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Autumn Greetings from the Mountain

Sage Mountain Autumn Newsletter

“The seed is in the ground…and now may we rest in hope While darkness does its work”
                                                                                                                         ~ Wendell Berry

Dear Friend,

Autumn has been glorious this year.  At Sage, we put out beds to rest, harvest the last of summer’s glory, finish up the few remaining classes of the season, while the last bright oranges and yellows of calendula bravely flower around us, a testimony to the ongoing beauty and joy of life even at season’s end. 

 As we pause to put the last of the beds to rest, the harvest brought home, we wish to thank each of you who have joined us for our apprentice programs, classes and conferences, those who have traveled with us to distant lands on our wonderful and unique Plant Lover’s Journey’s, the commitment of hundreds of our correspondence course students to their studies (we are continuously amazed at the dedication and commitment of our correspondence students), and for all the phone calls and letters of support we’ve received throughout the years.  It has been so heartwarming to watch the dream seed that was planted here on this Mountain 24 years ago flourish, the dream traveling forth like winged seeds on the wind with each person/student/teacher that comes here to share and learn.  We feel more fortunate than we can ever express for the beauty each of you bring to the Mountain and the beauty each of you take home with you. It’s more than just about herbal teachings and formulas and recipes for health & well being, but a deep rich source of manna that feeds and nourishes the heart and the soul of each of us and the earth as well.   It is sacred plant medicine.  It is friends. It is community. The plants that are our teachers, that we are in service to, that we kneel before and honor as friends, healers, teachers ~ they help us open our hearts to one another, and to share a gentle more harmonious way to be in community together on this planet at this tumultuous time on earth. 

We are in awe…of the green biomass, the beauty that surrounds us, and continues to remind us when things seem hopeless that there is always a way.  Look to the plants that surrender everything they have at seasons end; that participate in the great give away each year without even a sigh of remorse.  Look to the seeds that plant themselves on highway meridians and point the way or the tiny mushroom pushing its way obliviously through a sold block of cement to get to the light. That’s hope!  That’s soft power manifesting before us! Its hope in our future and the cycle of life…. That we, too, can crack the cement of oppression and find the path to the light.  

At seasons end, as fall turns to winter, we turn our thoughts to another year of herbal teachings and begin another cycle around the Medicine Wheel of Time. We invite you to join us on the journey.  Though I am  definitely slowing down some (as I enter my fourth decade of teaching and sharing) and am not offering as many programs and classes as in the past, we still have some wonderful events and programs planned for 2011 (please check out Programs and Events on our website).  We’re especially excited about the upcoming International Herb Symposium that happens every two years; it’s truly a grand herbal event and not to be missed.  The I IHS brings together herbalists, healers and traditional medicine people from around the world to network and share wisdom and helps to weave our global roots together in a profound and joyful manner.     

And, of course, there's the Annual New England Women’s Herbal Conference.   Now in its 24^th year (and for many of us, our favorite event!), the WHC is moving this year to a more beautiful and larger site, Camp Wicosuta on Newfound Lake (located in the lake region of New Hampshire). Camp Wicosuta has been a girl’s camp for 90 years and warmly welcomes the Women’s Herbal Conference. With more indoor lodging, nicer cabins, more classroom space, lovely grounds, and a great beachfront, we think we’ve found the perfect site for the WHC to grow into for years to come.   

Wherever our paths may cross this year ~ be it in the gardens at Sage MT, at an event or conference, on one of our amazing Plant Lover’s Journey’s, or through the mail as one of our Correspondence Course students ~  I look forward to sharing and learning more about the wonder of the green world with you.  With you, I am standing my watch, doing what I can to help birth this world anew with a new vision that supports world peace and harmonly for all living beings. For me, `planting seeds and tending the garden' in all its profound manifestations and metaphors, is what I know best to do to help birth that vision. 

In the spirit of the plants,

Rosemary Gladstar

 Winter Recipes for Health & Well Bring

These are some of my favorite winter time recipes. They are all simple recipes, things easily made in the kitchen and easy to share with others. Pass them on ~

Fire Cider ~ a delicious tasty way to keep the 'cold/flu bugs' away!

• 1 part Garlic
• 1 part Horseradish
• 1 part Onions
• ½ part Fresh ginger
• Cayenne to taste (just a few grains will do)
• Honey  to taste
• Apple Cider Vinegar.

Chop fresh garlic, onions, and horseradish into small pieces. Grate fresh ginger. The amounts and proportions vary according to your particular taste..  If unsure, start with equal amounts of the first three ingredients and roughly half part ginger the first time you make this; you can always adjust the flavors in future batches.   Chop enough of the first four ingredients to fill a quart jar approximately half full.   Put in wide mouth quart jar and cover with Apple Cider vinegar (keep vinegar about two to three inches above the herbs). Add cayenne to taste (just a small amount or will be too hot!).  Let sit two to three weeks. Strain and discard spent herbs. Add honey to taste (add the honey after you strain the rest of the herbs).

Fire Cider should taste hot, spicy and sweet. Great as a winter time tonic and/or as a remedy for colds and coughs. I loved to take little shot glasses as a tonic and often people use it as salad dressing and/or on rice or steamed vegetables. It’s quite tasty!  

 Winter Cold Care Caps ~ One of my favorite old time stand byes for ‘kicking a cold’. Take two capsules every two - four hours at the earliest signs of a cold or cough coming on. Often, you’ll be successfully able to ward it off and/or shorten the duration of one.

• 1 part Golden Seal (organically grown, not wildcrafted)
• 1 part myrrh gum
• 1 part Echinacea
• 1 part turmeric
• ¼ part cayenne

Use the herbs in powder form. Mix together well and encapsulate in “00’ size capsules (available in pharmacies or at herb stores). Take two capsules every two to four hours until clear of any symptoms.

 Immuno Support Tincture for Winter Time Imbalances ~ Everyone has their favorite immune formula for winter. Here is mine. It’s warming, good for circulation, and nudges a sluggish immuno system into action.

• 2 part Echinacea (fresh or dried)
• 1 part organically cultivated Osha (hard to find in cultivated form, but search for it. We need to create a demand for the cultivated Osha so we take the demand off of the wild crafted plants)
• 1 part fresh horseradish
• 1 part fresh garlic
• 1 part turmeric (fresh or dried)
• 1 part Shitake and/or Reishi (fresh or dried)

Chop and/or grate all of the herbs.  Put herbs into a large mouth jar and cover with at least three inches of brandy or vodka (80 proof alcohol). Let sit in a warm place and shake every few days for four weeks. Strain and rebottle, discarding the spent herbs.  At the first sign of a cold or flu coming on, take ½ to 1 tsp every hour or as needed to ward off illness.

 Hot Curried Onions ~ This one of my favorite recipes to eat at the onset of a cold or flu. It’s a great ‘preventive’ and also helps mobilize the immune system.  And it’s so very tasty you can eat it even if you’re not sick!

* Chop several large onions into think half moons
* Whole garlic cloves, peeled (about ¼ the amount of onions)
* Sauté onions and garlic slowly over heat until golden brown and soft
* Season with Braggs amino or a little tamari

Add a very good curry mix and stir in well. Allow to cook for another 15-20 minutes until curry is well absorbed.  * Curry is a blend of spices that are all highly medicinal and usually contains turmeric, cumin, cayenne, ginger, coriander, and other herbs and spices depending on the blend.   

* You can also add cashews and raisins to make it a little ‘fancier’.  Serve with rice and yogurt for a special treat.