You would think by now I would have one moment of hesitation before I started boiling 3 bunches of radishes that had been in the back of the fridge too long. It makes #WeirdSmells but will it make ink?
Surprisingly solid pink ink once it gets concentrated enough! Seems more stable than things like raspberry or red cabbage.
Can’t decide whether to add gum arabic for a drawing/dipping ink, or filter it better and add a bit of glycerin to try with a cheap fountain pen 🤔
I thought everything might be dead but look at all the treasures! I’m going to rest a bit and head back out for berries.
Normally the scent queen is lemon verbena but today it’s the coriander seed heads that I can smell from the next room.
Going to have a Bear Snack 🐻
My very first harvest of lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora) is somehow ready to dry. I only rescued this friend from the discount section at Canadian Tire a couple of weeks ago and haven’t gotten around to repotting it, but it managed to transform from straggly to lush and fluffy anyway. On brand somehow– a plant with very happy vibes.
Posting these linden (Tilia cordata) blossoms mostly to prove that not all of my herbalism projects smell weird. These famously smell like a hug.
Aww yeah it’s time for my favourite part of any [online] experience– using the #WeirdSmells hashtag. I managed to forage some hawthorn (Craetagus crus-galli) flowers to dry for tea, and now my kitchen smells like it is trying to attract flies for pollination…
Because I always like to include an ethical note about foraging– these Eastern hawthorns are invasive here, cultivated as public boulevard trees, and the city has a commitment to avoid spraying them except in a few circumstances. Perfect urban foraging conditions?