Eastern White Pine needles grow in a cluster, usually 5 needles to a cluster.

I have a terrible cough. I am sure I picked it up at the library, along with my books about early American tombstones and old house construction (center chimney seduction, anyone?). I’m okay, and it seems to happen every year, so its only natural that I have a go-to tea to help me deal with it. Now, please note that I do spend most of my time in my head, and if you are picturing yourself this way- bundled up in your favorite woolens, pack basket on your back, cold cheeks but warm hands, wandering through the forest foraging for the perfect Eastern White Pine bough to harvest some needles from, I totally did too. In all seriousness though, you only need a handful at a time. But all of the other things are still fine and encouraged. A rough chop of the needles (or not), and long steep (5-10 minutes) in hot water, is an evergreen nurse in a mug. It’s perfect for a cough or a cold.

Pine Needle Tea has 4 times the amount of Vitamin C of a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice and is high in vitamin A as well. It works as an expectorant, decongestant, and cooked down in potency, as an antiseptic wash. {There are 20 known toxic varieties of pine tree, so do your own research.} I always stick with the Eastern White Pine, because its safe, plentiful, local, and I like the taste.

A Pine Needle Tea

Earlier this month, we resumed filming our heritage web series, 'folklyfe, ' at the Hibbs House in Washington Crossing Historic Park. We chose this site and subject of open hearth cookery to be the kick off of the larger episodes- it is what I felt safest with. I felt confident and secure in the site and with what I was speaking about, and that really helps me with the whole camera thing. That, and a couple of shots of Fireball.

This year has been trying- we had laid out everything we needed to make this happen seamlessly. But, life. We were originally dissuaded from continuing production early last year because we were contacted by a publisher who wanted to make this a book instead of a web series. I have to admit, we entertained the notion of scrapping the production and running with the book. But the loss of intellectual property, the lack of much needed time to gather an authentic experience to document in said book, and the heavy realization that the promotion and the success of this project would be squarely on us, weighed heavily. After some time, we made our choice. We would write the book, but it would be ours. We would write the book, but it would be genuine in our experiences. We would write the book, but it would be along side of our production; where our children will learn something, where I would work beside my husband, where we would live out our heartsong.

Our book, 'Our Folklyfe,' will be published Fall 2018.

We invite you to join us in our journey, as it will be smelling of wood smoke, heavy with history, and an authentic experience. Thank you for all of the support we were given at the planting of the project, and I know in deepest parts of my heart that this will be an amazing step towards growth, knowledge and security for our family and yours.

'Folklyfe, ' (the web series) is scheduled to be released on March 20, 2018, the first day of Spring.  See you then.

Sweet Thankful, my oldest girl child, has followed her mama's red shoes when it comes to some of her interests. This summer, we put in a small potager garden, four raised beds. One bed is devoted to kitchen herbs. Rosemary, basil, sage, verbena, chamomile and thyme are growing well and spreading wide in the composted soil. Every evening, we weed, water and talk about what we plan to use our abundances for. 

The chamomile is being harvested and laid out to dry daily. Homegrown chamomile is stronger, sweeter, more apple-y than anything I've ever purchased, and we intend to put as many blossoms by to get us through the cold winter nights that have us aching for summer. Thankful has also taken to the large mullein plant that has spread out in the old garden behind the barn. My heart nearly tears open when I see her making notes in the herb books over my desk. She harvested some of the leaves with her summer house guest, Maya, and they have hung their bunting of leaves to dry in the hall window. Yesterday, they wildcrafted flowers for tea. Thankful likes color, Maya likes order, and together, they laid their harvest out to dry.

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