This is the view I woke up to this morning. Overnight the river landscape out my window transformed into a winter wonderland. Ahead of the storm yesterday I made a trip to gather the last of the roots and managed to dig some dandelion and chicory out of the semi-frozen ground. We will have roots to process for this Saturday’s wild coffee workshop!
I think I can officially declare this the end of wild root season. The two-week trend has temps hovering at and below zero and more snow in the forecast. A few years back I harvested Mullein roots on December 10th. This year I’m calling it on November 26th. I’ve read that Native Americans would light fires above roots in the winter in order to thaw the ground and dig them up. I’d like to try this technique sometime, but I don’t think the officials would take too kindly to me setting alight a blaze in the middle of the city, so that experiment will have to wait for a more appropriate time and place. And to be honest, while I would like to have gathered more roots, it is with some relief that I welcome this blanket of white.
I’m ready for a break. I need a rest. I’ve been working non-stop for months and this snow heralds the beginning of a slowing down for me. I know for many people who have highway commutes to jobs in climate controlled buildings with fluorescent lights creating 12 hour days, this abrupt seasonal change can be a real nuisance, even a danger, but for me it’s like the world just released a giant sigh and with it I can let go of all the things I would have liked to have gotten done but didn’t. I may not have gotten more cherry bark or any comfrey root and another pound or two of wild carrot roots would have been nice, but when I look around me I see that my apothecary shelves are full, my pantry shelves are full and my freezer is full. And that’s good enough. My crochet hooks are out beside a giant ball of yarn and there’s a stack of books nearly as tall as I am waiting to be read. Bring it on winter. I’ve got a cup of hot, roasted dandelion root coffee and I’m ready!

I must admit, I have a penchant for a good post-apocalyptic narrative.  It’s become quite a common trope in popular culture lately, and I am fascinated by the various depictions of societal collapse and  the humanses response to it. So it shouldn’t be too surprising then, that I am a fan of the show the Walking Dead.  (Yes, I watch tv.  Well, I watch tv on a hand-me-down laptop, because I don’t own a tv.  Well, actually I do have a wee, hand-me-down tv that my old boss gave me, but since moving a year and a half ago, it hasn’t been plugged in.  Hmmmm…. maybe I should free up that space?)  But so, while I am sympathetic to Neo-Luddism and my favourite piece of technology is my scythe, a tool that was invented over 2500 years ago, I still tune in to the internet every week to see how Rick and the gang are managing against the walkers.  And maybe also a little bit to get a weekly dose of Daryl Dixon…sigh… (I mean, the man rides a chopper and fires a crossbow! He’s totally on my post-apocalyptic fantasy team. )
Spolier Alert: If you’re a couple of weeks behind on the show, I am about to reveal details you might not want to hear.
In a recent episode, the survivors are beset by a particularly virulent strain of flu and are dropping like flies, quickly transforming into zombies post mortem.  This of course is problematic and unpleasant.  And while a party prepares to leave the prison compound in search of medication, Hershel decides to take matters into his own hands and goes wildcrafting in the woods in search for elderberries.
Elderberries!
Nothing gets me more excited than when herbal medicine makes an appearance in a post-apocalyptic world!  And Hershel definitely knows what he is doing. Elderberries are exceptionally helpful in preventing and shortening the duration of a cold or flu.  Research has shown that elderberries are effective against at least 8 different strains of the influenza virus, including the dreaded H1N1 virus.
Herbalist Paul Bergner has reported on some research:
“In clinical trials, patients who took the elderberry juice syrup reported fast termination of symptoms. Twenty percent reported significant improvement within 24 hours, 70% by 48 hours, and 90% claimed a complete cure after three days. Patients receiving the placebo required six days for recovery. As proof that elder has more to it than the enzyme neutralizing constituents, researchers found that the patients who took it also had higher levels of antibodies against the flu virus.”
I don’t know what’s in store for the infected characters on the show, and I’m a week behind on episodes, but if it were me, I’d definitely have everybody taking elderberries, and yarrow and boneset for that matter.  Really, those poor people need an herbalist! (And someone should maybe tell the set designers that what they had Hershel pick from didn’t remotely look like elderberry bushes.)
For anyone interested in building their wild plant and medicinal herb skills, I’ve got two more plant walks and a few workshops coming up.  And even though you might never need to use them in a zombie apocalypse, you never know when those skills might come in handy.  
Plant Walks
Saturday November 9th 2-4pm, Fletcher Wildlife Garden
Saturday November 16th 2-4pm, Kilborn Allotment Gardens
Workshops
Sunday November 17th 9-12pm, Herbal First Aid
Saturday November 30th 1-4pm, Wild Coffee
Saturday December 14th 1-4pm, Herbals Oils & Salves 
For more information or to register, visit here.




Image source: http://faustissima.deviantart.com/art/Post-apocalyptic-city-181825393