Use What You Have: Strawberry Leaves

The strawberries here are done and gone. We did actually get a few this year, but the birds and rabbits got the majority. I think I want to pot them up next year, but that's a discussion for another time. What we're talking about today is not the yummy, juicy, ruby red berries of yesterday (can you tell I miss them just a little?). What we're talking about now is the LEAVES.

Once the plants have fruited, I move right on to harvesting the leaves. Most people say that the leaves are most flavorful when the plant is in bloom, but you can (and I do) harvest them all spring and summer. They get bunched and dried and, for the most part, made into tea. It does, surprisingly enough, taste quite a bit like the berries, which means it's y-u-m-m-y. It does, of course, have added health benefits (iron, vitamin C, calcium, and other minerals). I'm finding that it really helps to boost my milk production, very important in these early months of nursing.

As with any summer tea (lemon balm and mint are among other summer favorites), I like to drink it iced. I've also been using it to make popsicles for the kids.

The Children Are Nestled All Snug in Their Beds...

The twins at 5 months old, all cuddled up together.

Crunchy Chicken's Freeze Yer Buns Challenge is getting close, so despite outdoor temperatures of nearly 80 degrees (!), I've been thinking warm thoughts. One of the questions that seems to be asked every year for the Freeze Yer Buns Challenge is how to keep infants and children warm when you've decided to turn the thermostat down to 55 degrees at night. The twins, my first children, were born in November when we lived in a drafty apartment. I quickly began to look backwards, into history, to see how babies were kept warm in the days before we could set our digital thermostats at whatever temperature made us most comfortable. Here are just a few of the strategies I used (and still use) to keep our little ones nice and snug:

The best source of heat in cold weather is body heat, in my opinion. It works quickly, doesn't require artifical and possibly dangerous energy sources, and creates family unity. That said, my first recommendation for keeping any infant or child warm is to welcome them into your bed. This is called co-sleeping nowadays, and there is plenty of information available about how to do so safely. This can be very scary for someone who has been conditioned to think that co-sleeping is dangerous, and I understand. But remember: "According to the National SIDS Alliance, approximately 2,700 babies die each year from SIDS; the vast majority of those sleeping alone in a crib. In the CPSC study, 515 died between 1990 to 1997 directly as a result of poor safety in co-sleeping." Both mom and dad, but especially a breast-feeding mother, are specially designed to help their infants regulate their body temperatures. That's something a blanket just can't do.

Co-sleeping is also often the most frugal sleeping option for baby. The purchase of a crib, bassinet, or cradle can be delayed or put off altogether. I purchased cribs and was given bassinets for the twins, but I rarely used them at night. (There are those times when you just need some time in bed with your partner to... bond ;-) If your child(ren) has a separate room, you can shut off the register to their room at night and funnel all the heat to the room you're sleeping in together.

As an offshoot of parental co-sleeping, there's also sibling co-sleeping. All those renditions of The Night Before Christmas with a bedful of sleeping children are more than quaint, they're practical. Again, body heat is best for keeping everyone snug. It is not wise to keep an infant or very young child in bed with older siblings. The Bean has only started sleeping with Annie this winter, and The Bean is now more than two years old. Annie and Airius did sometimes sleep together as infants, but as toddlers they preferred separation from each other, even when they were in Mommy's and Daddy's bed. There may be squabbling between children who share a bed, but there's a lot of bonding and closeness too. When the girls are just getting under each other's skin, the threat of having to go to their own beds is usually enough to quiet them. Airius's main reason for wanting a baby brother was because he wants someone to share a room with. Since the twins are only 4 (soon to be 5... boo hoo!), we do not discourage him from sleeping with his sisters if he wants. It just seems to be that they segregate themselves from sleeping together.

Get out your knitting needles because suggestion #3 is to wear a hat to bed. Are we seeing a theme emerge here? "And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap..." Okay, you don't have to knit your own. Just grab a stocking hat from your winter stash and keep it on all day and night. Be sure both your infants and children have them too. Though the exact percentage is debated, most scientists agree that a high percentage of your body heat is lost through your head. The head of an infant is large in proportion to the rest of its body, so this is especially true for them. Keep those baby beanies on your little one! Most children I know absolutely love hats of all types, so I've never had one balk at wearing a nightcap. Make sure they fit snugly on those little heads so that they don't pose a choking hazard. There are so many cute hat patterns for kids and babies that you may have a whole slew of them by the end of winter! Try to stay away from hats with strings around the neck. These could be a choking hazard for children while they sleep.

