Spring Wildgathering Walks

By Cassey Mieslik

When this was being written, spring had already made a short appearance. The snow was gone so I could walk all the paths again to enjoy a peek of the season coming soon and to see what markers would have to be moved or changed. The brief mantle of green had me looking for stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), already planning for my spring tonic.

Here at Hilltop Barn you can take a self-directed or guided Wildgathering Walk on a system of paths that are marked to identify wild herbs and food that grow on the property.

This piece of land is very undulating terrain that produces boggy and arid areas, thus a wide variety of plant life representing a lot of Michigan’s wild herb and plants. Many of these are used for culinary, medicinal and ornamental purposes, both for us personally, and for teaching others about their uses.

My tonic of choice for spring is a handful of stinging nettle and several dandelion leaves steeped in an organic wine; they can also be steeped in a fruit vinegar, then a tablespoon or so of the vinegar can be added to sparkling water as a drink. I drink about 4 ounces of it a day for about 2-3 weeks after these plants are growing well enough to be picked without endangering their growth. Although I doubt the dandelion could be killed by picking some of its leaves! My goal is to reduce allergy symptoms with the nettle and to stimulate the liver with the dandelion. A tea can be made with leaves from both plants, they could be added to cooked soups and dandelion leaves and flowers could be added to fresh salads.
Dandelion flowers can be made into jelly by picking about 4 cups and boiling them with a quart of water for 2-3 minutes. Strain and mix 2 cups of this liquid with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, add a box of Sure-Jell and 4 cups of sugar, then follow the package directions.

A little later in spring the violets (Viola odorata) will be blooming along the paths and under the maples in the front. I’ve loved these little flowers since I was a girl gathering them in the woods by our home. There isn’t a lot of information about this herb in modern herbal books; but violets’ use are found in ancient Greek legends and still used in Europe as a cough remedy and for skin conditions such as rashes and eczema. I make lovely syrup with the flowers and a skin cream with the leaves. The flowers and leaves can be added to salads, the flowers to decorate desserts.

There are many useful herbs that grow in your lawn, garden and flowerbed; you don’t need acres of property to find them. You do have to have chemical, herbicide free lawns and be willing to let them grow, within reason, in your garden and flowerbeds. Dandelions are left to grow with my veggies; we don’t mow the area of the front yard when the violets are blooming and nettle is left to sprout wherever it chooses. Try leaving some space this season for the ‘wild’ things growing in your corner of Michigan.

If you want to learn more about identifying wild herbs, take a workshop offered in your area on the subject, buy some books on edible and medicinal wild plants (get at least three different ones by different authors and one of them with color pictures), attend a lecture. Various nature centers, garden groups and herb businesses have programs scheduled during the growing seasons to learn more about wild herbs and plants.

I believe these plants are growing all around us for our well being—be well with them.

Cassey Mieslik currently teaches about herbs and garden art for several school districts, groups, nature centers and other herb business around her business base, Hilltop Barn in Columbiaville, MI. At the Barn workshops and Wildgathering Walks are offered for adults & children. She can be reached through her website: www.michiganherbs.com/hilltop