Self Care

Superwoman!!! Da dat da dah! I'm not Superwoman, but sometimes (lots of times), I forget that I am a mere mortal, and can't do anything and everything that crosses my mind or path. I like to be busy, I love getting things done, racking up accomplishments, being resourceful. And then I start to notice that I am always tired, my sense of humor is wearing a little thin, and all I really want to do is stay in bed with my dogs, watching cartoons. It's hard to pay bills when you stay in bed and watch cartoons, and the dogs aren't any help at all when it comes to rent.

So, times like these (now) are times when I try extra hard to remember to take my vitamins, and eat a really good breakfast. (high protein, what most people would consider to be dinner) I think I'll thaw out some lamb for tomorrow, and cook some sweet potatoes and lentils. Mmmm....... comfort food, nutrient dense, warm, delicious, building. I'll remember to meditate and do my self-care.

I may even go to bed early, and stay in bed just a little late, but instead of cartoons, I think I'll be dreamy-eyed over seed catalogs, plotting and planning for when the Earth starts to wake up again, and the soil is ready for seeds. It'll be here before I know it, seed sowing time.

That's the problem with staying busy, life moves faster when I move faster, and spring will be here in a blink. Even sooner is the co-op, we open February 3rd, and there are herbs to order, tinctures to make and cabinets to paint. Much much more to do, but that will suffice for now. Smaller to-do lists, and more naps. And breakfast.

Embracing the descent, and ways to cook squash

Today was gorgeous. I went to visit my friend at the organic farm where she works, and was finally able to settle into and embrace the descending energy of Fall. I walked the fields and harvested spaghetti squash, buttercup squash, pumpkins, kale and plantain. Organic farms are a far cry from the "conventional" monoculture farms that use NPK fertilizers and pesticides. Here there was bounty everywhere. Nature irrepressible! The kale volunteered from a previous year's crop, and everwhere there was amaranth and lamb's quarters. Motherwort. Plantain. Grasshoppers!

Now I'll be racking my brain to come up with varied and clever ways to put the bounty to good use. I would love to hear your ideas!

• I have visions of a squash and coconut soup with green chilis and purple potatoes.
  
• A squash coconut curry sounds nice, too. With chicken!
• Roasted squash with olive oil, rosemary, hot pepper flakes and brown sugar like they make at Whole Foods.
• Canned squash for later.
  
• Baked squash with brown sugar, cinnamon and coconut oil.
  
• Some wicked garlic squash shredded like hashbrowns.
• I'd like to turn at least one of the pumpkins into a casserole with sausage, mushrooms, onions and nuts. I'm going to bake that one in the shell :) Maybe for Turkey Day?
• Another pumpkin will be soup that tastes like pumpkin pie, with cinnamon, coconut milk, nutmeg, clove, ginger and just a bit of extra sweetness.
• Spaghetti squash like spaghetti! Mmm, with buffalo sausage, oregano, mushrooms and onions.

There is something deeply comforting about aligning one's rhythms with those of the Earth. I've been out of sync lately, and I have missed the primal ebb and flow of nature. I sing when I harvest, to honor the plants and their generous gifts, and also to remind myself of the Sacred Nature of food and medicine. I think it is easy to forget that food is Sacred and Healing, when we get busy, and nourishment becomes something to check off our to do lists, instead of a deeply connected and thankful act of love. Love for ourselves, love for those we feed, and appreciation for the sacrifice made by that which feeds us.

Pumpkins and Squash are sweet foods, and Traditional Chinese Medicine has a lot to teach us about the flavors and energetics of foods. Loosely quoted ~ "Sweet flavors are associated with Earth in TCM, and they have influence over Stomach and Spleen Networks. Sweet has Yang qualities. Sweet flavored foods are warming, strengthening, harmonizing, relaxing and moistening. These foods strengthen Spleen Chi, and help with acute weakness. They also nourish body fluids, relieve inner tension and stabilize one's inner center." To help warm the Stomach when eating energetically sweet foods, use a warming cooking method like roasting, baking, adding warming spices, frying or grilling.

*Source ~ Chinese Nutrition Therapy by Joerg Kastner, M.D. L.Ac.

