Spring Fever

It�s early March and I�m feeling restless for spring, impatient even. I find myself watching and listening for any sign of its soon-coming. On February 19 I was blessed to witness a flock of over 200 robins coming home over Sidie Hollow Lake, the earliest I�ve ever seen them. Our deep snow came soon after and I�ve often wondered how they managed in that situation. The pussy willows are popping open in spite of a decidedly winter landscape. The chickadees are singing their spring �phoebe�phoebe� song. The sap harvesters are poised with their taps and we�ve had a few promising days.

I think of this time of the year as the �quickening�, the time when we begin to feel the pulse of life stirring beneath the snow and the ice. My own sap�s already running strong as I feel the rush of almost spring in my veins.

Looking out the window at the deep white landscape, hungry for color, I am reminded of the verse I find myself reciting every year around this time�.�By faith and not by sight�. Spring is as guaranteed as the sunrise every morning and with it the drama of the resurrection is manifested in every rhizome shooting upward, seed breaking open and bud bursting forth.

My first harvesting expeditions will be out to my favorite springs to visit the watercress and fill up my jug with the cold, clear springwater. I�ll put the tap into my friendly backyard maple tree and share her life-giving nectar, a holy communion of sorts.

I�m realizing more and more how my years have become ordered by my harvesting activities and the many family traditions that have evolved around these earthly treasures. For example, whenever we harvest watercress, my daughter sets up an aquarium tank and collects all the pond critters that hang out in the roots�the fairy shrimp, the caddis flies, the tiny snails. As each season unfolds we have favorite spots we drive out to, kitchen projects, and meals that won�t be repeated for another year. Our spirits get as full as our baskets��

May you embrace the gift of spring with hearts wide open��.

Sweet spring is your time is my time is our time for springtime is love time and viva sweet love�..e.e.cummings

CRHI Update

Coulee Region Herbal Institute is off to a great start this year. As I embark on my second year as director, I am feeling much inspired by the positive responses and contributions offered by our rather widely dispersed community.

We held our first two classes indoors at the People�s Food Co-op in LaCrosse with a decent turn-out and some new faces as well as familiar ones. Lora Krall from Winona gave the January class on Herbal Skin Care, did a beautiful job and blessed us all with samples of her own handcrafted lotions. Rose Barlow (yours truly) led the February class on Herbal Dental Care. We discussed tools and herbal products for teeth and gum maintenance and each one mixed a batch of an herbal tooth powder recipe to take home. On March 18 Carol Jacobs of Winona will be offering a presentation on Lyme�s Disease: Prevention and Treatment. Check out her thought-provoking article in this issue of our quarterly newsletter for a sneak preview.

CRHI has gained several new members over the last couple of months and also some membership renewals. We currently stand at 19 members and welcome further membership support. We ask an annual 25$ membership, which helps offset the cost of printing and posting our newsletter and other costs of keeping the group active. Members attend most CRHI classes and events free of charge and receive our quarterly newsletter, as well as enjoying the satisfaction of supporting a good and interesting cause.

Our newsletter has expanded to a 10-page affair packed with articles, book reviews and a detailed regional calendar of herb-related classes and events. Many thanks to all the contributors!

Looking ahead, CRHI will host its first outdoor herb identification walk in April in Houston, MN. Our guide, Jeroen Boon, will focus on spring woodland flowers and edible plants. Then in May, Jessie Conaway will lead our annual Paddles and Petals kayaking expedition at Trempeleau Mountain. Check out the calendar pages in this issue for details on these events and other regional happenings!

Re-Thinking Invasive Plants

It is early March, the snow has barely melted, the sap�s running and it�s time for my first harvesting expedition. The mustard family has the opening act on the forager�s stage with its supernutritious, cold-hardy, pre-season greens, namely: watercress, wintercress (field mustard), and garlic mustard.

Whenever I harvest garlic mustard, it feels a bit like an act of treason, as if I am supposed to be cursing it, campaigning against it, and ripping it out of the ground rather than enjoying the vinegars, mustards and pestos I�ve come to love. Garlic mustard ranks high on the 10-most-wanted list of invasive plants in Wisconsin as it aggressively moves into our hardwood forests. It emerges long before the first ephemerals of the spring and is accused of shading out the woodland plant populations, driving away wildlife and generally �messing up our woods�.

Sitting in a patch of tender young garlic mustard sproutlings with my basket in hand, I can�t help but contemplate the phenomenon of invasive species. I�ve read the glossy brochures, studied the wanted posters on interpretive center walls and generally educated myself about the problem as a dutiful citizen. But somehow I always find myself on the fence with this issue, never quite knowing which side I should be standing on. Part of me sympathizes with the losses and costs incurred because of invasive species and with the disruption of the local ecosystems. But another decidedly radical voice in me secretly admires these invaders and I find myself wondering �Do invasive plants serve a purpose in nature or are they truly the scourge we�ve made them out to be?�

An invasive plant is defined as a plant introduced (usually by human activity) to a location, area or region where it did not previously occur naturally. It then spreads aggressively through the new location, displacing existing vegetation. Any plant that originated somewhere else is considered a non-native, introduced, or exotic plant. Most of our landscaping and agricultural plants are exotics, and there is a busy global market exchange of plants helping to disperse exotic species in an unprecedented biodiversity experiment. While some of these plants remain confined to greenhouses and gardens, many of them �escape� and become naturalized (dandelions, for example), reproducing and surviving in the wild without the aid of humans. There are some 30,000 non-native plants currently inhabiting the US today. They are designated as invasive if they dominate the surroundings and cause long-term problems. Invasive plants are also known as noxious weeds and various other expletives.

