost the healing rate and prevent infection on a wound or other skin conditions. Calendula is also fantastic for chapped and dry skin.

How to make a calendula infusion:

Fauna, my little apprentice, made this calendula infusion. She "popped the tops" from the calendula plants in the garden, put them in a glass jar, and poured grapeseed oil in the jar until all of the tops were submerged. Should you not have grapeseed oil on hand, almond, sesame and olive oil are all good carriers for infusions.

She locked up the lid and admired her calendula infusion. Now to let it steep for 1-2 weeks. Give it a shake periodically; when it starts getting really cloudy it is time to strain out the flowers.

After straining Fauna will have a wonderful healing oil ready to do its healing magic . She can mix the oil with lotion for dry skin or make an ointment or salve using beeswax.

From Shakespeare's Winter's Tale:
'The Marigold that goes to bed wi' th' sun,
And with him rises weeping.'

Lavender Herbal Doll

The lavender has been dried; now it is time to do the tedious job of getting all the dried blooms off the stalk. We have to do this outside because it is so potent; even outdoors it causes a lot of sneezes! The Little Ladies worked hard on this; (sigh) but only for about 30 minutes.

Fauna took the lavender experience to a whole new level and made this lovely lavender doll with peppermint hair. She wanted it to be all natural, but found that rubberbands worked the best to hold the doll together. Needless to say, we still have a lot of lavender blossoms to pull from their stems!

By the way, I'm very busy working on the new, improved and soon to be organized 5 Orange Potatoes at Wordpress. Just remember that it is still under construction. ;) And, following Wordpress sites are easy; just copy the WP address, go to your Blogger dashboard, click "ADD", and paste address into the URL. Don't follow me yet at WP or you will have a FULL dashboard of 5 Orange Potatoes while I transfer the posts. I will continue to post here until the WP site is complete. Thanks again for all the support you have all given me. Even those of you that haven't commented, I can't believe how much traffic has gone to Faunarain. Thank you!

Lisa :)

Easy Herbal Syrup (Lavender)

You Need:
1/3 cup dried lavender
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water

Steps:
1. Combine lavender, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to boil, turn down the heat to a simmer.
3. Simmer until syrup thickens and is bubbling in a thick frothy manner (about 45 min.).
4. Cool and strain.
5. Discard lavender.
6. Very good drizzled on soy vanilla ice cream.

*This recipe can be used with any herb of your choice.

Our Nature, Creation and Inspiration Table

The Magic Onions, is hosting a weekly Friday's Nature Table, which celebrates nature and imagination. I thought I would share our "nature, creation and inspiration table." The Little Ladies and I have MANY nature tables throughout the house. The one that follows is my favorite! It is placed in our "creative room" right in front of our big bow window. The table is an old thrifted table I found about a month ago for $20 (a steal). It is solid oak, big and wonderful!


On the table you will find projects waiting to be finished with needed supplies of art pencils, watercolors, oil pastels, paint brushes, glue and nature journals. Usually you will find a Little Lady there too, all is easy access for their creative pleasure.

Sewing on leaves project.

Feathers, monarch caterpillars and beetles, and water frogs (from the pet store) are also there for observation and nature journal inspiration.

Baskets of pressed leaves and sycamore bark are there for art projects.

Reused glass bottles full of flowers to be observed or dissected.

Baskets of flowers waiting to be pressed and various flower presses are close at hand.

Homemade clipboards with pollen studies attached.

HA! This table is in the same room as my herb table. This creative room is a room full of "organized clutter," much to my hubby's distress. Since this room is too much to take in for one post I'll save the cabinets full of more nature and art supplies for a later date.

Table Leg Ornament

The tables' contents change daily and will change as the seasons change. It may be a little "messy" to look at from afar, but my little ladies and I find it absolutely beautiful!