I could have rested in that field all day, but work and dogs were calling. The sadness of Fall was profound, but so was the gratitude that I feel for the harvest and knowing that I will have good food to see me through the winter.

Green Blessings!

Preparing for the cold...

It's getting cold! I'm not really ready for fall, but I don't think it will wait for me to be ready, so I am embracing the descending energy, and preparing for the cold.

I'm so reluctant to let go of the bounty of the harvest. I am spoiled. I love walking outside and picking most of my breakfast every day. Today I harvested Amaranth leaves, basil flowers, a purple bell pepper and a tomato, and cooked them up with half of an onion from the farmers market, a clove of garlic, a can of kippers, and some olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I will miss fresh greens when they run out.

I have been cleaning up my neglected tomato plants, collecting finished compost and starting a new batch in the tumbler. That compost is black black black! It's beautiful, and the next round of crops are sure to love it.

Speaking of the next round, I am going to cover my tomatoes with a very low tech hoop house to extend the season a bit, and am considering what to plant underneath them. Broccoli? Kale? Chard? Leeks? Spinach? The tomatoes won't last too far into winter, even with the hoop, but I'd like to make the most of the subclimate the hoop will create.

I was at the Resource Sales Yard yesterday, hunting for PVC pipe for my hoop, and happened upon a great old door instead. It has 5 panes of glass, and will make a fantastic top for a cold frame. That old door is going to save me a fair amount of measuring, cutting and assembly. Now I just need to figure out the ideal angle and build myself a box! I also lucked out with a roll of chicken wire to contain the leaves that won't be fitting into my compost bins.

The first light frost is coming up quickly, and afterwards will be the ideal time to plant the heirloom garlic I ordered from Seed Savers. I've never grown my own garlic, and I'm really excited about it! I ordered 3 different varieties, and need to prepare their bed. More about garlic later!

So, what are you doing to extend your growing season? Who out there has built a cold frame or a hoop house? What tips and tricks do you have to share?

Green Blessings!

Basil ~ Materia Medica and Unconventional Usage

Mmmm, basil :) I planted a lot of basil this year (too much?) and am now fully involved, as Shawna said, in "sexually frustrating my basil." I hate wasting those fragrant blossoms, and the tiny leaves that come with them. So, I have been cooking with basil flowers, and adding them to really awesome teas. By themselves, they are divine, and as a compliment, they are unequaled. Today's tea is simple - basil blossoms muddled slightly in my mortar and pestle, add hot water. Wow.

Let's see, I promised unconventional uses, didn't I? In Belize, Rosita taught us the magic of Spiritual Bathing. That's one of the reasons I planted so much basil, actually. For my spiritual baths. The Maya call Basil Ca-cal-tun, and it is used in baths "to cure spiritual ailments such as susto, envy, grief and evil magic." Basil, Rue and Marigold are a powerful combination for this kind of therapy. Their gifts go deep, and I find them to be invaluable allies.

I have more plans for those lovely flowers. On the docket are: infused oil, infused vinegar and tincture. I have visions of using the oil in a lovely bug repellent recipe next year.

Watch at the market for fresh snipped basil to put in your pasta!

Ocimum basilicum; Labiatae

Common names ~ Basil, sweet basil, garden basil

Part used ~ aerial parts

Dosages: Tincture ~ 10-30 drops, Tea ~ standard infusion

Vitalist Actions and Energetics ~ spicy, warm

Meridians / Organs affected ~ lungs, stomach

Clinical Actions (properties) ~ diaphoretic, antipyretic, antispasmodic, carminative, stomachic, galactagogue, aromatic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic

Biochemical Actions ~ antimicrobial, choleretic, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-parasitic

Primary uses

Internal ~ fevers, colds, flu, stomach cramps, vomiting, indigestion, intestinal catarrh, constipation, enteritis, whooping cough, headaches and menstrual pains, loss of appetite, nonulcer dyspepsia, minor inflammations of the GI tract, genitourinary tract, and upper respiratory tract. flatulence, colic, nausea, nervous irritability, fatigue, depression, insomnia, anxiety, epilepsy, migraine

External ~ as mouthwash or gargle for inflammation of the mouth and throat, as mouthwash or chewing for bad breath, as wet compress, poultice or ointment for wounds and as a hair rinse for hair loss, insect repellent, insect bites

Cautions ~ not to be used during pregnancy or lactation

Sources:
Arvigo, Rosita and Balick, Michael ~ Rainforest Remedies
Chevalier, Andrew ~ Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine
Tierra, Michael ~ Planetary Herbology
Skenderi ~ Herbal Vade Mecum

Excellent Read!

