by Henry Kesner

The dandelion (as I covered in my last post) has become a common friend of our kitchen. We cook with it and drink it and even have a large, botanical reprint poster adorning one of our walls. It has become a landmark and even mascot in our home. While the Dandelion may be the herb king of our backyard garden there is something else that has conquered our kitchen en mass.

Can you guess what it is? Open our cupboard, go on, open it… Yep… Mason jars.



Now I know it is totally hipster to have mason jars everywhere in the home for drinking, storage, pickling, flower pots, light fixtures, you name it. But dare I say, herbalists of all ages and backgrounds have been using mason jars long before I tried cramming my coffee filled mason jar in my skinny pants as I spun off on my bike for work.

Sorry hipsters, the herbalists nailed this one. Mason jars are EVERYWHERE in an herbalist’s apothecary. In our case, we have one, large book case in our kitchen that is void of books and teeming with alphabetized jars of dried and tinctured herbs. Open any cupboard or closet in the kitchen and one will surely find filled or soon to be filled jars of herbs, spices, dried fruits, nuts, and the lists goes on. Take a quick peak out of our kitchen and into the living room and find an old herbarium cabinet also filled with jars.

This is only a start. I have also enjoyed visiting some of the more prolific herbalists of the northeast and have observed a variety of mason jar displays in their home – painted and mounted, each of them a work of art.

For me, the influx of jars in the home was very much welcome and an opportunity to bring the old school in with the new. The jars absolutely speak to my practical side, preserving our food and ingredients in storage friendly containers, allowing me to purchase and divide in bulk. They have also become my favorite food storage containers and summer drink vessels. It is also, by far one of the most beautiful works of art in our home and draws visitors young and old, with or without herbal training into its majesty.

I know, I know, I am trending towards hipster again but also towards fond memories of rummaging through my grandmother’s pantry and marveling at the gorgeous colors of beans and herbs that resided within these glass chambers.

In closing, I say bring on the mason jars. They are beautiful in their simplicity and simple in their beauty. Each one is a work of art, housing a treasure within. To all the herbalists (particularly mine) fill the cupboards and closets of our home with these jars of wonder… Just keep them out of the bedroom, for now at least. Thanks and XO.

Summer is one of the best times to keep learning about herbs since everything is blooming and flourishing. So get out there and harvest your herbs, learn how to identify new plants, or just enjoy all the botanical beauty!

To help you continue your herbal education throughout these summer months we’ve compiled a list of upcoming herb classes being offered by Herbstalk teachers in July and August. Read on for the full details:

In MASSACHUSETTS:

Herbs for Everyday Living
with Steph Zabel
starts July 30th: a 6 week series
Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
Details HERE

Herbal Medicine as First Aid
with Katja Swift & Ryn Midura
Wednesday, July 9th, 2014
CommonWealth Center for Herbal Medicine, Brookline
Details HERE

An Introduction to Flower Essences
with Katja Swift & Ryn Midura
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014
CommonWealth Center for Herbal Medicine, Brookline
Details HERE


Wild Foods
with Brittany Wood Nickerson
Tuesday July 15, 22 & August 5, 12
Greenfield Community College, Greenfield MA
Details HERE


Urban Herbal Dog Walks on the Bike Path
with Nancy Anderson
July 26, Aug. 23, Sept. 27
Entrance to the Bike Path in Davis Sq., Somerville
Details HERE

Herbal Fermentation
with Gavin McCarthy
August 6th
Commonwealth Center for Herbal Medicine, Brookline
Details HERE

Flower Essence Making Workshop 
with Linda Patterson
August 10th
Harwich, MA
Details HERE

Tuesday Night Dinners: Summer Cooking Class
with Zoe Keller
July 15
Beacon Hill, Boston, MA
Details HERE

Formulating for Clients: Creating Constitutionally Balanced Tinctures & Teas
with Margi Flint
August 30 – 31
Marblehead, MA
Details HERE