It gets a little trickier to define native plants because plants are not stationary and manage to travel even without the aid of humans. Events like climate changes, animal activity, wildfires, floods and natural succession are constantly changing the biotic landscape. Plants that originated in one corner of the world may have naturalized elsewhere for thousands of years. At what point do they become native? In the US, native plants seem to be pre-Columbian plants, plants that were here before the first white man ever set foot on the continent. Native plants are also loosely defined as plants in natural communities that have co-evolved over time and maintain a degree of homeostasis or balance. Hunter/gatherer cultures didn�t seem to significantly alter native plants communities according to these definitions, therefore native plants could be also described as pre-agricultural.

It�s interesting to note that we humans tend to perceive the boundary disputes in the plant kingdom as similar to the human story of war and

KUDZU MONSTER

conquest over territory, rather than a co-evolutionary process. Invasive plant literature is replete with war terminology to describe the situation and the tactics needed to control it. Implied in these labels, as well as in the science of invasion biology, is the idea that these seemingly aggressive, threatening tendencies are intrinsic properties of invading species. Richard Manning in his book �Against the Grain� talks about a �coalition of weeds� that moves in wherever agrarian cultures displace hunter/gatherer cultures. These new non-native plants literally follow civilization around. For example, plantain was called �White Man�s Foot� by the Native Americans because it seemed to grow right out of their footprints as they blazed their trails through the wilderness.

The irony in the war on invasive plants is that agrarian civilization has done more to displace native species than any of the listed invasive plants could ever hope to. Here in America, for example, the flora of the land has been completely reshaped by the advent of the Europeans over the course of a few, short centuries. Forests have become farms, diverse prairies a breadbasket monoculture, deserts into grazing lands, rivers dammed or re-routed, mountains leveled and defaced for ores and minerals, clear-cutting, the list goes on and on and on. One might ask, �Who�s the real invasive species here?� In a sense, invasive plants are scapegoated to avoid addressing the root causes of ecosystem disruption. Biologist David Theodoropoulus posits that �these �invaders� are actually disturbance indicators occupying human-damaged landscapes and they often have highly beneficial ecological effects�.

Discussions about the potential benefits of invasive plants tend to be highly charged and polarized, making it difficult to openly debate this. There is an inherent premise in the field of invasion biology that native is good and exotic is bad. There is also a presumption that we know what is natural for a site and that it�s our job to manage it. But according to permaculture activist Toby Hemenway, �Evidence is mounting that the vigorously growing blends of native and non-native plants that "invade" damaged land are yet another example of nature's wisdom and resourcefulness. Nature creatively mingles both native and exotic without prejudice, using all resources available to throw a green band-aid over ravaged landscapes.�

Perhaps this �coalition of weeds� that has been following civilization around has been quietly working to restore and heal the damage done to the land, like nature�s own Red Cross army assigned to �disturbed soil� war zones. Perhaps there is an intrinsic good and a mission to heal in the plant kingdom, quite contrary to our xenophytophobia. (fear of foreign plants). For example, dandelion comes and rototills compacted soils by both breaking up the soil with its powerful roots and by attracting earthworms. Burdock uses it�s deep, deep taproots to draw minerals up to the surface to replace minerals mined by heavy-feeding crops. Blackberry and poison ivy put up keep-out signs all over clear-cuts to give the land time to regenerate. If left alone, these plants might be acting as pioneer species in a succession of plants that would gradually evolve into a �new native� ecosystem. Although it�s unfortunate that we can never recover what�s been lost, the drama of succession and invasion is not new in the history of the earth.

Claude William Genest of Green Mountian Permaculture Institute writes: The Nobel prize winning "Gaia Theory" teaches us that the earth is like a body: it self-organizes, self-repairs, and self-reproduces. It is a single, self-regulating living system that organizes itself in such a way as to maintain and create the conditions that are suitable for life��..Similarly, invasive plants are also operating in the context of the whole-system. Take a closer look: they are absolutely specialized at cleaning up our mess and repairing degraded soils. Purple loosestrife's historical progression can be traced right up the fouled waters of our man-made canals and its ability to fix nitrogen and mine minerals make it an ideal pioneer species for degraded former wetlands. Eurasian Millefoils' "thousand leaves" give it more surface area with which to capture the nutrients we so ignorantly and abundantly provide and Zebra mussels fix our phosphorous overload like nobody's business��..Living systems evolve towards diversity, complexity and resiliency. Pioneer species, including many exotics, "take-over" for what appears to be a long time only in our myopically short life-spans. The pattern in fact is one of "succession" in which one species helps create the conditions for the next. Life creates life, even in death.

It may be no accident that these same weeds that are busily working to restore the land are also some of our most powerful healers. �Noxious weeds� like dandelion, burdock and garlic mustard are nutritional powerhouses that offer themselves to us humans in super-abundance to help us to nourish our depleted bodies, leach environmental toxins, and otherwise help us to cope with our industrialized world. Yet instead of receiving the gifts these plants bring with them, alien species are villanized and portrayed as terrorists, competing with crops, threatening to reclaim fields, re-route waterways, starve the herds, the list goes on.