I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Wow. Just Wow.

You'd think the story of a family eating locally for a year would be dry, but not when it's written by Barbara Kingsolver! Many things impressed me about this book: specifically, it is full of recipes :) and the sidebars written by her husband, Steven Hopp, are informative and full of resources for further learning. Her chapter on Harvest Day is insightful, practical and compassionate. This book is inspiring, and an invaluable catalyst to raising awareness about local and sustainable food sources. This is a "we can do it" kind of story, and it leaves me with a greater-than-before desire to do more. I want chickens, and a bigger garden!

Graduation

Wow. It's so hard to believe that I've graduated! I think I've gotten lost in the process, and can't see the forest for the trees. It's been all about plugging away, learning, writing up cases, reading cases, writing feedback, writing my thesis, etc for so long, that I don't quite know what to think now that it's finished. The learning continues eternally, of course, but the structure has fallen away to leave me with a glorious springtime in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.













Our ceremony was unbelievably lovely. It's been 15 years since I have graduated from anywhere or anything, so I really didn't know what to expect. Penny organized the lovely space, Bobbie and her Mom did a fabulous job decorating, and Karen organized the compostable place settings. We all pitched in for a Nutritionist potluck, and I have got to say, the spread was amazing! I made Michael Moore's perversely decadent guarana fudge and a kava beverage to balance us out. It was a nice party! Family and Friends came out to honor us and celebrate with us, and for that I am truly thankful. There was so much love and support in the room.

It moves me to tears to realize that our graduation ceremony may be the last time I sit before Paul Bergner as he tells us wonderful stories to inspire us, bring us to deep reflection, and help us remember the lessons. He is a gifted storyteller, and would have made a very successful Bard, in those times. His generosity, compassion and vision are integral to the impact he has made upon all of our lives. I know that mine will never be the same. What a wonderful gift to humanity, to be a Teacher. I know that his rewards will be great.

With hardly a moment to breathe, or process the transition, my first day at the Louisville Farmers Market was Saturday. The weather was perfect Colorado Springtime, and it was the best opening day I've ever had at a market. I am inspired and hopeful. To be sustainable is my goal, and it will be lovely to make a go at it with the market and my private practice.

I've had my hands in the dirt every day, and have given up removing the last bits of soil from under my nails. I have been planting seeds, dividing and transplanting herbs, cleaning last year's dead wood, and hauling cinderblocks for my new veggie garden. I've eaten fresh, wild greens almost every day, and last night shared a meal of barbequed buffalo, greens and fingerling potatoes with a dear friend. I feel good about the work ahead of me, and hopeful. I meet more people every day with the vision of a greener, more sustainable life. It is heartening, and I welcome my place in this grassroots evolution.

My logo is done!

It's done! The logo is fantastic, and the business cards have been ordered! I'm excited, and it was absolutely worth the wait!

I've been seeing purple and green everywhere. My office, my tomato seedlings, the grape hyacinths that hypnotize the honeybees. Everywhere!

Graduation from NAIMH is May 15th, and the first day of the Louisville Farmer's Market is May 17th! Whew! There's enough to do for myself and clone, but it'll get done!

Last weekend I went to a really cool workshop put on by Mary Barnes, RH (AHG). I like her, she's one of my favorite teachers, and she's a formulation whiz! We percolated licorice root, infused comfrey oil and formulated a really nice muscle balm. Her tips and tricks were great, I learned new things! I love learning new things about topics I think I already have handled. I've been infusing oils and making tinctures for about 10 years, but I have never percolated a tincture before last weekend. The physics of it are really cool, and it's a great science project! Also, it solves the problem of how to get the last drops of precious tincture out of the marc. Delightful! Since the workshop, I've been dreaming of percolating tinctures, and it solves the problem of how to make what I need to make in time for the market.

