Members of the Bogachiel Garden club met Wednesday afternoon, May 18, at the Community Center. Club business included the upcoming plant sale, landscaping at the new Habitat House and the selection of the recipient of the club’s $500 scholarship that will be announced June 6 at Awards Night at the school. Club member Shirley Sharpes shared some of her interesting dried gourds.
Local gardener Heidi Oberfrank was the featured speaker. Heidi shared her journey of discovering the benefits of consuming and using atypical edible plants. She said she has even given up many medications and has replaced them with things that grow naturally and that we all take for granted. But she encouraged everyone to do their own research to see what is best for them.
A few of Heidi’s suggested plants and their uses:
All parts of the nasturtium are edible. Eat the seeds fresh or let them dry and use them in place of pepper. They are an amino stimulant and antibiotic.
Feverfew is a self-seeding plant and is good for migraines and other pain relief. It is a “bitter” and helps with digestion.
Catnip is not just for your cat. It is an anti-inflammatory and a good bug repellant.
Heidi recommends that everyone should plant some borage, or bee bread; it not only helps the pollinators but all parts are edible. The blue flower is beautiful in a salad.
Plantain is a weed that grows in my driveway but it also can be eaten and helps with adrenal issues and can help with stress. Its natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties make it great for speeding recovery of wounds and for itching or pain associated with skin problems. A tea made from the leaf can be sprayed on mosquito bites to ease the itch.
The dandelion, the poor dandelion, everyone wants to kill it, but stop! It is not a bane to your garden. All parts are edible, even the roots. And those roots that go deep help other plants in your garden grow better. Other benefits are its use as a diuretic and with liver function.
The flower and leaves of the yarrow are medicinal and you can make a tea that is said to help one sleep better. The lavender plant’s leaves and flowers also are edible, the leaves tasting a little like rosemary. Skin products, extracts, and aromatherapy items can be made from the flowers.
The marshmallow plant resembles a hollyhock and is a perennial that is highly medicinal. Marshmallows were once made using marshmallow root. The white flower is edible and can help a sore throat.
Want to stop that nasty aging process … eat pansies. The flowers and the leaves are great in a salad.
Calendula is a plant that can be used topically as well as in teas and soups. The hosta plant also is edible, eat them before the elk eat them.
Many of the plant leaves can be dehydrated, like grape and strawberry leaves, and added to breads, stews, and teas and can be used all during the year.
Heidi encouraged the group to be careful though when trying many of these items and make sure they do not interfere with medications you already may be taking. Heidi’s journey has been one of trial and experimentation to get to where she is today.
She has started a blog to share some of her information at http://raincountryhomestead.blogspot.com.
The next garden club meeting is June 15 and will be the last meeting until September. The program topic will be building dry stream beds. Dues for the garden club are $15 and new members are welcome.
