A sweet treat

With it being the mid-February holiday of St. Valentine's Day, we thought we would share a sweet treat with you. We've added a recipe for Strawberry Pan Cake to our recipe page. If you don't already have a gift for the one close to your heart,  this homemade dessert may show them how much you care.

Of note, the recipe we are sharing came from the book Enduring Harvests by E. Barrie Kavasch. This is a terrific book filled with Native American recipes. The book is organized by seasons and festivals. The recipes are from many different Nations and feature a variety of indigenous foods. Various anecdotes and history accompany each recipe. What a great way to learn the culture, history, and tastes of Turtle Island! Purchase your copy of this book by clicking the link included...

Of note, Winter has been bitter as of late. But the signs of Spring have already started to show. Warm weather birds have been seen and heard. May we hope for an early and gentle Spring!

-kim

Botanical Medicine Certificate Program

Our good friend Dr. Les Moore is offering the next part of his Botanical Medicine Certificate Program. This program is an excellent way to learn more about medicinal plants and their usage. Check the information below for course and registration details. Please contact Classical Formulas with any questions you might have.

I've included a link to my favorite reference book on the medicinal plants that grow wild in this area, A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs: Of Eastern and Central North America (Peterson Field Guide). May you enjoy it as much as I have!

-kim


Botanical Medicine Certificate Program

Medical Herbalism Part II
January 20 – February 17, 2011  

Medicinal Calendula

This Course is the second in a series of three herbal study programs to be offered at Clifton Springs Hospital through the Integrative Medicine department, The Botanical Medicine Institute, and Classical Formulas. While each series has a similar format, they will contain different information. These classes are appropriate for health care providers, people employed in health related businesses or anyone interested in Herbalism.

Dr. Moore and herbalists from Classical Formulas Herbal Medicinary will instruct these classes.  Dr. Moore has a life-long interest and extensive education in the field of Herbalism, both Western and Eastern.

You may register for the whole series or at the beginning of each class.  Students may begin ANY series at ANY time with no prerequisites of the previous series. Each series is a stand-alone module.  Students completing all three of the series (Parts I, II & III) will receive a certificate upon course completion.  To be certain you have a place in class please register early, as class size is limited.

Tuition is $120 or $20 per class. Contact Classical Formulas for Registration at 315-462-0190 by January 18th.

Female Gingko Tree w/nuts
(Highland Park)

PLEASE NOTE: All classes are held on Thursdays at Clifton Springs Hospital from 6:30-8:30 pm with the exception of the herb walk on Saturday January 29th, 2011 held at Lamberton Conservatory at 10:00am.

Course Descriptions

Class 1 – Botanical Medicine/Single Herbs–January 20th, 2011
Learn about herbs and homeopathy used for stress, immune stimulation and for combating specifically colds and influenza. Will also cover single herbs for traditional Indian medicine, (Ayurvedic Medicine).

Class 2 – Herb Pairs/Drug Interaction and Materia Medica for Children – January 27th, 2011
This class will focus on paired herbs that are therapeutic for specific conditions.  Information on interactions that can occur between medicines and herbs will also be discussed as well as herbal dosages for children. Will also cover Ayurvedic herbs for children.

Class 3 – Plant Identification/Herb Walk – January 29th, 2011

Native medicinal - Pokeweed

This class will be a 3+ hour walk to identify plants in the Lamberton Conservatory located in Highland Park.  This is essentially a green house so temperature will be comfortable without a heavy jacket.

Class 4 – Herbal Medicine Making – February 3rd, 2011
Learn how herbs are used to create various herbal therapeutics.  Participate in some hands on preparation of herbal formulas.

Class 5 – Herbal Formulas/Modifications – February 10th, 2011
This class will focus on herbal formulas and how the herbs in each formulas work on the body and how they can be modified to fit a specific condition or person.  Discussion of how the pulse and tongue can be used to diagnose a condition.  Will also cover Ayurvedic herbal formulas.