Most of the charges being leveled at invasive plants have to do with their disruption of human activities and land management practices. . In one brochure I picked up it states that invasive plants �reduce agricultural yields, decrease gathering opportunities, and hinder recreational activities. Eurasian watermilfoil chokes waterways and restricts boat access, while the toxic properties of wild parsnip deter hiking and other land-based activities.� It would seem as though these plants were declaring war on us! From a Gaia perspective these might be considered intelligent strategies for protecting the land, but from a human perspective it is a major threat.

The economic impact is calculated at some 138 billions of dollars per year. These figures factor in the cost of research, conservation projects, labor, crop losses, devaluing of land, and the high price of chemical and other eradication programs. Fortunately, herbicide manufacturers are willing to help shoulder the burden of getting rid of invasives. Monsanto, for example, has been instrumental in the formation of the Exotic Pest Plant Councils.

The war on invasive plants is being fought from many fronts and there are very, very few people opposing it or even questioning it. There�s a Global Invasive Species Initiative, National Invasive Species Council and large, influential conservation organizations like the Nature Conservancy enlisted in the cause. There are countless private citizen actions on the local level as well. There are numerous legislative attempts to control alien plants, such as a �watercress ban� in Connecticut and other local ordinances where landowners can actually be fined for not getting rid of targeted noxious weeds. There is also a proposal to initiate a government-approved White List of plants and close the borders to the free exchange of plants and seeds.

There are laws in the village against weeds

The law says a weed is wrong and shall be killed.

The weeds say life is a white and lovely thing.

Carl Sandburg

Perhaps the most shocking trend in invasive species warfare is the justification of widespread chemical herbicide application. Many non-targeted lifeforms suffer from this, including the very native species we are allegedly trying to save. This and the use of other eradication techniques such as controlled burns, introducing natural enemies and manual removal projects all alter the environment as much as or more than the presence of the invasive plants.

It seems as though such attempts to manipulate and manage the environment are self-defeating. Nobody really wins. Senior research scientist at Harvard University, Peter De Tredici, writes, �What�s striking about this so-called restoration process is that it looks an awful lot like gardening, with its ongoing need for planting and weeding. Call it what you will, but anyone who has ever worked in the garden knows that planting and weeding are endless. So the question becomes: Is �landscape restoration� really just gardening dressed up with jargon to simulate ecology, or is it based on scientific theories with testable hypotheses? To put it another way: Can we put the invasive species genie back in the bottle, or are we looking at a future in which nature itself becomes a cultivated entity?� It makes more sense to somehow integrate these invasives and harness their potential rather than to continue to fight a costly and losing battle:

*Some invasives are edible and could be considered a sustainable food resource. Wisconsin�s own J.M. Franke, author of �The Invasive Species Cookbook�, claims that �the power of the human alimentary tract to act as the final resting place for non-human life-forms is not to be underestimated. Even formerly abundant species such as the passenger pigeon were rendered extinct at least in part to satisfy the bellies of humans.� I like to fantasize about the day when garlic mustard pesto is a high-dollar, gourmet food item at Whole Foods. Wild Parsnips are one and the same plant as the parsnips we pay several dollars a pound for at the co-op. Autumn Olive berries are a favorite among local foragers.

*Some invasives offer some very timely medicinal benefits for our industrial age. For example, Japanese honeysuckle blossoms have anti-microbial properties proving to be effective against anti-biotic resistant bacteria. Creeping Charlie is being extensively studied for its ability to leach heavy metals out of the body. And who needs factory vitamin supplements with supernutritious plants like garlic mustard growing in abundance?

* Some invasive plants offer cover, brushy habitat and food for wildlife, despite claims to the contrary, and some argue that they actually increase biodiversity once the initial outbreak self-regulates and integrates with its new eco-system.

* �Phytoremediation� is the emerging technology of using plants to extract, degrade, contain or immobilize contaminants in soil, groundwater, or surface water. Many invasives tend to be pollution-tolerant plants that are able to withstand today�s chemical soup and may be perfect candidates for phytoremediation projects, indeed they may already be serving that very purpose without our assistance. At a recent SPROut (Sustainable Plant Research and Outreach) conference, a comment was made about the discussions that �while the native plant supporters tend to classify plants by geographic distribution, either current /invasive or historic/native, the phytoremediation practitioners prefer to classify plants by function, i.e. which plants are good at removing which contaminants from the soil.�

*There is accelerated research being done into biofuel possibilities. Many of the species commonly proposed as biofuel plants share numerous traits in common with invasive plants and there is considerable concern that we will be releasing new invasives into the environment by cultivating them. Why aren�t we looking at invasives with large biomass that are already here such as the infamous kudzu vine? Kudzu could be transfigured into a renewable, sustainable resource and a source of income for many landowners as a biofuel.

I think there needs to be a major paradigm shift in our attitude towards invasive plants. Since simply getting rid of them is obviously not an option, we need to somehow learn to peacefully co-exist with them, harness their potential gifts, and seek to understand their role in our rapidly changing ecosystem from a Gaia perspective. Personally, I choose to believe in nature�s innate ability to self-repair and in the intrinsic good intentions of the plants that appear in the landscape. There is probably a whole lot more going on in this garlic mustard patch than anyone realizes. So when life hands you a patch of garlic mustard, make pesto��.

