It's Hawthorn-berrying Time!

Dear Friends,

It was so very kind of you to drop by today~we are grateful for every visitor we receive at Merry Hearts Cottage, and for your kind and encouraging comments!

We've been busily gathering Hawthorn berries lately, to use as food and medicine. Wolverine Canyon is loaded with berries this year (if you know where to look).





Although the haw (the name of the berry) is not very sweet, or very juicy, and has hard little seeds inside, it is very good made into a syrup or jam for eating.



Medicinally, hawthorn berries are a famous heart tonic, helping to strengthen that very important organ, which gets strained so much by the stresses of modern life. They lower blood pressure, and help dissolve cholesterol and calcium deposits. Since they lower blood pressure, obviously you wouldn't want to take them for this medical condition! The berries and leaves are also used as a nervine, helping to restore a feeling of well-being after the stresses of the day, and to prevent insomnia (Remember, of course, I'm just an herbwife giving friendly information :) ). Quoting from the lovely book "Backyard Medicine", "Taking hawthorn calms the spirit, and gives good results in menopausal mood swings, restlessness, and anxiety; it will quieten overactive children who have ADHD."

Just lying under a Hawthorn tree seems to have a calming effect!

We are so grateful to our Heavenly Father for providing these wonderful foods and medicine, growing wild and free, all around us. It is such a blessing to see how many provisions have been made for every ill that besets us.

Using Hawthorn berries may make Merry Hearts Cottage an even merrier place!

May your heart be made merry today, as well.

Love,

Marqueta

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"The Hawthorn Tree"

by Nathan Haskell Dole

At the edge of the hedge is a hawthorn tree,
And its blossoms are sweet as sweet can be,
And the bees are humming there all the day,
And these are the words I hear them say:-
Sweet, sweet is the Hawthorn Tree!