Class 6 – Homeopathy and First Aid – February 17th, 2011
Learn how homeopathic remedies are used for first aid, and many other conditions.  Will also cover first aid from Ayurvedic medicine.

Welcoming the Green into Your Life

As I look out my window, I see the snow softly falling. It has snowed all day and has left our Mother Earth covered in a blanket of pure, unblemished white. Some find this cold season dismal and depressing. I don't. I know the Earth needs this quiet season to rest and I also know that many of our most beloved native plants and wildflowers need the conditions of the season so their seeds will germinate.

Native Corn Variety - Dakota Black Popcorn

But most of all, this time of the year is one in which I dream of warm sunny days and my fingers working the dark, rich earth. Yes, I am a gardener, a lover of green growing things, and a tender of the soil. Winter is a terrific time for planning gardens and starting seeds. I know my own mailbox has blossomed with all manner of seed, plant, and gardening catalogs.

January is often a time of new promises and goals for the year. I encourage everyone to add planting a garden this year to your list of 2011 goals. For those with health goals this year, please know that gardening is a terrific activity for your health - see an article I wrote here on this topic. Gardening also allows you to reconnect to millennia-old traditions of sowing seeds, tending the soil, and partaking of the fruits of your labor - whether you be a gardener of flowers, herbs, or vegetables. To help you in this endeavor, I'll share some of my favorite sources with you. All of these places have online store fronts and many have print catalogs free upon request.

My best wishes for you in 2011. May you find beauty, joy, happiness, and peace in your gardens and may that extend to the rest of your life. Namaste.

-kim


Vegetables/Food Crops

Heirloom Tomatoes from my 2010 garden

Nothing is better than a tomato fresh from the garden, still warm from the sun's kiss that is sprinkled with a little sea salt. And so I encourage everyone to grow their own foods. Many food plants are ornamental in their own right and can easily slip into your flower beds if you do not have dedicated vegetable spaces. I also encourage everyone to seek out heirloom/heritage seeds, some of which are of direct Native origins. These are wonderful and tasty departures from the bland and tasteless vegetables that crowd grocery shelves. They will certainly be at home in your 3-Sister Garden.

Abundant Life Seeds - Organic and biodynamic vegetable seeds
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - One of my favorite heirloom seed sources. Some Native varieties. The owners of Baker Creek recently bought the historic Comstock Seeds company.
Comstock Seeds - A 200 year old tradition of selling seeds being relaunched by new owners (website coming soon)
Johnny's Selected Seeds - A wide range of vegetable and herb seed. No genetically modified seed.
Miller Nurseries - A local company that specializes in fruit tree, shrubs, and plants. Get a variety of plants and varieties including strawberries and blueberries here.
Pinetree Garden Seeds - A favorite place to get not only a wide range of vegetable varieties but a place to get small amounts of seed for a small price which is a wonderful way to test out a variety
Raintree Nursery - All manner of fruit-bearing plants and trees are available here including juneberries, strawberries, and blueberries
Seed Savers - Heirloom vegetable seeds incl. some Native varieties
Seeds of Change - Organic vegetable, flower, and herb seed. Some Native varieties like the Dakota Black Popcorn I grew last year.
Territorial Seed Company - A wide range of heirloom, open pollinated, and hybrid vegetable varieties. No genetically modified or treated seed.
Totally Tomato - Can't find a particular tomato or pepper variety elsewhere? Find it here.
Terroir Seeds - Heirloom and open-pollinated seeds including the Cherokee "White Eagle" corn I grew in 2009. This special seed made the trip over the Trail of Tears.

Herbs/Medicinal Plants

White Baneberry - Poisonous & medicinal

Whether the herbs you grow are to season your food in the kitchen or are to keep you healthy, these are powerful members of the plant kingdom. Last week I had the pleasure to catch the podcast "Bringing Seeds to the People" by Richo Cech Herbalist and owner of Horizon Herbs. That combined along the current book I'm reading, Sacred Plant Medicine: The Wisdom in Native American Herbalism by Stephen Buhner has re-energized my desire to plant medicinal plants this season.

