A Heap of Mulberries

The first spring-bulb has shown its flowerhead - and a beautiful one it is:

We have trimmed our chamomile and are waiting for new bush to grow now:

Even after 3kg of harvested Mulberries, it doesn't stop producing fruit. We're preparing to make *a lot* of jam:

On the cat news, we have made a little toy for them, which makes it harder for them to reach the so much loved dry food and slows them down eating it. Here is the table after we had finished building the fiddle board.

We also planted some catnip and catgrass for them, to have a nice munch on vitamins once in a while (yes our cats are spoiled ;)):

Here is the finished fiddleboard:

And here are the cats examining there new toy:

Banjo, the greedy one, went right into it, while Max preferred to watch from the outside:

And doing catrobatics. He's a talented little guy, I tell you!

First tea crop

Here's my first crop of chamomile flowers drying in my kitchen. Tea time soon:)

Chamomile Poem

Die Kraft, das Weh im Leib zu stillen,
verlieh der Schöpfer den Kamillen.
Sie blühn und warten unverzagt
auf jemand, den das Bauchweh plagt.
Der Mensch jedoch in seiner Pein
glaubt nicht an das, was allgemein
zu haben ist. Er schreit nach Pillen.
Verschont mich, sagt er, mit Kamillen,
um Gotteswillen.

Translation Attempt by me:

The power tummy's pain to heal
The Maker gave to Chamomile
They blossom and wait undismayed
For someone who needs tummy aid
The humans though in their own pain
Do not believe that the mundane
Can cure. They shout for pills -
Spare me, they say, with chamomile,
for heaven's sake.

Alternative Translation (Raymond Rowe):

When god, our lord, made chamomile
He lent it power to ease and heal
That simple flower in patience waits
For someone with a stomach-ache
But pain-racked man, that silly race,
Puts no faith in commonplace,
But calls for pills, says,
"Goodness me,
physician spare me with your tea.

Karl Heinrich Waggerl (Heiteres Herbarium)

Chamomile Secrets

So since the chamomile might start to take over the herb spiral soon if not prevented, I thought it might be a nice idea to collect ideas of possible uses for chamomile leaves & flowers:

How To Dry Chamomile
Pick the flowers in the morning, when they have just opened. If they are cut with the stem, they can be bound together and are able to dry hanging in bunches. Keep them in a dry space. Also a good way is to put them in a paper bag with a hole (for air flow), to let them dry in there. Once they are dried store in airtight container.

Chamomile Tea
Pour hot water over 2-3 tsps of chamomile (dried or fresh) flowers per cup. Good especially for digestion problems, calming down, soothing infections, against crams and stomach pain.

Chamomile Tincture
Fill dried chamomile into a screw-cap glass until it is half full. Then pour corn schnapps over the flowers, until they are well covered. Close it well and leave it in a warm spot for about six weeks. The tincture should change colour. After that the tincture need to be filtered. This is best done with a second glass, covered by a coffee filter. Let the tincture slowly drop into the second glass. Once this is done fill it into a dark glass bottle and close it tight. Stored in a cool place the tincture lasts for about a year.
Uses:
Interior: Two to three times daily 10-50 drops can be taken.
Exterior: Compress, Bath, Base for Cremes.

Chamomile Oil
Fill a glass with dried chamomile flowers. Cover them with a good, plant-based oil (eg. Olive Oil). Tightly close the glass. Leave it in a warm glass, shaking the oil every now and then. After three weeks the filtering can be done in the same way, as for the tincture. It might take a few hour for the oil to drop through the filter. Keep it in a dark bottle and dont forget to give it a label with the date of when you made it :)

Chamomile Oil Alternative (Hot)
Fill a third of a glass with crumbled chamomile flowers. Cover it with plant oil and close the lid.Heat in in a bain-marie for fifteen minutes (boiling water). Turn of the stove, but leave the glass in the water until it has cooled down. Then put the glass in a warm spot for one to three days and let it rest. Then same process as with the chamomile oil type one.

Herb Pillow
Sew a pillow (or use a premade one) and fill it with a number of dried herbs of your choice, like for instance lavender, rose and chamomile.

Chamomile Syrup
To cover e.g fruits, pancakes... (not sure about this <.<)
Recipe here

Chamomile Soap


tbc

Chamomile

Last mutant post for the day - this stuff gets big quick too:)