In MAINE:

Ancient Art of Facial Diagnosis
with Melanie Flach
June 19th
Rockport, ME
Details HERE

Spiritual Bathing
with Melanie Flach
August 9
Rockport, ME
Details HERE

by Jennie Oceane Edgar

Spring brings lovely scented flowers, lime green leaves, and the seasonal migration of birds that left the cold Northeast for their winter homes down South. Spring is also a time when we can step outside of our winter dens with our gathering baskets and walk through the meadows, along the forest’s edge, and even in to the woods to find fresh, abundant, and nourishing food. And for many food foragers, the beloved fiddlehead is a coveted delicacy.

Fiddleheads are easily recognizable by their tightly curled tendril tops. They are delicate, elegant, and radiate a sweet, gentle, and peaceful energy. To admire a fiddlehead is to be held in awe of its energy, it’s burgeoning potential to sprout out of the long frozen earth and slowly, slowly unfurl itself to the world. That is, if a delighted forager doesn’t harvest the tops, first.

This is why ethical and sustainable wildcrafting is so important – when harvesting fiddleheads, only take about 3 or 4 tops before moving on to the next patch. I never harvest more than 50% of a plant, and this practice ensures the plant will have ample ability to proliferate throughout the future seasons. Furthermore, harvesting living plants is also an exercise in gratitude – giving thanks is a wonderful way to build a relationship to the plant spirit realm, as well as a connection to the earth and ultimately, to ourselves. Together, let’s remember to be thankful for and mindful of the abundant food the wilderness offers us, now when the desolate winter is still a recent memory, as well as in each moment, always.

Unfortunately, opinions differ in regard to the safety of consuming certain varieties of ferns. It is difficult to discern which ferns are likely to make one sick, as there are many time-tested instances of people eating fiddleheads from every variety of ferns and faring just fine. Plant identification is very important for any wild food forager, and as a general rule, it is very important to know exactly what plant you’ve encountered and its level of toxicity before you decide to put it into your body.

Therefore, I recommend becoming acquainted with the ostrich fern, Matteucia struthiopteris, which is the most well-known and prolific fiddlehead in stores and restaurants. These ferns are easy to identify because of a prominent U-shaped trough running the length of the stem, on the inner side of the stalk. Furthermore, the stalks are smooth, with no fuzz or scales.

In mid to late spring, harvest ostrich fern fiddleheads when they are 8 to 20 inches tall. Ostrich ferns will grow to be 3 to 6 feet tall, so the size of the plant is less important than the quality of the top, which should be tenderly firm and bright green, while the leaves of the frond remain unfurled. Simply snap the tops off of the stalk with your fingers. Although the fiddlehead is the coveted portion of the plant, the stalk itself is a juicy, refreshing, and nutritious food, and can be prepared alongside the fiddleheads for a scrumptious meal.

And fiddleheads are a great food for the entire family because they are very nutritious, with high levels of vitamins A and C, as well as omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. This means that fiddleheads are a source of antioxidants. They also reduce inflammation and help the body fight the cold and flu. Fiddleheads contain minerals and electrolytes, especially potassium, iron, manganese, and copper. Furthermore, they are a wonderful source of fiber.

While these ferns can be eaten raw, it is recommended that you don’t eat them uncooked in large quantities. Fortunately, there are many wonderful ways to enjoy fiddleheads. When I harvest fiddleheads with the intention of cooking them that night, I love to sauté them in garlic for a simple accompaniment to almost any meal. Since fiddleheads are only available for a short time, sometimes it’s nice to preserve and store them so they can be enjoyed months later. I’ve come to love pickled fiddleheads, and I look forward to exploring many different recipes. Let me know how you foraged and fixed your fiddleheads, and many thanks for reading my musings about our beloved fiddlehead, an ephemeral, nourishing food source that grows close to our homes, and close to our hearts.