Now that you know your spring veggies from A to K, let’s carry on with the alphabetical health from L onwards…(Excuse us the missing alphabets, we couldn’t find a veggie to match!)
If you’re looking to get yourself—and your family—eating healthier, spring veggies are a great place to start because of the intense diversity of a spring larder!
Teas might feel more like a winter drink—something to cozy up with on a cold night, or wake up to on a crisp morning—but they’re just as good in spring as in winter, and sometimes even more beneficial. After several months of less sunshine, less time spent outdoors, and too many tuber and starch-heavy meals, our bodies are likely craving bitter tonics to cleanse ourselves and aid in digestion. Spring teas are often the perfect choice for this, and they offer a wide variety of benefits outside of simply being tasty and comforting.
Hives are medically known as urticaria. They are the sudden appearance of itchy bumps on the skin. Most hives occur on the face, neck, arms and legs and range from small bumps to larger ones. They also come in groups, known as plaques. While they cause itching, sometimes urticaria can also burn or sting.
The first time I encountered the stinging nettle, I was unaware. I met its dark green leaves at a friend’s house (a friend who has a definite imp on her shoulder) and she asked me to touch them. Unsuspectingly and whole-heartedly I did, to a hand that felt it had just been stung by a million different bugs. Admittedly, it’s not very painful, but it does leave you with a buzzy feeling of ants walking down your veins. However, the rather prickly exterior of this plant hides many benefits within.
With the season of spring comes new life and beautiful growth! The allergies that can come with the season, on the other hand, are not so beautiful. People often experience such issues as runny nose, sneezing, coughing, and wheezing. Most conventional allergy medicine today can cause unwanted side effects. Thankfully there are herbs out there for just about anything that ails you, including seasonal allergies. Finding the right ones is key to alleviating those symptoms that can cause you discomfort and misery.
Allergy season is here! Itchy watery eyes combined with sneezing and a stuffy nose can really be a drag. Today’s walk through Mother Earth’s Medicine Cabinet will take us through a small section of natural antihistamines to help you through allergy season.
It grows in meadows and fields, and you might find one or two popping up in your yard. It’s a soldier-straight plant with heart-shaped leaves and delicate pink or yellow flowers. But don’t try to pick it, or even brush up against it. The tiny hairs on the stinging nettle release chemicals that will make you wish you hadn’t.
But this obnoxious perennial plant is actually a very useful medicinal plant – and ironically, can take away the itch and sting of insect bites or eczema.
The arrival of the Spring Equinox is very exciting for foragers. We watch as the snow begins to melt away, looking for any signs of plant life. Our eyes scan looking for bright baby green shoots and any sign of blooming color.
Spring’s bounty can be incredible if you know what to look for and where to find it. As we walk through spring’s edibles, I will show you some of the more basic plants to locate, identify, and harvest. It is difficult to choose just a few to fit within these pages, because there are books’ worth of information on the food in different areas.