An Herb Walk, a stranger in a strange land

[Guest guest]

I'm visiting northern Louisiana and went for a herb walk today

with a friend. The plant community is very different from home in the

northeast and I felt like a dufus, I had forgotten what it was like to

not know anything about the local plants. After a while I started

seeing some familiar friends. Pine of course, then oak, stepping

barefoot on some sharp thorns revealed a rhubus family blackberry(?)

vine that was a bit different than I'm use. By a pond there was a big

time score with a large patch of the biggest boneset I've ever seen.

What was this feathery weed that is all over, what is that tree with

the red berries? SCORE! A juniper tree with blue berries, I don't

have any of that back east. Lots of mysteries calling to be solved

and opportunities awaiting.

Forced my friend to draw the boneset into her herb notebook

before I would share the name of the plant with her. She thought it

strange but later in the walk found a similiar looking plant and

determined through her own observation that it wasn't the same

species. Later we'll drink boneset tea and allow it's essance to ooze

in and through our pores. Drawing herbs is an awesome way to start to

get to know them.

Couldn't find any black walnut to add to the complete tonic we

have brewing but the grocery store yielded the rest of what we needed,

even some lamelooking horseradish roots. An extra root provided an

opportunity to introduce a southener to the new england main stay of

horseradish sauce.

Gathered some acorns that I'm processing now in the kitchen and

planted some jerusalem artichoke tubers. I'm in an unfamiliar land

with mostly unfamiliar plants but we'll see what the landscape

reveals. In the meantime there's more sore tummies to treat with a

shot of mint tincture in tea and the occasional sore neck and

shoulders to treat.