As we took down the fencing and scoured the fresh earth that had been covered by years of debris, we found a beautiful little bunch of leaves. I mean beautiful. They were growing next to an ancient bittersweet bush. We managed to save them both. The question always rattled around in my head- "What kind of plant is this AND is it helpful to humans?" I certainly didn't want any poisonous plants around the farm. Between the children and the animals, that was out of the question. I asked my mom. She relayed a story about my grandparents planting Jerusalem artichokes or Jerusalem sage there. She could not remember anything else, other than Otis Dow had brought the plant to them.
Flash forward eight years. This past fall, there was a stunning picture of a plant on a blog I was reading. I got so excited to FINALLY figure out my secret plant! COMFREY! I started researching it's uses and found benefits when taking comfrey internally and also using it externally.
The first thing I will be doing with my comfrey this year is making tea with the leaves. I am planning on harvesting both new and old leaves from the plant, putting them in my dehydrator and dehy-ing them. Then I will break up the dried leaves and store them in an airtight container until I am ready to use. Two things I have learned in the making of teas. The newer leaves make a weaker tea and the older leaves make a stronger tea. I am going to try them both and I will get back to you on that point!
Tomorrow we will talk about comfrey's medicinal values and which kind of vegetable you already eat that tastes like cooked comfrey. Exciting!
Until Then~
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