Peter De Tredici: The Illusion of Ecological Restoration:

http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/research/publications/hdm/back/20_ontechnology.html

Permaculture discussion of Invasives:

http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/fingerlakespermaculture/2005-November/000042.html

Toby Hemenway: Another Kind of Genocide:

http://www.patternliteracy.com/exotics.html

Invasion Biology: Critique of a Pseudoscience by David Theodoropoulous

Rose Barlow is an herbalist in the Viroqua area, specializing in using nutritive herbs and wild foods as preventive medicine. She maintains an educational website at www.prodigalgardens.info, is available for presentations, walks and workshops, and is currently acting as director of the Coulee Region Herbal Institute

Lyme�s Disease: Paradigms, Adaptations & Healing

�But we are not alone at the top of the food chain��

- said Josh Lederberg in 1994; Nobel Laureate, former

U of WI Microbiologist & past President of Rockefeller U

Native tradition tells us that there are 4 major groups of Peoples. First came the Rock People, then the Plant People, then Animal People. Humans are the special ones, created last. They were the youngest of the 4 Peoples, na�ve & helpless, dependent on those who came before. Thus, some say that we are the children of the plants, for it is they who took pity on us & take care of us, still.

Yet, there is another group of People few talk about. These are the alpha & the omega, the first & the last, the beginning & the end. These ones are both below us & above us. And in between. They complete the circle, bringing it �round full circle. Nothing else would be without them, not even the rocks.

�We have been neglectful of the microbes, and that is a recurring theme that is coming back to haunt us.� (Joshua Lederberg, again)

A journey into the world of Lyme can take many twists and turns. There was a time, after my �brain fog� cleared a bit, that I was reading everything I could get my hands on that might shed some light on healing my own Lyme�s Dis-ease (compounded by Erlychia or vice versa�). How to condense my 12-year journey into one article?

First of all, �healing� does not necessarily mean the same thing as �cured�. Then, basically, besides the words �acute� or �chronic� (suddenly intense or gradually long term), I think Lyme can be further divided into two other states of being: Pre-Lyme and Post-Lyme.

Pre-Lyme: a state of certain naivety where it is common to hear such statements as �Catch it early with antibiotics and it�s not a problem� OR �How could someone possibly leave a tick on for the 48 hours it takes to make them sick? How disgusting!� OR �It�s your own fault if you are foolish enough to keep going out into the woods��

Post-Lyme: a degree of varying sensitivities and awareness where it is common to hear such statements as �I used to be�..� and �formerly I was�..� (fill in the blanks accordingly). Some people who continue to struggle with Chronic Lyme can no longer multi-task, over-commit or continue to go that extra mile required of us in the unsustainable paradigm of our current socio-economic system. Other people aren�t quite there, yet. Or perhaps their illness will manifest differently.

Everyone is different, of course. But for many, their lives will never be the same. Often, it is not just a matter of antibiotics and everything is fine. It�s not even about bad people who didn�t take good care of their bodies. And it�s no longer about individuals or ticks or going out in the woods. With an estimated 200,000 or more people infected each year in this country alone, it becomes a collective dis-ease in the circle of life, an imbalance in the larger picture.

Lyme�s Dis-ease is also an ecologically based illness.

Some sources I�ve read say that the history of Lyme in the U.S. actually started when the Pilgrims landed. No, they didn�t bring it with them. What the Pilgrims did was cut down forests to clear land for colonization, large scale agriculture and expanding industrial pursuits. So, in a sense, the �big bad woods� are intimately tied to Lyme, but not in the ways we�ve been led to believe.

Rather, Lyme is tied to habitat destruction and ecological imbalances, just like many other dis-eases. You are more likely to contract this illness in �transition zones�, that is, in the areas inbetween the wild and the man-made. These are also places where native plant ecosystems are in decline and invasive species seem to move in. Maybe. Nothing is absolute. Some people believe that cures may be found in these invasive weeds, but more on that later.

Lyme is only a part of the problem. There are 28 or so known bacteria that can exist in a single tick bite and have the potential to cause illness. These are Co-infections. And ticks are not the only carriers of Lyme, just the most commonly known.

The media just doesn�t seem to be paying much attention. Not yet. Perhaps acknowledging it could be considered threatening to high profits or economic bottom lines. But, for some with Chronic Lyme, their economic bottom line may have already bottomed out with lost wages & medical treatments ranging between $500 to $2,000 or more a month. Even herbal treatments, if followed precisely, can be over $200 a month. Fortunately for others, not all people are effected the same. There are varying degrees.

But in the midst of illness, no matter what the degree, it is hard to know what to do. It�s our function & comfort levels that take priority. And fear. Pre-Lyme, I never knew there were so many different types of antibiotics available on the pharmaceutical market! Ultimately though, treatment involves much more than antibiotics. In fact, if not taken appropriately, antibiotics may contribute to the problems, both individually and environmentally. At this point in time, though, antibiotics are still useful tools.

(Just remember not to shit in someone�s composting toilet while on antibiotics� it�s the gift that goes on & on�)

Meanwhile, there are other aspects to consider. Adaptation is one. All life is continually adapting to a changing environment. It is not always an easy process. Microorganisms are the first to feel the effects of ecological imbalances. In their struggles for survival & balance, they are better equipped to change and adapt much more quickly than humans.

