This is a bit long and may be cut off - you might have to click the “read online” link above ☝️
Happy Thursday!
Late May in my area is when the season stops being tentative. Everything is growing with conviction — the days are pushing toward the solstice, the humidity is climbing, and if you stand next to your herb garden in the morning, you can practically hear things growing. The mint is tall and fragrant and beginning to form flower buds. The maypop vine that looked completely dead three weeks ago has surged up from the ground. The light is long and the window for several key harvests is open right now, today.
A few plants are asking for your attention this week in particular. Peppermint is approaching the pre-flower stage when its essential oils are highest — the prime medicinal window, and the one that closes if you're not watching. Passionflower (maypop) is either just emerging from the ground or already stretching toward the sky depending on your microclimate, and its harvest is something to plan for. And California poppy, the iconic western wildflower, deserves a closer look — its chemistry is much more interesting and much less alarming than its name suggests.
This newsletter has always picked three herbs to focus on. However I realized that while I was picking herbs revelant to me - many of my readers are in other areas of the country, or even the world! So this issue is the first of expanding my scope.
Many of you are part of my Facebook group: Growing and Harvesting Medicinal Herbs & Teas. If you’re not- that’s ok too- but just know that when you join, I ask you what herb you are most interested in learning about. So from now on, I will include the most requested herb from the past week.
So that all said, let’s get to it! Below you’ll find how (and when) to harvest each herb, as well as preparation and even the science behind the herb.