After your littles have donned their night caps, make sure their feet are covered. Have you ever put your feet in warm or cold water and felt a temperature shift in your whole body? Exactly. I'd recommend a thinner, daily wear sock go on the feet first. Cover these with a thick woolen sock. It's best if both pairs of socks go to at least mid-calf. This will prevent kids from kicking their socks off in their sleep and add a little warmth to the legs where pajama pants or nightgowns can hike up and leave skin bare. For infants and small children, footed sleepers are a blessing. You can put socks either underneath or over top of the footies. I've had better luck putting the socks over top. Somehow, my kids always manage to kick the socks off if they're inside the footies. Then they just have big, lumpy socks rolling around in their jammies all night. Not comfortable. My kids have never seemed to need more than two pairs of socks, but use your best judgement.

Layering pajamas and blankets is an easy enough solution. This doesn't have to be layering pajama on top of pajama. Simply adding a t-shirt under a nightshirt or a pair of body hugging thermal underwear underneath can be enough. With infants, I recommend a long-sleeved onesie underneath their pajamas. If they're sleeping with you, this should be more than sufficient (it may even be too much). If your baby is on its own at night, I'd suggest adding a sleep sack over the pajamas. It is both more dangerous and more likely for your baby to be too hot than too cold. Don't feel extremities to test for warmth. Touch their bare chest instead or their bare head. For children over a year old, layering blankets is a no-brainer. Do not put loose blankets atop your infant. We used to tuck flannel receiving blankets into the sides of the crib when the babes were napping during the day, but at night they only used sleep sacks when they weren't sleeping with me. In bed with me, I'd layer tight-fitting clothing over my chest and simply keep the blankets tucked around my waist, legs, and feet. This way, the baby was in no danger of suffocation from our bulky blankets.

Flannel sheets don't create warmth, but they seem to retain it better than the cotton sheets of summer. If you compare climbing into a winter bed dressed with flannel sheets to one dressed with cotton sheets, well, there really is no comparison. It's just not as cold. In my area, flannel sheets are difficult to find in thrift stores, freecycle, or garage/yard sales, but you can often get them at the various discount stores in all kinds of cute prints. My goal (yet to be reached) is to have two sets of flannel sheets for each bed in the house.

If you've got a rice pouch for easing tummy aches and breast woes, heat your rice pouch to a safe temperature and stick it in your infant's or child's bed before they go to sleep. With older children, you can leave the pouch in bed for them to tuck their feet against. With small children and infants, remove the pouch before they climb under their covers. Those flannel sheets will stay warm for quite awhile after baby is laid down, making it easier for them to keep that body temperature. You can also add various herbs to your pouch to soothe baby. Warming herbs, like cinnamon, ginger, or cloves can be nice as well but may keep baby awake. Have fun experimenting.

This is how I manage to keep my children (and myself!) dreaming of sugar plums each winter. So snuggle up those babies in their cute little nightcaps and hibernate for awhile. You will not want to get out of bed, I swear. :) What are your suggestions for keeping infants and children warm in cold weather?

Equinox Gifts

Yesterday was just a lovely, peaceful day with several unexpected gifts. Here at the homestead we consider the Autumnal Equinox to be our version of Thanksgiving, so it is important that I take the time to day to actually give gratitude to the wonderful things and people who made this year's equinox special.


Most important of all has been the deepening connection between me and The Bean. Though we both miss the twins everyday that they go to Head Start, I am so thankful for the opportunity to devote this block of time each day just to my littlest. Soon there will be another baby, one who needs near constant attention and affection, but I hope that I can continue to give this time to The Bean. We cuddle while reading And the Good Brown Earth, and I beam with pride as she hones her balancing skills on the bricks around the (seriously weedy) wildflower patch out front. I'm so thankful for this time and these memories.