Horizon Herbs - Medicinal plants and seeds of many herbal traditions
Nichols Garden Nusery - A nice selection of culinary herb and vegetable seed
Richters - A wonderful source for medicinal plants of all sorts from nearby Toronto

Flower Gardening

I don't do much ornamental gardening these days but I do always slip some flowers into the vegetable beds to attract pollinators.

Select Seeds - Get antique flower seeds from this company including some of my favorite poppy varieties

Native Plants

Joe Pye Weed - A native beauty

I can't stress enough how important it is to welcome these plants into your life and gardens. Many have become rare in their native ranges. These plants are ideally suited to our growing conditions and they offer beauty, balanced habitats, medicines, and more. See plantnative.org for more details about growing native plants.

Forest Farm - While shipping from the westcoast is costly, this is a wonderful place to find many hard to find plants, trees, and shrubs.
Musser Forests - A nice place to get many native trees and shrubs in small amounts or quantity in nearby Pennsylvania
Prairie Moon Nursery - One of the best native plant and seed sources around.

Return of the Sun

Winter Sun at Fort Hill (Ganondagan)

It seems as though it was only yesterday that I was writing about the great wheel of the year turning and I was looking forward to the summer solstice. Now the winter solstice is nearly upon us and it is clear, the wheel certainly doesn't stop nor slow for anyone.

The winter solstice is the longest night of the year and it is also the day that marks the return of the sun - a time when our daylight hours will again begin to grow. At first the lengthening of our daylight is imperceptible. But with time it grows and in only 3 short months it is the spring equinox and the earth has begun to warm enough that the first signs of the approaching spring may be seen.

And so I suppose it is only right that this very special time of the year has traditionally been filled with sacred observances and as well as festivals of light in many cultures across the globe and throughout the centuries. I've included a few links to various observances, solstice information, and stories of the sun coming to the world below.

In looking for information to share, I came across a quote from Dante's Paradiso, "la luce divina e penetrante per l’universo secondo ch’e degno.” Translated it means, “the divine light penetrates the universe according to its dignity.” Divine light penetrating the universe - I can think of no better way to describe the return of the sun.

-kim

For more please see,

• Native Story (Haida) - How Raven Brought Light to the World
• Native Story (Zuni) - Coyote Steals the Sun and Moon
• Native Story (Cherokee) - Stealing the Sun
• 5000 year celestial calendar marks the winter solstice Newgrange, Ireland
• Sun Lore of the Ages - Solar Festivals
• Hawaiian Story - How Maui Snared the Sun
• Winter Holidays Celebrating the Solstice
• Information about the solstice as well as a couple dozen worldwide solstice celebrations

Canandaigua Treaty Keynote Speaker Oren Lyons

When I first heard that Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation, would be the keynote speaker at this year's commemoration on Thursday, November 11 of the Canandaigua Treaty of 1794, it brought back my first experience hearing this quietly charismatic and visionary man. In the summer of 1991, I happened to catch Oren's interview with PBS television host Bill Moyers. I was taken with Oren's tremendous historical knowledge and perspective, his awareness of the importance of bringing the past into the present with consideration for the future, and of his tremendous sense of responsibility in his role as Faithkeeper. (A year later, he addressed the General Assembly of the United Nation, where he opened the International Year of the World's Indigenous People.)

It is remarkable that one man has done so much for so many. The awards he's received for his range of accomplishments is stunning: the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor; the National Audubon Award; the Earth Day International Award of the United Nations; the Elder and Wiser Award from the Rosa Parks Institute for Human Rights; and the Universal Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations.

As if that's not enough for one man, this author, artist, and professor also received an Honorary Doctor of Law from Syracuse University, and was an All-American lacrosse player at S.U., receiving Man of the Year in Lacrosse by the NCAA.