When looking into the world of microorganisms, it becomes apparent that WE are not the only species to colonize new territory and compete for natural resources, especially when these resources (&/or nutrients) appear to be scarce.

Plants are next to adapt, especially those growing near regions of disturbance. Just as there are regional differences in Lyme & its Co-infections, there are regional differences in the way plants respond to their environments, too. It is amazing how plants can change their body chemistry in response to stimulus. Plants are sometimes considered �mediators� between the microbial & human worlds. Thus, local, fresh plant-based diets are often thought to be better mediators than imported, processed, packaged foods & herbs. Possibly.

Back on the human level, I�ve heard that some of our major illnesses can bring about actual changes to our DNA. Thus, when we survive a sickness and then reproduce, we may pass on these changes. That�s the way nature works. Our species eventually adapts, too.

But what about on an individual level? Are we just collateral damage or are there things we can do to help facilitate change and adaptation in the here and now? I believe there are, especially in combining other healing modalities & techniques, along with lifestyle, social and political changes. Detoxing, nutritional supplementation, massage, sauna and frequency modulation are considered good additions to many healing routines.

In the Summer of �05, Stephan Buhner�s book, Healing Lyme was finally available. It was a ground-breaking, milestone type of book in a quickly changing field. It still is. Hats off to Mr. Buhner for his deep interest, research and writing at a time when most needed. He has digested tons & tons of information for us, sifted, sorted and distilled until it begins to make some sense. It is an extremely detailed book, breaking down many aspects of Lyme�s Dis-ease into physiological processes and pathways, as well as its multiple symptoms and treatments.

Mostly though, Stephen explains options from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective. And that�s OK. It�s one tradition among many. I won�t go into specifics here. It is easy to look up specifics on your own.

Did I say �easy�??? Well, yes & no. Healing Lyme is a very well indexed and organized book. However, one of the drawbacks of the book is that it is so detailed that it can be confusing, especially for someone in the midst of �Lyme brain fog�. Support groups are extremely helpful and so is a good relationship with a �Lyme literate� Doctor (not all of them are). I gave my Doctor a copy of the book. She said that it spoke her language. Indeed, it does, using scientific terms most of us are not familiar with but it also presents practical down to earth information, too. Still, I don�t think it was meant to be the final word on the subject. It is an evolving field.

Another drawback of the book is its emphasis on capsules, pills and foreign herbs, some of which are classed as exotic invasives. This may or may not be a problem, depending on opinion, point of view and the physical ability to swallow it all. Some people are now hot to plant these herbs in back yards and on farms. The moral dilemma is whether or not these are sound ecological practices. Are we contributing to the ecological problems or are we helping to create new world order & balance on the global scale? What about impacts on local biodiversity issues? Or are we just using up nasty weeds already here?

Some proponents of local food, local herb movements are starting to look beyond the book, Healing Lyme, using it as a jumping off point to explore more local solutions. If you read this book & others carefully, you will realize that capsules & pills are not the only way to use medicines. �Medicine� is not just drugs & herbs, but food & nutrition, soil health, honoring the Land & it�s People, too. Ecosystems are alive, not just in the wild, but in the backyard, between highway interchanges and inside our bodies, too.

Lyme bacteria (various types of Borrelia, commonly called spirochetes) are not the only microorganisms that use our own body�s materials & nutrients as building blocks to disguise themselves to escape detection, adapt and (re)build a life for themselves, although Stephen�s book does tend to give us that impression. When looking into the world of microorganisms, it becomes apparent that WE are not the only species to colonize new territory and compete for natural resources, especially when these resources (&/or nutrients) appear to be scarce.

On the other hand, sometimes it seems like many of the Bacteria People know more about teamwork & sharing than the Humans do. It�s only about 3% or less that are viewed as problematic, yet, we continue to drop bombs on whole communities, as if they are guilty by association.

If we look a bit more into these subjects, we may also find that Lyme�s Dis-ease is just one of many Autoimmune Illnesses with similar symptoms & similar treatments. These illnesses are stress related � however stress is defined. In addition, part of the problem seems to be within our selves, our own bodies: mini-ecosystems out of balance, polluted with toxic wastes, short on nutrients, with overloaded & confused immune systems escalating multi-system dysfunctions � a reflection of the larger picture. Maybe �attacking the problem� is not the only way to go. Perhaps we should be asking �What is needed here?�

In herbalism there is a saying: �Nourish the problem.� Deep nourishment can be one of the tools added to an overall plan. Stephen mentions a few desirable supplements and a few medical professionals recommend some, too. But I�ve been on a mission to identify and find the sources of these nutrients, the food itself, paying attention to such things as nutrient density & ecoimmunonutrition, adaptogens, immunomodulators & more, many of which some people unknowingly but still wisely use in their diets. These are not new scientific discoveries, just new words describing what traditional cultures seem to have instinctively known. Indeed, I am delighted to see the revival of traditional foods in books by authors like Sally Fallon, Jessica Prentice and Sandor Katz, previously reviewed in this newsletter.

