SF Sunday Market Madness

I love love love summer markets especially when I'm not working them because you actually get to enjoy the market!

Yesterday I planned on hitting up just the Indie Market but when I stopped in Glen Park to get cash I thought I'd just take a peek at the Glen Park Market just around the corner....... 

It's still quite a small market being fairly new but I found out today when you go at there end of the day ( a not so secret tip of mine)

just before 1pm....

you get great deals!

  My $5.00 produce bag turned to be

Full of super fresh produce

and we feasted on grilled veggies

so easy in the summer when you don't want to cook....

So then I was back on my way to the Indie Market when I thought....I wonder if there's anything good at the Alemany Flea Market today..........

  and sometimes if you look really hard you

 might find... a hidden treasure :-D

Like this polka dot tea pot and serving tray!

nice but a little pricey

Or something super creepy...

                            Like a container for keeping your dead flies!

 Nothing here for me today........

         

So Finally!

The 4th annual Indie Mart

First time for me and it was a great turn out

Tonnes of great designers, live music, food and lot's of people watching                         

         

 Do it yourself workshops....

   and crafting...  

this pic's for Tanya

I did pick up some great pieces at a steal from Theme clothing

as they were fundraising for a new space!

Now you see what I get up to when I'm not in the garden!

Finally Harvesting!

Today's harvest

So it may not be enough to sustain a household for even a day, it's a start!

I'm saving that one blackberry for Kris! It's his favorite.

I'm learning how to get along with the perpetual fog that surrounds my neighborhood, it's like Spring all the time with bits of Summer....One of the benefits of continual Spring

A never-ending supply of Chickweed (stellaria media) This nutritional green is often overlooked as a weed but has many amazing uses! It's the main ingredient in my Chickweed Balm for eczema as it is great for dry, itchy, flaky, irritating skin conditions. Appy topically or better yet just eat it!

I use Chickweed as a salad green, in pesto and in my juicer, wherever you would use spinach.

New research also indicates it is a useful antihistamine.

Some of the other plants in the garden...

Calendula, Dill and Bergamot

Cherry Tomatoes (the only kind that will grow here without a greenhouse)

Our Blackberries coming along...

and I happened to find some Catnip (nepeta cataria) growing under the Rosebush

Used for insomnia, colic in babies, respiratory infections fever and sore throat, headaches, indigestion and stress.

As always folks please consult a herbalist or someone knowledgeable with plants before experimenting with herbs as they can have possible side effects (although rare) and make sure you properly ID the right plants for use.

Happy Tincturing

Yes! I finally have a tincture press!
Some things are much easier to acquire in the States...

Until now I have been hand squeezing/wringing out my tinctures, which is time consuming and after about doing 3 tinctures your hands feel like they they have rope burns all over them! Not cool!

Oh right...what is a tincture??????

Tincturing is a super infusion of herbs in a 'marc', the marc is usually a solution of alcohol or glycerine.

I only use glycerine in all of my tincturing as I am allergic to alcohol. Plus it tastes a lot better!

Tinctures are concentrated and can be used instead of a decoction or tea as you only need to take a small amount at a time and they are travel friendly!

So after soaking in the glycerine for about 6 weeks you need to strain out the herb and this cool contraption makes it sooo much easier!!!

Here I'm straining out my Echinacea Tincture....



So just fill the little cloth bag with tincture
put it in-between the 2 bowls
screw down the top screw thing....
and out pours the liquid medicine

Perfection!!!

Finished Product!

Echinacea angustifolia Glycerite!

available on my online sites......

White Buffalo Naturals on Etsy

White Buffalo Naturals on Poppy Swap