Dandelion - Taraxacum officinalis

I decided to harvest dandelion root and leaf today since I avoided mowing the lawn for two weeks and the leaves are still happy and lush. It didn't take very long and it was quite satisfying when I managed to pull up the whole taproot. I also noted how the soil around the dandelions is nice and loose, due to dandelions knack for aerating. I will actually hang the dandelion leaves later, for now I was being too lazy to do more than place them on the drying rack (under the flour sack towel).

My one concern with the whole process was how much water I wasted in cleaning. I am sure their must be a less wasteful way to process roots and leaves - maybe just leave the dirt on them?- but the dirt was wet so it stuck really well to the roots and since they were in the grass the leaves were covered with grass and slugs, not exactly appetizing to keep that sort of debris on them. I think I will try soaking them in a pan of water to remove the dirt and slugs, and have a second pan of clean water to rinse them through a second time. I never have this problems with anything in the mint family! Geeze.

Now I need to figure out how to get rid of those tiny bugs all over my Calendula. Any advice is welcome, for now I am hoping those bugs just go away once the flowers are dried. (go away is a relative term since I just noticed three crawling across my laptop screen...I need to stop drying herbs in my bedroom.)

Dr. Horrible Is Online!

So after too many people went to go watch Dr. Horribles Sing-along Blog yesterday and crashed the site, I went by the site today to see if it was up yet. I just got done watching it and it is genius....evil genius at that! I think I will buy the season from iTunes so I can download it properly so that tomorrow when part two come out tomorrow I don't have to hit pause every 5 seconds.

For updates about what's going on check out their twitter page, and there is also a fan site already up that is holding updates.

Go watch it. NOW!

UPDATE: site is working now!

July is Here!

...and you all know what that means. That's right its time for a new Herb of the Month. This month I have chosen Tilia commonly called Linden in North America, or Lime Blossom in Europe.
Linden is a deciduous tree that is native to Europe, Asia, and eastern North America, here in the west it is a non-native imported from Europe. Tilia's are often planted along roadways and in parks. It's distinctive blossoms are easy to distinguish once you know what to look for and they are in full bloom right now.
Linden is most often utilized as a nerve tonic tea. It is a common remedy for frayed nerves and inability to sleep. It is specifically for those that are nervous, don't trust anything and want to be in control. It is also very useful in relaxing one to sleep, especially children. Linden has a pleasant aroma (it really does smell like limes) and tastes floral, sweet and tangy.

Vespa

I have taken it into my head that I want a Vespa scooter. I like this one in midnight blue.


I really don't know what else to say about it. I blame Paris.

Biosphere Art

One of my new favorite blogs has an interesting interview about an artist in Seattle who is creating self contained biosphere's as art,her name is Vaughn Bell. It is a very fascinating subject to me, I am interested in peoples relationship to plants and the psychological response, which seems to be her focus.

My friend Brianna from Bastyr did a report once on the fact that driving out to the woods and just being in nature actually has a calming psychological affect and is being used as a treatment for children with ADHD and hyperactive disorders. Maybe the real reason for the epidemic of this disorder is disconnection from nature, not anything else. If I did research I think it would relate to such things.

I am also interested in the subject of how houseplants affect on our psyche, but also affect our health, since they can removed toxins from the air and oxygenate and moisturize a room. Houses and offices with live plants are healthier environments.

As an extrapolation on that idea I have also been exploring the idea in a futuristic fashion in my novel, how houseplants become vital commodities in the future and no building or vessel would dream of being without them. Humans try, but they can never truly escape nature, and really they shouldn't want to.

Anyway go check out the interview, also check out this book I found called How to Grow Fresh Air, by Dr. B.C. Wolverton to learn more about how vital houseplants are from research done at NASA for the space program.