Wild foods are typically the most nutrient rich. They, too, still have their place in recipes beside garden and farm produce. Last year I met a woman, part of the staff at University of Arizona who had developed a program similar to the CSA�s that we are familiar with here, except that it was Community Supported Foraging (CSF)! The very idea intrigues me, for we are blessed to live among such bounty here in the Upper Midwestern Driftless Region.

I invite you all to come together at the table. Find some common ground. Share. It is time for us to put our minds together to rethink our modern choices and their impacts, perhaps supporting more wild farms & conservation-based agriculture, remembering that each of us may be eating for two: us & them.

May the circle be unbroken & your life forever changing�

- Carol Jacobs, Herbalist, Winona, MN

If you can�t beat �em, eat �em! �We combat them with whatever means we have at our disposal, but what hasn�t been discussed, until now, is their edibility!��Invasive Species Cookbook

All parts of the Garlic Mustard are edible: roots, greens, blossoms and seeds. In fact, it was first introduced here in America as a culinary herb. Garlic Mustard has a rather interesting effect on the palate, being at once sweet and bitter, with a strong garlicky overtone. In the end, though, the bitter taste wins out and most people wouldn�t appreciate it too much without some clever kitchen magic. As a cooked green, a large handful becomes a small spoonful as it loses its bulk, the bitterness remains and it has a rather slimy texture.

So what to do with this superabundant, nutrient dense green? Sometimes I can sneak a small handful of chopped leaves into a salad, and a few leaves easily disappear into any soup unnoticed as long as you don�t use large quantities. But the arena where Wild Mustard wins a culinary victory is as a condiment.

I use it in pestos, homemade mustards, herbal vinegars & vinaigrettes. The larger roots are an excellent wild horseradish substitute and the seeds can be used in any recipe that calls for mustard seed.

Garlic Mustard Pesto

Pesto is a great method for using large quantities of Garlic Mustard. Somehow the pesto seems to neutralize the bitterness. I make several batches of this and freeze it for winter. It�s very good!

3 cups (packed) fresh Garlic Mustard leaves

3-4 cloves garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup pinenuts (optional)

� tsp salt

1. Put all ingredients together into a food processor

2. Run at high speed until all ingredients are finely chopped. It should resemble a dark green paste.

3. Taste, and add up to � tsp more salt if necessary

Note: This pesto has a very intense flavor by itself. Let sit 3 or 4 hours to mellow. When added to pasta or other recipes it performs beautifully!!!

Mondo Bizarro di Garlic Mustard

This is a variation of pesto using tomatoes instead of olive oil for the liquid. Garlic Mustard does well in this recipe as well.

3 cups Garlic Mustard

4 cloves garlic

� tsp salt

2 cups tomatoes, either fresh or canned. Reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes are by far the best for flavor.

1. Put all ingredients together into a food processor.

2. Run at high speed until it forms a paste. This will be a little wetter than a standard pesto.

3. Taste, and add salt if necessary.

Notes: This pesto is not a pretty color by itself but when spread on crackers or pizza crust, or mixed into pasta noodles it looks fine.

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Garlic Mustard Vinegar

Herbal vinegars are an excellent way to preserve the goodness of nutritious, tonic herbs and to create a valuable nutritional supplement. The herbal vinegars I�m talking about are not the culinary vinegars made with a few sprigs of kitchen herbs like rosemary or thyme, but are concentrated herbal formulas using nutrient-dense herbs and wild foods like Dandelion, Burdock, Garlic Mustard, Nettles and many others.

Vinegar trumps alcohol by far in its ability to dissolve nutrients, and in particular minerals and trace minerals. We see this action demonstrated when vinegar is used to dissolve calcium or lime deposits that build up inside a tea kettle from hard, mineral-rich water. This same power that cleans the tea kettle can be harnessed to extract the vitamins and minerals from our herbs and wild foods! Thus herbal vinegars are a supreme nutritional supplement.

One tablespoon of a good herbal vinegar has roughly the same amount of calcium as a full glass of milk! They are excellent for preventing or countering osteoporosis as well as for building and maintaining strong, healthy bones and teeth. In fact, daily supplementation with mineral-rich herbal vinegars can replace the need for factory vitamin and mineral pills entirely! The combination of the health-enhancing vinegar and the life-giving herbs is truly a match made in heaven!

6 cups finely chopped Garlic Mustard leaves

3 cups apple cider vinegar

1. Fill a one-quart mason jar to the top with the finely chopped Garlic Mustard leaves.

2. Pour vinegar over to completely cover the leaves.

3. Use plastic and a rubber band to cover (vinegar will corrode metal lids).

4. Let steep 2-6 weeks before straining and rebottling.

Notes: Raw vinegar s don�t work well with this. You can experiment with other vinegars besides apple cider such as basalmic. Use the vinegar as a daily supplement, for pickles, salad dressings and condiment recipes.

Maple-Garlic Mustard Mustard

Homemade mustards are incredibly easy to make and endlessly variable! I find the hot, the vinegar, and the sweet flavors all combine and out-compete the bitter flavors of the fresh raw Garlic Mustard.

1 cup mustard seeds (whole)

1 cup Garlic Mustard vinegar

� cup Maple Syrup

1 cup fresh Garlic Mustard, minced

� tsp salt

1. Soak the mustard seeds in the Garlic Mustard vinegar for several hours or overnight.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients.