What is this market I speak of? Louisville is finally getting a farmer's market! The organizers are organized, and understand the magic of good marketing. I'm hoping for a good turnout on May 17th, our first day. Come see me if you're in the area! I'll be set up on the corner of Walnut and Front Streets in Old Town Louisville, just off of Main Street. Head east when you see the barbershop! The hours are 9-2, and we are open every Saturday until October 25th. I am bringing herb and heirloom veggie plants, teas, tinctures and salves. Later I will have organic produce from my garden. It's going to be a great opportunity to meet and greet my community!

Come out and see us!

Green Blessings,
Heather Luttrell

2008's first sunburn

It's spring!! I know we've all known this for awhile now, but I am finding myself filled with the realization and reveling in this crazy season. Spring here is contrary, sometimes we experience 70 degree days followed by cold snowy days, or frosty nights. I love it! The second round of tulips are up, the grape hyacinths are all abuzz with happy honey bees, and the lovely little Lemon Balm in my garden has woken up.

I planted pansies as soon as I could, and some violas just went in. I tucked spinach and swiss chard amongst the blooms, hidden in plain sight on my front porch. Kale babies are nested in the holes of the cinderblocks that make up my garden. The dandelions! I love them :) Today I picked dandelion greens to doctor up my soup, and they were stupendous! There's just something about that bitter goodness that makes me wonder the first day of spring that I visit with them, and crave them every day thereafter. I even overheard an older couple walking down the sidewalk comment about cooking dandelion greens, as they witnessed me harvesting in my front yard.

Yesterday I took Athena to the dog park, wandered briefly at Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat, and walked to work in the evening. This was enough to earn me my first sunburn of the year :) It's just a little burn, and not painful at all. I am happy for spring and my war paint to prove it!

Walden Ponds is an interesting place, and I hadn't visited it before. Funny, I've lived in Boulder County for 6 1/2 years now, and haven't ever been. It's beautiful, and another of those great dichotomies of our culture. "Walden Ponds Wildlife Habitat is located 5 miles northeast of Boulder, ½ mile south of the Jay Road and North 75th Street intersection on the west side of North 75th Street." link ~ The site used to be a gravel pit, and is now reclaimed, having turned into a very important wildlife habitat. It is fed by Boulder Creek, and is the transient home to many species of migratory birds. While I was there yesterday, there were red winged blackbirds singing, lots of Canadian Geese, an otter and a flock of really cool looking white birds with black edges on their wings. These were big birds with long legs, and without binoculars, I was clueless as to their actual identities. Gorgeous in flight. As you drive in, this beautiful sanctuary is on your right, you've just driven past a verdant pasture with horses grazing, and then there are piles of reclaimed asphalt and dirt on the left. Dichotomy. Regardless, this is an excellent place to go for fishing, birdwatching and simple enjoyment of nature. It could make for a nice out and back hike, as well. I'll be back on a day when I have good shoes and a hat!

Composting

I read somewhere once, so long ago that I don't remember where it came from, about a woman who improved the soil everywhere she ever lived. That idea has stuck with me ever since. Grassroots movements need good soil to grow, and I think we're all a grassroots movement in our own little ways. It's when we find each other and join forces that the movement, well, moves!

Composting, in all it's dusty, dirty, damp, wormy and rotting wonderfulness is a small way each of us can improve the Earth, in a very literal way. When we bag our grass clippings and leaves and send them away, be it to the landfill (please don't!) or recycling center, we are effectively mining our properties of nutrients. The chemical fertilizers many of us resort to to put those nutrients back into our soils actually degrade our soils, and reduce the nutrition in what we grow in those soils. Why pay someone to mine our yards and then pay another company to give us back the nutrients we just sent away, but of a sub-standard quality?

This tumbling compost bin was my birthday present to myself. It is a batch style composter, which means you fill it up, add a bit of activator, moisten and tumble it daily for 4-8 weeks. Voila! Compost is done and ready to be added to your garden, enriching the soil, and making for bigger tomatoes. This is great, but then what do you do with your yard and kitchen wastes while a batch is cooking? Costco to the rescue, with a very reasonably priced and enormous compost bin, pictured on the right. A pile works just as well, but I have a precocious dog (Athena) who loves to eat anything she can get ahold of, and even better if it's in some stage of decomposition.

