Field Notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2021 | Week 12/52 | Winter
Mar 14, 202152 Sundays of REWILDING in 2021
Field Notes from Jess ~ Sunday 11/52 weekend in review: DOUGLAS FIR HEALING SALVE
This week was very special as Washington State experienced a few sunny days and everyone was talking about the emerging signs of spring. A blue sky was all the encouragement I needed to grab my gathering basket and head out to the forest for some wild Foraging. Spring Nettles are popping up everywhere and I quickly filled two drying racks with this superfood/medicinal plant.
Earthwalk Northwest and ethnobotany instructor Karen Sherwood, are offering an online “Foraging Through the Seasons” class and this week we discovered the healing qualities of Douglas Fir pitch! Karen’s courses are filled with information on plant identification, sustainable and conscious harvesting, ancestral skills and traditional uses, as well as recipes for wild edible and medicinal plants.
After a few hours of forest exploration I was able to scrape enough pitch to make my own healing salve to add to my wilderness apothecary bag. By heating this with local beeswax and jojoba oil from Radiance Herbs & Massage, the salve takes on this beautiful creamy golden color! It’s wonderful for scrapes and abrasions and will no doubt be with me on hikes and adventures.
I believe my Douglas Fir salve will take on a unique and potent healing quality given my direct participation in the alchemy of its creation. Nature’s wisdom and abundance is available for discovery!
Hot tip: Coconut oil is what I used to get all of that sticky sap off of my fingers and out of my hair...Yes while scraping sap off trees, I definitely got it in my hair!
