Monday, June 27, 2011

Honey flowers


This evening I harvested chamomile.  Graham helped me for a bit, and afterward I told him to smell his hands.  "Smells like honey," he said.


I didn't actually plant any chamomile this year in my deck garden.  I planted a pot of it last year, and this spring it came up from seed.  Everywhere.  There is a little bit of it in nearly every pot, and I even spotted some in my driveway.  I think this fall I'll till up a spot next to the house and scatter seeds, to give it a bed of its own.  Otherwise it will completely take over my deck.


A small harvest, but it's a start.  I'm thinking about drying these and saving them for a batch of homemade soap this fall.  Maybe some shampoo bars.  It's been a long time since I've made soap, and I really miss it.  Besides, I've got to do something with all of that rendered tallow in the freezer.

6 comments:

Rob said...

Hi Jo, love the blog. My family and I just located out to a 5 acre plot in Nebraska and are following the same path that it appears you are. Would love for you to stop by: http://lancastersedge.blogspot.com.
Also in our herb garden the only thing that didn't bother to come up this season was chamomile...I wonder what we did wrong!

Erin said...

I was thinking as I was reading, "I wonder if she's going to make soap..." LOL! Can't wait to see you post some soaps - I too plan on doing this later (when I have time???), I already have the stuff I need, now I just need some uninterrupted time :)

Mama Pea said...

Chamomile tea, too! Supposedly has calming effects and is good to sip before bedtime. Add just a small drizzle of honey and . . . gosh, just the thought is making me feel sleepy! AND you could wash with a bar of your homemade chamomile soap before donning your bedtime jammies. (Let's not get carried away here, Mama Pea.)

Ladytats said...

mmmm camomile, I can remember my mother in law drying these to save for winter tea. good for what ails you. according to her, she and her siblings, they were required to drink a cup every morning before walking a mile+ into town to go to school. She used to grow a large patch in her garden, and give me dried flower heads every fall. I added it to my regular tea and then added honey.

I found your blog researching radishes. your post from earlier in the month came up. I found out that if radishes grow slowly, they get hot and woody.

I have added you to my favorite blogs list, I will look forward to reading your posts

Jo said...

Rob -- Thanks for stopping by. I'll have to check out your Nebraska adventures.

Erin -- If this shutdown lasts much longer, I'll have time to make lots of soap!

Mama Pea -- Thanks for the idea. After a long day, I don't usually have problems falling asleep. Although I could definitely use some 'calming effects' during the day!

Jo said...

Ladytats -- Thanks for reading. Maybe I will try adding it to my black tea. Good idea.