Preparedness – Homegrown Medicinals
While I’m out working in the garden, I’m not just tending standard food crops, I’m also tending herbs and “weeds”. Some I use for culinary purposes, some for medicinal, some for both. (Don’t you love it when you can get multiple uses from one item?) With many medicinal herbs now being outlawed in Europe, and increasing odds that the US is likely to follow Europe’s lead (thank you, Big Pharma), I’ve been learning more about plants that I can grow in my own yard for medicinal purposes. You’d be surprised at how useful “weeds” can be.
I dry an assortment of plants over the course of the season. Most of them live in my pantry in glass jars covered with my husband’s old mismatched dress socks to keep out the light. I cut each sock in half so it can cover two jars. The socks are elasticized so they grip the jars nicely. I always hated throwing one sock out when the other got worn through – now I have a use for them. The food in front of them is kept in bins that can be easily pulled out to access the herbs. You can see part of a bin on the right hand side of the photo.
Sustainable Plants Exchange 