I would just like to say a big thank you to Sarah for another very interesting herb day at her wonderful sanctuary. Despite the weather and in between snow flurries,5 of us managed to brave the weather to dig up bramble roots to steep in cider vinegar. We also had some very tasty nettle soup which Sarah very kindly provided, and very welcome it was in the cold weather.We all managed to come away with some herbs too after a quick 'thin out'in the garden.
To anyone who has never been I would heartily recommend it.
Best wishes, Julie

Glad you enjoyed it, Julie!

I have to say it was a real adventure to hold a workshop in-between driving snow showers. There was a major panic just before everyone arrived because the electricity wouldn't work and I thought the rabbits had eaten through the cabling again, but it turned out that my son had turned off all the fuses as well as the main supply switch when he last visited in November.(He decided he wanted his birthday party to consist of playing lazer quest in the dark and cold running around the unoccupied farm buildings after midnight!)

The four women who had been before - Julie, Karen, Maddie and Sally were all very brave souls who travelled some distance to attend. The new participant was a young student from Pakistan, now living in London who had only been in the country ten days and found my website whilst searching the internet. My husband collected him from the local railway station and we leant him wellingtons so he would be able to walk down the fields. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself and wants to come back in the summer.

We tried some fresh nettle tea and cider vinegar and honey as well as Juliette Levy's medicinal wine tonic.

It was amazing to find so many herbs displaying different colours. Amongst the herbs we discovered were comfrey, ladies mantle, two types of echinacea (different shades or red leaves), fennel, chives, chocolate mint, motherwort, goats rue, St Johns wort, valerian, heliotrope (russet leaves), comfrey, lavender, dyers woodruff (scarlet roots), bergamot (deep crimson), thyme, angelica, feverfew, Solomons seal, wood betony, vervain and yarrow accompanied by hundreds of daffodils and primroses.

Every went on a burdock hunt to see which parts of the sanctuary the plant favoured (along the hedgerows). Another interesting thing we discovered was a new comfrey plant growing in the stream. This must have sprung from a dropped root cutting when we were making comfrey root tincture last September.

I took lots of photos over the weekend, so they should be up on the website soon. (http://www.springfieldsanctuary.co.uk)

Sarah

Glad you had such fun despite the weather, was no fun driving across the high peak area in all the snow, but pretty to see it, although I have to say I can't recall the last time there was snow at Easter lol! Sorry I couldn't be there, I'm impressed with all that was growing there though, re your heliotrope is it Heliotropium europaeum (European Helitrope with white flowers) or Heliotropium arborescens the garden variety with purple flowers and a sweet scent? I have seeds for the garden helitrope, but have been looking everywhere for the european kind.

If you have any spare solomon's seal I'd love some, have sown loads of things, so we may be able to plant swap again soon Looking forward to seeing the photos, let me know when they get to the site.

Debs

Just to let you know the photos are all up on the February and March diary page of the Sanctuary website. (http://www.springfieldsanctuary.co.uk) Thanks to the wonders of modern technology (Chris bought a new book which showed him how to do it!) there is a gallery viewing facility which is very impressive!

Sarah