3. Let it all sit together in a covered container for several days to mellow.

4. Put in small jars (1/4 pints work nicely).

Note: Mustard keeps well in the fridge for many months or you can can it in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes to seal.

*LACROSSE AREA*

Coulee Region Herbal Institute

2007 Classes & Events

Classes and events are typically held on the third Sunday of each month. Months where it is held on a different Sunday are marked with ***. Classes and events are free for members and cost 5$ for non-members. Some classes may request a nominal fee for cost of materials. Check details for location and contact number.

March 18 Lyme�s Disease: Prevention and Treatment with Carol Jacobs

People�s Food Co-op, LaCrosse 3:30-5:30

Carol Jacobs of Winona. MN will be sharing her firsthand experience and knowledge of the dreaded Lyme�s Disease. Carol has done extrensive research and self-experimenting into alternative methods of treating and coping with the effects of Lyme�s Disease. This is a must those of us who love to spend our time in the woods and fields of the Coulee Region. Call Carol for details at 507-452-1585.

April 22 Ephemerals/Early Spring Edibles with Sara Merrell & Jeroen Boon

Root River near Houston, Minnesota 3:30-5:30

Join us for our first outdoor class of the year as we enjoy the woodland ephemeral wildflowers and look for early spring edibles such as wild leeks, watercress and nettles. Jeroen has a wonderfully intuitive grasp of the nature and beauty of the plant kingdom and the healing gifts it brings to us, and will be guiding the walk. For directions contact Jeroen or Sarah at 317-0574 (cell phone)

May 20 Paddles and Petals with Jessie Conaway

Launch a kayak into the Perrot Park near Trempeleau Mountain and explore the medicinal plants of the wetland and lowland forests with Jessie Conaway & Carol Jacobs. There will be a 20$ equipment fee for kayaks and paddles. All boating equipment provided. Limited space RSVP Jessie at 786-4425.

Driftless Folk School

Spring Wild foods Workshop w/ Rose Barlow

Saturday, April 21 10AM-2PM

www.driftlessfolkschool.org

*DULUTH AREA*

Giving Ground Wilderness Herbal Retreat Center

Superior National Forest, Brimson, MN (60 miles north of Duluth)

Pam Thompson 1-888-276-1336

March 16-18, 2007: Beginning Herbology , emphasis on
the celebration of light and life of the vernal equinox
March 21-23, 2007: Spring Cleaning!
April13-15, 2007: Intermediate Herbology: Teas!

May 1, 2007: Tuesday only: Spring Fairy Herb Class
May 4-6, 2007: Herbal Medicine for Dogs and Cats
May 11-13, 2007: Mother's Day Weekend
May 18-20, 2007: Herbal Medicine for Dogs and Cats
May 25-27, 2007: Herbal Medicine for Dogs and Cats
June 1-3, 2007: School's Out Soon! Herbal Medicine for Children
June 8-10, 2007: School's Out Soon! Herbal Medicine for Children
June 15-17, 2007: Greens!

www.givingground.com

*MADISON AREA*

Nature�s Acres Farm

North Freedom, WI (Madison Area)

Organic Growing Techniques of Herbs

Mar 22, 2006 6:30PM - 8:00PM
Learn which herbs are a must for this region due to their many virtues and abundant nature and the cultural tricks to some of the most loved and difficult to grow herbs. Organic methods will be featured as Jane has had organic certification for 15 years.
Herbal Skin Care, Salves and Lip Balms

Apr 5, 2006 6:30PM - 8:00PM
Medicinal herbs have been used to sooth the skin for centuries. Learn some of the many restorative herbs available to assist in healing of topical skin problems. We will create a product for you to take home.
Herbal Tinctures, Effective and Efficient Herbal Healing

Apr 19, 2006 6:30PM - 8:00PM
Join us to see why tinctures are the most common form of herbal medicine today. We plan on wild harvesting some common but potent medicines that should be available in early May. We will use some of last year's herbs to create personalized medicines so you will be able to take home some of your own medicinal creation
Herbs for the Body System

Integrative Medicine Clinic Lake Delton
Thursdays March 9, 16, 23, 30 7- 8:30 PM
Learn which herbs will enhance our well being for the immune system, the nervous system, circulatory system, digestive system, and for healthy skin care. Learn to enhance your health, be calmer while staying alert, and improve the functioning of your heart, liver, and skin.
www.fourelementsherbals.com/whats_new.html

Kathleen Wildwood�Spring/Summer Schedule

April 14/15 � Sat: Herb Walk, How to Use Herbs So They�ll Work

Sun: Herbs & Natural Health for Self & Family

May 12- Herbwalk

May 17- How to Use Herbs So They�ll Work

May 19/20 - Spring Herbal Wisdom/Home Herbal Apothecary I

June 9/10 � Summer Herbal Wisdom/Home Herbal Apothecary II

These classes are always hands-on, outdoors when possible, full of wonderfully practical information, herb lore, plant ID, modern health problems & solutions, scientific facts, recipes, nutritional facts, the sensual delight of the plants and earth and of course, magic.

www.wildwoodherbs.com or call (608) 663-9608 for more information or to register.

*OGEMA*
Forager�s harvest

Spring Foraging Weekend.with Sam Thayer Price

May 19-20* Ogema, Wisconsin.

