Our neighbour Summer, who owns Pumpkin Moon Herbals, http://www.pumpkinmoonherbals.com/ invited us over to harvest her butternuts (white walnuts). She explained that the leaves made a really nice tea and that medicinally an infusion was good for constipation. She needed to do a bit of pruning so we brought home whole branches to dry. The nutshells are good as a vermifuge (they expel WORMS) So we'll be using EVERYTHING we brought home.
The butternut is a native species and the Mi'kmaq used it medicinally, for food, and as a natural brown dye. We'll be dying a silk with nutshells.
The butternut is threatened by a non native blight and Summer explained to us that organic farmers and herbalists should make a point of planting butternut trees to ensure they aren't an endangered species. It really is a wonderful tree!
2 comments:
I've never heard of these! I love learning something new. :)
The organic farm where we get our veggies has an endangered butternut tree - and my friend gives the seeds out for free to help the species along. I'll have to let her know about butternut properties - if doesn't already!
( This is kathy )
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