Sun-Warmed & Sweet: A Wild Richness by Kiva
The riverside is green with a profusion of Stinging Nettle, Wild Mustard and Moonwort and every day there are new seedlings and blooms. The Chokecherries and Wax Currants are leafing out, and the previously amber hued buds of the Cottonwoods are slowly turning a bright green. The stems of the Wild Roses are flushed a scarlet red, and they’re branch tips are swelling with the promise of leaves. Things change so fast this time of year, that I could write a new description of the land just outside the cabin every single day, and every day it would change with the many additions that would be necessary. I revel in it, and wish I could spend every single second outdoors, just watching the world surge and proliferate with the fertility that Spring inevitably heralds. And as each day dawns earlier and fades into twilight a little bit later, I feel more fully immersed in the beauty and bounty of the season.
There’s a storm blowing in tonight that brings with it the uncertain promise of rain and flowers and a lush spring for this forested stretch of the Southwest. There’s no way to know whether or not the dark clouds lingering among the mountain tops will actually result in any moisture, but you can be sure we’re praying they will! The desert regions below us are already awash in Anemones, California Poppy, Vervain and other native wildflowers thanks to good Winter rains. The river grows warmer every day, and we’ve all been taking advantage of the sunny afternoons and wonderful water temperatures to swim and splash.
A few days ago I found the first tiny leaves of Beebalm nestled in a patch of Nettles and Moss, so early in the year they’re variegated lime green and dusky purple, soft to the touch and huddled among bigger plants as if seeking warmth or company. They taste spicy and sweet on the tongue, already bursting with the fragrant oils that so distinguish this remarkable plant as a medicine, food and wildflower. Later in the year, they’ll explode into bloom, their purple, lavender and pink flowers a euphoric fireworks display that lights up the whole canyon. Locally called Oregano de la Sierra (Oregano of the Mountain), its distinctive taste make it an excellent spice that we dry to add to stews and sauces and grind fresh with olive oil to make a tongue tingling pesto. As a remedy, it’s medicine is so broad that it deserves a whole book of its own and I have written much about it on The Medicine Woman Tradition website as well as on the Medicine Woman’s Roots blog. From digestive disorders to fever to antibiotic resistant bacterial infections to severe burns, this gorgeous flower can provide remarkable healing.
We’ve been eating fresh Nettle greens of some sort nearly every day, from Nettle Venison Stew to Nettle Cream Cheese Dip to simple steamed Nettle greens with butter and preserved lemon. Wild Mustard greens and Mountain Candytuft flowers are chopped and added to each dish as well, adding welcome color and a pungently bitter bite to the meal. A sweet group of women who stayed at Anima Center for a week gifted us with a basket full of just ripened oranges from Arizona so I made up a Vanilla-Orange Sour Cream Pie with a nutmeg cookie crust topped with whipped cream to take advantage of their strong flavor and abundant juice. Tomorrow Loba and I have plans to put together some Dark Chocolate-Orange Ganache and Wolf has been enjoying small cups of hand squeezed orange juice nearly every day. While wild greens are fairly abundant here, high quality fresh fruit is a fairly rare occurrence and we love to savor the sweetness in as many ways as possible.
Although we all succumbed to the recent cold that swept through the county, I’m happy to say that we’re nearly completely recovered, and even Rhiannon’s persistent cough has quieted and healed with the help of some Marshmallow root and Chokecherry bark and flowers. While I’m always deeply appreciative of the gifts of the plants, I find myself extra grateful when the herbs help soothe the discomfort or distress of my little girl. And it’s amazing to watch as Rhiannon learns more about treating herself herbally, and understands on a bodily level when the warming stimulation of Ginger is needed or when the cool slipperiness of Mallow is more appropriate. My own relationship with the green world has served me so well throughout my life, it makes it all that much more satisfying to pass on any measure of it to our daughter.
Every Spring I’m reminded what a rich place this planet is, how the diversity of life species support each other and nourish the whole, and how we as humans have an amazing, and integral place within this intelligent, flowering organism called Earth. Every uniquely veined leaf, singing coyote and nesting bird infuses me with the medicine, the healing vitality of life itself. As I pass knowledge from myself to my students and my daughter, I feel even more a part of the cycles and spirals of awareness and wholeness. With my toes dug down in the dirt and my fingers tangled up in the silky strands of Usnea lichen, I find my own sense of self in my connection to the whole.
~Kiva Rose
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All Photos (c) 2009 Kiva Rose & Jesse Wolf Hardin
Categories: Kiva Rose Hardin – Essays & Poetry
