onions that walk - and (rose) hips that talk.

after what seems a long hiatus - of almost no crafting - and after many a full day of 12+ hours working at my real job(s) as a mad gardener and market coordinator - i have finally settled into fall.  into a new home.  and have started planning out my own home perennial gardens, harvesting whole native perennial plants to divy up to the various school gardens around, and gleaning crafty bits to prepare for fire-side crafting this winter.

yesterday i ordered egyptian walking onions.  which are pretty dang incredible because 1.) they are beautiful and 2.) they walk.  and in so walking, they replant themselves.  along with that same order to southern exposure seed exchange i ordered a loverly bouquet of native and herbaceous seeds that looked lovely - including borage, wild bergamot (ie what gives earl grey tea it's earl grey-ness), thai red roselle, hungarian blue breadseed poppies, soapwort (the roots of which produce a natural soapy lather), purple coneflower/echinacea, and pacific beauty calendula.  o-so stoked about making many lovely teas, growing lovely flowers, and crafting new soaps!

and then today i bought some citronella plants to keep us a wee bit less buggy this fall time.

but last week i harvested gi-normous rose hips from the woodway elementary school garden.  to the children, rose hips are also known as little pumpkins on a stick.  rose hips are awesome because:

• they are one of the most concentrated sources of vitamin C available
• they also contain vitamins A, D and E, as well as iron and antioxidant flavonoids that may reduce the effects of aging and help prevent cancer
• the iron in rose hips make them an excellent supplement for menstruating women
• they have a tart-sweet taste 
• they can be used to make tea, jelly, jam, soup or oil 
• they can easily be gathered for free!

so expect to see more rose hips in wildcraft & co.'s crafting scheme.  also to come, more local beeswax in the form of candles and lotion.  hurrah for local!

soap stories: eucalyptus mint & citrus calendula.

calendula!  wonder herb!

i'm trying to get into the swing of crafting soap each weekend to build up my stockpile (and to spread lovely herbal scents throughout the house as it cures!)  this past weekend's creations included:  eucalyptus mint & citrus calendula.

the story of eucalyptus mint:

a minty fresh soap with a zest. hand-made. and peppered with dried eucalyptus.

eucalyptus has antiseptic, anti-bacterial, and warming properties - which help in the healing process of cuts and scrapes and relieving aching pains and congestion (think vick's vapo-rub).  also works as a mild insect repellant.

although eucalyptus grows prolifically around central texas, the eucalyptus for this batch was recovered from a local florist's dumpster and crafted into table settings for my friends' wedding this fall.  from there i rescued and reused to scent this soap.  i grow the peppermint in pots around my yard - for soap-making and tea-brewing and whatever else my mind can dream up.

made with: olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, lye, eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils, dumpstered-and-dried eucalyptus leaves, and home-harvested crushed peppermint leaves. and that's it. plain and simple.

the story of citrus calendula:

first of all calendula is a simply splendid and silly sounding herb.  i love it.  providing citrus-y bursts of beauty in a winter landscape.  the calendula petals for this soap were harvested and dried from flowers growing at one of the local school gardens where i grow with neighborhood youthooligans.

calendula petals are perfect for the bath - refreshing and stimulating the skin - and for rubbing topically to relieve the pain of stings, scrapes, scars, burns, and rashes - a natural antiseptic. (the petals are also pleasantly tangy/peppery to taste and eat!) basically, you should plant your own!

add that with a touch of lemon and orange - and perhaps one of the most lovely/spritely/spring-ish soaps you could hope for.  cures all your winter blahs and blues with one whiff.  but can also lift your spirits after a day of sweating in the sun.

made with: olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, water, lye, beeswax, lemon and orange essential oils, and dried calendula petals. and that's it. plain and simple.

o-so-soon to be added to our lovely little etsy shop and to be appearing at the waco downtown farmers market at the urban gardening coalition's booth.