Summer in the Garden - Making Passion Flower Herbal Extract by Ingrid Petres

Summer is bursting at her juicy seams. This is a busy season for the gardener. Preserving, saving seeds and making medicine with our herbal allies is one of my favorite parts of the cycle of the year. As I save seeds from my Calendula flowers for next year’s garden I participate in the life cycle of my plant allies. Year after year as I tend a garden my love and respect for Mother Earth and her creatures deepens. I also love playing an active role in creating the food and medicine that nourishes and heals my body and my family. It is true empowerment. 

Tending a garden through the seasons bolsters our immune system and nourishes us on so many levels. We are fortified by the sun’s vitamin D. Our nervous systems are soothed by breathing in the aromatherapy of nature’s flowering. Spending time in the garden pulling weeds and tending our herbal allies provides exercise to tone our muscles. Relishing the crunch of home grown snap peas and romaine lettuce provides vitamins and minerals for our bodies. Harvesting and drying Tulsi for herbal tea we will enjoy one chilly November day is a meditative practice that speaks to our souls. 

​As I mentioned in my last post my daughter religiously takes Passion flower extract before bed. The Passion flower vines in my garden are teeming with the buzz of fat bumble bees right now. It is the perfect time for making extract with this gorgeous native plant. Below is a link to an informative YouTube video Maria and I made on how to make Passion flower extract from fresh Passion flower. We are happy to be able to share our first attempt at video and hope to get more savvy at it with time! 💞