Experience the Northwoods bursting to life! Spring is the season for green vegetables, and Nature supplies them in a healthy variety of flavors. Learn about the wild foods of forests, fields, wetlands, and weedy places. We will identify and harvest the plants together, then cook them into delicious meals. This class will be held in one of the most scenic areas of northern Wisconsin, full of maples, hemlocks, pines, beautiful wooded hills, and clear lakes. Highlights will include a foraging hike to Wisconsin's highest point and a visit to a virgin tract of forest. Acommodations: meals and campsite. $125.

http://www.foragersharvest.com

*SOMERSET,WI*

Tree of Peace Education Center

Anishinaabe Ethnobotany Workshops

Session I April 28, May 5, 12, 19

Session II June 2, 9, 30, July 14

10AM-4PM

Participants will learn from Anishinaabe teachings that focus on storytelling, identifying and harvesting medicinal plants, making a plant journal, drawing, and artmaking using natural materials, ie birch bark.

Instuctors: Yako Tahnahga & Maria Mazzara

Contact: nancy@martellslanding.com 651-430-3307

http://www.martellslanding.com/events.cfm

*SHEBOYGAN AREA*

Moonwise Herbs

Spring Herbal Series: 4 Week Seasonal Program

University of Wisconsin, Sheboygan

April 18, 25 May 2, 9 6:30-9:00 PM

Meet and greet the sprouts, shoots and greens of early spring. Join herbalist Linda Conroy as we discover the gifts of stinging nettle, fireweed shoots, plantain and more!! Participants will create an herbal first aid kit to help ease irritation from bug bites, sunburn etc. We will discover the delight of early spring greens and how they can support the body throughout the seasons. This is a fun class that brings you closer to the natural world!

To register call 920-459-6617

NettleMania: Eat Wild Community Meal

April 29 6-9 PM

As spring emerges join us for this energizing meal! Every dish, even dessert will contain stinging nettle. This spring green brings life and energy to all who harvest and/or ingest her!!

Morel Mushroom Trek with Little John

May 19 11AM-4PM

Cost: 30$

Location to be provided at time of registration

Join John for this fun and inspiring day!! We will be walking through the Kettle Moraine in search of the elusive

Morel Mushroom. Bring comfortable shoes, a bag or basket and be prepared to cover a lot of ground. Little John will start the day with a discussion on morel habitat, characteristics and introduce you to helpful resources. Feel free to bring a lunch

so you are fueled up and ready to go! You will take home your harvest!!

For reservations contact Linda 920-457-9290 or rosemarygoddess@moonwiseherbs.com

www.moonwiseherbs.com

*EAU CLAIRE*

Center for Healing Arts Herb & Eco School

March 13, 20, & 27 Herbs & Natural Medicine for Family Wellness

New Auburn Area School

March 15 Creating Herb Gardens, Mandalas & Medicine Wheels

U of Wisconsin-Barron, Rice Lake

March 23,24,25/April 6-7 Plant Spirit Medicine Intensive

United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary, Chippewa County

April 26 Wild Edibles on Your Table

U of Wisconsin-Barron, Rice Lake

April 29 Plants and Paddling Eco-Tour

Ice Age lakes Region of Northern Wisconsin

715-967-2301 or 967-2300 fireweed@citizens-tel.net

*GREEN BAY*

Herb Society of America�Wisconsin Unit

Northeast Wisconsin 3rd Annual HerbFest

Green Bay Botanical Garden

5 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m

Celebrate National Herb Week with us - speakers, herbal and gardening products, demos, plant sales and more.

http://www.gbbg.org/calendar.htm

*CALEDONIA, MN*

Dunromin� Park

The owners of Dunromin� Park in Caledonia, MN would like to extend an invitation to any experienced Wild Foods Instructors:

�We would like to host any events that would also be of interest to novices who are camping with us that would like to learn more about wild foods & responsible foraging. We are a Green Routes campground focused on family experiences.�
Contact info: Dawn at dawns@acegroup.cc

*MINNEAPOLIS/ST.PAUL*

North Country Herbalist Guild

1st Wednesday meetings held at Bethany Lutheran Church

2511 East Franklin Ave, Minneapolis

Botanical Latin and Why You Should Love It w/Judith Sims

Wednesday, April 4 7-9PM

The Elusive Spring Ephemerals Herbwalk

Wednesday, May 2 7-9PM

Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

Summer Herbs and Summer Health w/Matt Alfs

Wednesday, June 6 7-9PM

Herbwalks at Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

May 10,24 & June 7

http://www.nchg.org/

CRHI c/o Prodigal Gardens

673 S. Washington Ave

Viroqua, WI 54665

CRHI Quarterly Newsletter

Calling for submissions for our summer issue of the CRHI quarterly newsletter! It�s never too early!!!!!

Summer issue submissions are due by June 10.

Some ideas for newsletter submissions are:

Book Reviews

Articles--seasonal and otherwise

Profiles of Local Herbalists (can be self-portraits)

Community Calendar Events

Recipes

Anything else you think would interest herb enthusiasts!

Submissions can be e-mailed to Dandeliongold22@hotmail.com or mailed to CRHI c/o Prodigal Gardens, 673 S. Washington Ave, Viroqua WI 54665

Deadlines for quarterly submissions are:

Spring��. March 10 Summer��June 10

Fall��.Sept 10 Winter��..Dec 10