The next bit of gratitude goes to my mother-in-law for sending along this set of gifts:

It's not actually an equinox gift but a belated birthday present. Unfortunately, with my in-laws living an hour away and gas prices being what they are, we rarely get out to see them. Regardless of our absence, I know they're always thinking of us, and we're certainly always thinking of them. Though I wouldn't buy Pampered Chef items myself, my kitchen is sorely understocked with tools, so I am very grateful for these gifts. The spoons are bamboo, and the whisks (can you believe I've gone this long without even owning a whisk??) are stainless steel. She also sent a digital kitchen timer, citrus peeler, and corn butterer. Thank you! And thank you for the wrapping paper too. It will be reused.

A gift from Nature herself:

Just like the burdock that took me by suprise last week, I was both startled and excited to see this new aster peeking up through my lawn near Sister Maple. I don't know if it comes through in the picture, but the new aster is purple. I really hope that this one comes back next year with a few buddies. Our other asters, though abundant, are white and as yet unidentified.

And lastly, a warm thank you to C, the Freecycler who passed on a bag and a half of her daughter's clothes to my daughters. It makes this pregnant, autumn-feelin' squirrel rest a little easier that Annie has clothes to grow into, regardless of how difficult the economy may get.

Just At Eye Level

I had only just laid down on the cool grass in the shade of Sister Maple, arm draped across my pregnant belly, when a chestnut colored treasure caught my eye. There in the midst of my jungle of English ivy, something had gone to seed. Something I hadn't seen in my yard before. Something closely resembling a dock (Rumex spp.) species... But which one?

Skipping into the house, I grabbed one of the many baby food jars I have carefully stored away in my cupboard and headed out to collect the seeds. Normally I wouldn't collect seeds from a plant that is the lone specimen in an area, but, well, this is my lawn and an area that gets mowed, which might explain the extremely small size of this plant. That and the enormous amount of shade from Sister Maple. Oh, and the stranglehold of English ivy. The dock species that I'm familiar with from Ohio and Michigan are all large plants, at least a couple of feet tall. Some are 5 feet or more. What amazes me is that this plant managed to gather enough energy to produce seed, even at its tiny size!

Most of the dock species are edible in moderation, though there's a fair amount of oxalic acid in them. They are best cooked. There are, of course, medicinal uses as well, but I'll wait until I have a positive identification to go into those.


I know this is a dreadful leaf photo, but the plant is angled in such a way that it's difficult to get a good one. You can kinda get a sense of size if you compare the leaf to that of the English ivy in the background. If anyone thinks they know which plant I have here, please feel free to comment! I'm guessing that it's a dwarfed Yellow Dock (R. crispus). Regardless, I've saved the seeds from this little miracle. Next spring I'll sow them in good sun and see exactly what it is I have here...

Preparing for Baby

Rasberry leaves (Rubra idaeus 'Red Latham') on a rock after early morning harvest.

My method of harvest: I like to prune a stray branch off of the raspberry bush and snip off the triple leaves to ensure there's an easy stem for hang-drying. I leave the new growth leaves at the top of the cut stem and stick the stem back into the ground where I want a new bush, making sure to push it deep enough that several of the places where I'd cut off leaves are buried. Later, I'll have a new bush. Many like to spread the leaves out on a cotton sheet or hot rock to dry, but I have limited space, so I hang them just like any other herb.

Why raspberry leaves?: Raspberry leaves contain fragrine, an alkaloid which works to tone the muscles of the pelvis. The leaves are also rich in Vitamin C, contain some Vitamin E, and calcium and iron which are easily assimilated by the body.

Pregnancy uses: (taken from a variety of sources and altered to my own needs and anatomical idiosyncracies) I use a tea in the first and second trimesters (1 cup/day) to tone my uterus and give me SLIGHT relief from morning sickness. I still get nauseus, but mostly just when I wake in the morning or from a nap (yeah, right). The biggest benefit I get from raspberry leaf tea at this time is nourishment. I'm prone to slight anemia during my pregnancies, and I much prefer the subtle taste of raspberry leaf tea to the heavy metal taste of iron pills. If I do end up anemic, well, that's another post.

After the second trimester, I switch to an infusion of the leaves. I've had problems previously with my uterus "being lazy" after birth. The toning qualities of this herb are much needed in my third trimester to get things into shape.