Google provides tons of information about the hows, whys and why nots of composting. It can be as simple or as complicated as you have the time and inclination for. A big pile in a corner of the yard works just fine, and it'll be done when it's done. Nature doesn't need our help to make things rot, it's the way of things!

What if you're impatient to get that black goodness, like I am? I have veggies to plant this spring, and they will be happier with a nice top dressing of compost. Well, then there are guidelines. Ratios of greens vs. browns. Greens are things like fresh grass clippings, kitchen scraps and, yes, even coffee grounds. Greens are fresher, moist, and nitrogen-rich. Browns are things like dead leaves, dry grass clippings, and shredded paper. They are carbon rich and dry. Ideally, you are looking for an equalish parts of greens and browns, and you should water your compost to be moist, but not soggy.

Air is important for decomposition, so don't soak your pile! You can turn your pile periodically to keep it aerated, which is why the tumbler is so fantastic. It's much easier that turning with a pitchfork, and less messy. Some people set up a three bin system with pallets and chicken wire, turning the pile from one bin into the next, with finished compost ending up in the last bin. I like this method, both for it's simplicity and containment, but Athena would like it even more.

Compost piles that sit directly on the ground have an advantage over piles that are contained in a tumbler. Critters. Microbes, insects, worms, and other miscellaneous and extremely valuable agents of decomposition. Help out the helpers by converting what you put in the compost into as small of pieces as possible. More surface area = faster decomposition. They've got little mouths! Consider putting your kitchen scraps in the blender before you dump them in the pile, if you're impatient like me :) You can buy compost activators at your local garden center. The one I found is made by Age Old Organics. Soil Bio-Activator & Compost Accelerator (Kelp Meal Granular) We'll see how it works, but this is a good company, and the product came highly recommended.

OK, so what can't go in the bin? Basically, anything that rots will, given enough time. Sticks, however, take a very long time. It's best to save them for the chipper or take them to the recycle center. That said, don't put meat, dairy, greasy scraps or pet wastes into your bin, or you're likely to attract vermin, and it's going to smell pretty rank. However, waste from herbivores can go in the compost. (rabbits, hamsters, goats, sheep, etc.) A healthy pile shouldn't stink. If it does, it probably needs to be aerated, and make sure your food scraps are buried.

Your compost is done when it doesn't look like what you put in it anymore! It should be dark, moist, and smell like the earth in the springtime. Forget oil, this is the true black gold! Crumbly and dark, you can use it to top dress existing plantings, or mix into the soil in preparation for a new garden. Backyard composting is the ultimate localization of resources. You don't use any fossil fuels to transport anything, unless you buy a prefabricated bin (made of recycled plastic), and the rewards are substantial.

What are you waiting for? Go get dirty!

Wild Vitality!

Wild Vitality

After much consideration, brainstorming, soul searching, thesaurus utilization, meditation and dreaming, I have decided to name my practice Wild Vitality.

It’s a tough thing, finding words to express in a "pearl" all that I am offering, but Wild Vitality does it! I was meeting with Amber, my highly skilled metal smith and web designing friend, www.lootbox.com when I realized that Avena’s Herbs sounds like an herb shop (5 year plan) and would be misleading once painted upon my office window. How to wrap Herbalist, Nutritionist, Reiki Practitioner, Vitalist, Fun, Organic, Growing, Movement, Healing, Change and ENERGY all into one little pearl? One little pearl with the big job of being the name for my website and my clinical practice, and having the ability to grow with me for 10 years or more?

Wild Vitality

Heather Luttrell
Certified Herbalist
Reiki Practitioner
Nutritionist
Providing Momentum for Personal
Evolution on All Levels

What better day to decide upon such a great name? The moon is full and the Spring Equinox today is full of the promise of flowers and verdant green. There are crocuses blooming in my garden, along with the spring shoots of Valerian, bronze fennel and Comfrey. There was a tough little catnip volunteer, but Medea ate it a week or so ago. I planted some purple pansies last week, and this weekend’s projects involve assembling the stand for my compost tumbler, spring cleaning in the yard and garden, planting onion sets and sowing seeds for kale, spinach, beets and carrots under a floating row cover.

Today is the day the Earth wakes up, although many of us have noticed her stirrings for awhile now. Today the Wheel of the Year turns with a Wild Vitality. Green Blessings!