In Our Forest Now...

Plants of a Very Hot Summer

The weather in Rabun County, located in the mountains of Northeast Georgia, is usually delightfully cool all summer. In fact our county motto is "Where Spring spends the Summer,” but not this year! We're cooking along with everyone else. Thankfully we have plenty of icy cold ponds, rivers and lakes in the area to jump into as needed. But we are seeing the accelerated pace of plant growth continuing. Here is what we've seen in the past few weeks....

Pleurisy Root

(Asclepias tuberosa)

The bright orange flowers of Pleurisy Root, also known as Butterfly Weed, is visible along sunny roadsides now. The root is used as a stimulating expectorant and anti-inflammatory in the treatment of respiratory infections and colds.

Chicken of the Woods

(Laetiporous sulphureus)

The first of the season was found growing along the road up to Max Patch Bald in North Carolina. Sean, the cook at Sunnybank Inn in Hot Springs, NC, sauteed it with garlic and Turkish apricots.

Fantastiko!

Black Cohosh Flower

(Actaea racemosa)

Fairy Torches are burning in the cool, dark shade of the forest. Look for the luminous white flowers now of black cohosh now. We'll wait until the weather cools and the seeds have ripened before harvesting these roots.

Black Walnut

(Juglans nigra )

Black walnuts are now about the size of a tennis ball. In about a month they will start falling and we'll gather the green hulls (wearing gloves to keep from staining our hands).

The green hull is used to make a great antifungal salve. The nuts themselves must be picked out of the shells by hand. This is one of my favorite nuts, and also my favorite home-made ice cream. If you are traveling up Hwy 441 from Rabun County into North Carolina, stop at the Spring Ridge Creamery (Otto, NC) to try their black walnut ice cream! After a long day of harvesting, this is our reward....

Partridge Berry

(Mitchella repens)

The bright red berries of this small perennial evergreen vine are now visible on the forest floor. Collect the aerial parts now. I usually end up drying this as I gather it until I have enough to make it into a tincture. Because this is a tonic for the female reproductive system, the tincture must be taken daily for three to six months for best results.

Skullcap

(Scullelaria incana )

The first few skullcap plants are starting to bloom. This is another flower that is putting in an early appearance. Skullcap is rather solitary, unlike other members of the mint family that like to grow in masses. As soon as more appear I will be making lots of tincture as I find this herb to be one of the best remedies for mental exhaustion and some types of insomnia.

Mullein

(Verbascum thapsus )

Regal and elegant, mullein plants are blooming now. You can see them everywhere along roads in full sun. Pick the flowers to make an infused oil to treat ear infections.

For more information on harvesting, medicine making, and the uses of these and many other herbs, consult my book, Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians or join me for a class.

All photos by Patricia Kyritsi Howell