Some women have good luck with raspberry leaf making their breast milk more plentiful, but I haven't had that experience. I'll be switching to other herbs postpartum for that purpose.

The Sting

Ouch! Yes, that's a baking soda paste (add enough water to baking soda to make a paste with the consistency of peanut butter) on my foot. On Sunday, I was trying to get the kids indoors before a big storm hit, and unfortunately I stepped on a poor little bee. Since I was carrying The Bean, I couldn't get the stinger out right away and was pumped full of venom. My foot's been painfully swollen and itchy since then. I've been using cold compresses, but since the wound is on the bottom of my foot, any walking aggravates the itching and makes it swell further until the throbbing is enough to make me sit down and elevate it. Not much is getting done around here, I'm afraid! First the cold that Daniel brought home, now the bee sting. *sigh*

Next year, I fully intend to have some herbal remedies for bee stings in stock. I'm looking at calendula salve, lavender essential oil, and apple cider vinegar as possibilities...

UPDATE: No sooner did I type this than there was no more pain and itching... Magic!

Got Crisco?

The Husband and I have a running argument--er, debate--going on which is better: Crisco or lard? Can you guess which I prefer...? Hint: It ain't the Crisco!

Regardless of the fact that I'm the one that does 99% of the cooking around here, The Husband does do some cooking for himself, so we somehow managed to obtain one of those big blue cans of Crisco. *sigh* Since it's there, I have to use it for something, right? And I'll be damned if I'm gonna cook with it! So, Sleepytime Balm it is. Only, I don't like that recipe. LOL Doesn't it seem that orange essential oil would be stimulating rather than relaxing? Instead, I used:

1/4 cup of room temperature Crisco
10 drops Chamomile essential oil
2 drops St. Johns Wort

We've missed A LOT of sleep around here lately with all the coughing and sickness nightmares, so we put this balm right to work...

Shhhhh...

Sick Days and the Glory of Sage

The husband started a new job a couple weeks ago, and, sure as sin, he got sick his second week. New people, new germs to get used to, and my husband has a suppressed immune system as it is because of some neccessary medication he's on. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before Annie started getting hoarse, and the past 4 days or so have seen all of us manifesting the cold in our own way. The Bean ran a low-grade fever for a couple of days and was quite lethargic, but other than that, she was fine. Annie and Airius have been hacking up their lungs (Annie worse than Airius), their noses have been alternating between stuffiness and runniness, and neither of them has been sleeping very well at all. Airius is having nightmares about bugs, and Annie wakes up several times a night begging for water, which inevitably leads to a few more wakeups for potty breaks. I, of course, have had the least sleep of everyone. So far, I haven't developed the hacking cough that the husband and twins have, but my head and nose are seriously congested, giving me a constant dull headache, and my joints are very achy.

So, how have we been dealing with this? I must admit that our quantity of "medicine" here is quite limited because most of our herbs have only just started growing. But, undaunted by the fact that I've yet to put up any Echinacea, Mullein, or Horehound medicinals, Mommy (uh, that'd be me...) took a trip out to the garden and gathered what I DID have. I brought back in some of the yummy stuff in that picture--sage (Salvia officinalis) and added a handful of the fresh herb to a big bowl of hot, steaming water.

"Come on, kids. We're gonna go camping."

"Camping? Where? Mom, I'm too siiiiiiick."

Each kid got a turn under the "tent" (a dishtowel draped over their head and the bowl to capture the steam), and relief was almost immediate. The rest of the herb that I'd harvested, I dried for use over the next few days. The kids seemed to prefer the more mild scent of the dried herb to the very, very pungent aroma of the fresh.

I have to admit that this is NOT the best thing for dealing with summertime coughs. Adding more heat and humidity is no one's idea of a good time when it's 90 degrees outside, but inside my husband insisted on having the AC on high enough for the rest of us to require blankets, so the steam inhalation wasn't too bad after all. Hey, I'll humor him while he's sick. Besides, he's at least twice my size. In a battle over the digital thermostat button, he would most certainly win!

Needless to say, work on the house and garden have come to a near standstill. I keep trying to push myself to do the work that needs to be done, but the kids aren't goin' anywhere. They are a constant reminder to me that I need to rest and recoup and let my body heal. They're just SO much better at it! :D