So, on Thursday, November 11, I'll be there at the 216th commemoration of the Canandaigua Treaty between the Six Nations and the United States, rededicating the agreement that secures perpetual peace and friendship between the two. And I'll be grabbing a front-row seat to hear Oren. Hope you'll be there too for what I know will be an unforgettable experience.

Fall Beauty

Perhaps I'm a bit partial, but I think New York State has the best Autumns. The leaf color is amazing. Warm days, crisp evenings. Fall activities are full of unique experiences and fun that are free or for very little cost. Crunchy apples and tangy cider and "sincere pumpkin patches" with pumpkins as far as the eye can see. Be sure to take in some of these wonderful Fall sights, sounds, and flavors.

In planning your Fall experiences, be sure to include Ganondagan. We have miles of trails lined with some of the most specular trees for fall color - oaks, maples, sassafras, dogwood, and more. The late fruit producing trees and shrubs like spicebush, hawthorn, and dogwood add their brilliant berries to the tapestry. Late Fall blooming plants like asters, goldenrod, and witch hazel can be seen.

Animals such as geese that are starting their yearly migrations, can be seen flying overhead. Deer are taking on their more gray winter coats and are in the midst of their yearly courtship rituals. The last of the butterflies as well as other small visitors such as spiders and toads can be seen.

Fungi of unusual shapes, sizes, and colors dot the woodland trails. Some of them are quite beautiful while others look as if they are from another world.

The Ganondagan State Historic closes for the season at the end of October. While the trails are open year-round, the site (giftshop, longhouse, etc.) will close at the end of October. This leaves you a very short window if you had planned to visit this year.

I would suggest making a day of it. Pack a picnic lunch and bring your camera on your visit to Ganondagan. Take in the sights and sounds. Smell the crisp Autumn air with the pleasantly acrid background scent of fallen leaves. See the flaming colors of the maple and sassafras. Walk the trails and revel in the serene fall beauty.

After you've finished your visit with us, be sure to check out one of the other nearby fall fun locations. Check out our neighbor the Apple Farm for fresh apples, cider, wagon rides, and lots of family fun in the U-pick orchard.  Long Acres Farms in Macedon operates one of the best corn mazes around not to mention they offer a wide range of other family fun activities. Bristol Mountain operates their ski chair lifts to give visitors "Sky Rides" that offer an unrivaled view of the beauty that is the Finger Lakes in fall. And Sonnenberg Gardens is also nearing the end of their season and will also close at the end of October.  Besides touring their gorgeous gardens and estate, they are offering special "Mansion Mystery" events. Because Ganondagan is so conveniently located, all these other fall attraction locations are within a short drive of the site.

Please come and enjoy what a New York fall has to offer!

-kim

Two Ganondagan Events with Amy Stewart & Jan Longboat

This weekend Ganondagan will be hosting two events that feature Amy Stewart, the best-selling author of Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities and Jan Kahehti:io Longboat, Mohawk Elder and Keeper of Earth Healing Herb Gardens and Retreat Centre at Six Nation.

Our "Wild & Wicked Dinner" is the first event and it is friday night October 1 from 6-9pm. The dinner will be will held be an intimate setting in a beautiful private home in Mendon, NY and will feature a delicious night of wicked, wild, and powerful plants where you will get an opportunity to meet both Amy and Jan as well as dine on sumptuous dishes featuring foods native to the Americas. The evening will also feature a  book-signing with Ms. Stewart.

The second event, The Good, the Bad and the Powerful: Native Plants and Healing Seminar, is the next day on Saturday October 2. It will feature discussions by both Amy Stewart and Jan Longboat on the plants used for healing as well as those plants that can kill us - and sometimes a killer and a healer exists in the same plant. Come learn about our powerful green neighbors. Amy will also be on hand for a book signing.

Please see our "Wild & Wicked Dinner" webpage for videos of both Amy and Jan. They are very enjoyable and you will surely not want to miss these events! But if you do not hurry you will miss out. Registration for both events close Wednesday 9/29! Call to register or register on-line!

-kim