Osage Orange!

A Brief History of the Osage orange (Maclura pomifera)

“Osage-orange is…picturesque rather than beautiful, and possess[es] strong form, texture, and character.” -J.D. Burton

            Also known as hedge apple, bois-d’arc, horse apple, naranjo chino, among other names, the osage orange is a rather new tree in my experience. Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) is a member of Moraceae, the fig and mulberry family. Throughout this past autumn, their fruit have spattered the roadways and sparked much conversation, and they appear to be rooted firmly into North American history. I would like to spend a few minutes sharing it.

            The wood of the osage orange said to be exceptionally resistant to decay, and has been the preferred wood for fencing for quite some time. The trees were often planted as living fences before barbed wire was invented in 1874 (in Illinois, by the way). The wood also has traditionally been used to make the bow and arrow by the Osage Indians and by other Plains tribes. Currently in Illinois, osage orange is being planted to remediate soil near old strip mines.

            I have been perusing online discussion forums on Dave’s Garden (http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54097/) about Maclura pomifera, and am struck by the sheer amount of people sharing fond childhood memories of the tree, whether it is something like ‘Grandma put hedge apples in every bottom cupboard in the house to repel spiders,’ or that the tree is the best shade tree in Texas, or that someone’s osage orange fence posts from the 1930’s have yet to rot…you might think the tree is Grandma’s rather eccentric yet lovable cousin, the way these folks are talking about it.

            Part of my recent holiday in Tennessee was spent hurling osage fruits against rocks in an attempt to split them open. While the fruit did not break initially, it did allow us to pry it open to uncover a wild, milky melon-like broccoli floretted fruit. The milky sap is very sticky and can cause dermatitis in some individuals, according to Louise Riotte in Carrots Love Tomatoes. The fruit can be made into an antibacterial soap, hand salve, or used as decoration in the home. It was also used as a fabric dye to color khaki uniforms during the first World War. Interestingly, though it appears to have medicinal applications, osage orange rarely appears in the various herbals I’ve looked in.

          

  For more information on osage orange, check out this fabulous comprehensive article on the web: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/maclura/pomifera.htm

         I recently attempted my first salve making endeavor off a variation of this osage orange salve recipe I found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151269383425909&set=a.10151269383180909.487906.227120805908&type=1&theater. 

I used a blend of apricot kernel and almond oils, beeswax, and osage orange pulp, and it turned out pretty well! It's been working for moisturizing dry hands, and I've also applied it to a rough spot on my dog's lower back, in which it seems to be speeding the healing process. 

simple folk tincturing

Recently, I was pawing through my tea shelf, slightly annoyed with all the clutter; realizing I had numerous herbs on the shelf that had been sitting there perhaps for over a year.

Lucky me, I happened to have a handle of vodka in my kitchen that I bought specifically for tincturing fresh artichoke leaf, which a friend gave me from her garden. With the night frosts setting in, I figure now is the perfect time to tincture everything from my garden worth salvaging, and all those dried herbs that have been stagnant on my shelf for much too long.

While there are more modern and "sophisticated" methods of tincturing (with precise ratios of dry herb to alcohol), I chose to go the folk route, which seems to have an innate, simple wisdom to it. You can find instructions on folk tincturing here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dloPF1QDuw. (Brief disclaimer: I just want to point out that I do not work for Mt. Rose Herbs or attempt to promote them on this blog, I just think they do a good job of providing educational resources that are worth sharing!) Also, a quick note on vodka selection; while I usually can't afford the organic, one can often find an affordable vodka that's been filtered 4-5 times, and it will say on the label.

So above, you'll notice I made mostly medicinal tinctures (motherwort, ashwagandha, cayenne ginger, peppermint, kava kava, black walnut w/ clove, boneset, goldenseal, artichoke, oat milky seed, and a couple of infused vodkas (vanilla and coconut vanilla) for fun.

They are all made with vodka, except the cayenne ginger, which is steeped in bourbon. I'm looking forward to adding it to a hot toddy on a cold winter night.

Lastly, if you're interested in seeing what plant compounds are soluble in alcohol, or want to know basic herbal recipes for salves, syrups, infusions, etc., check this jam-packed DIY site http://earthnotes.tripod.com/basics.htm#howto.

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So lemon balm extract is the latest industry craze (thx to Dr. Oz) that everyone wants and nobody can get (all herb suppliers appear to be out of the tincture)! I have been suggesting to people looking for it that they use the above method to make their own lemon balm extract, and voila! Easy, empowering (relaxing) solution.

wild persimmon plethera!

This year was my first year to discover the wild persimmon, which are widespread throughout our region, and from what I hear it seems this year's trees have produced a bumper crop. They are delicious! I hear they can be made into a custard, but eating a ripe one is practically like eating sweet, smooth custard without having to do the work. Yum!

Marvelous repulsion

The eyes of an alligator are truly primordial, like thousands upon thousands of years are looking back at you; somehow this being that is alive right now, is so eerily the same as its ancestor so long ago, and steadily, in its cold blooded nature can hold your gaze in the present. 

There's something incredibly repulsive, yet simultaneously fascinating about reptiles. This first became apparent to me when I lived in Louisiana three years ago and peered into alligator eyes on a fairly frequent basis. The reptile (serpent) has prominent places throughout human mythology, as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakes_in_mythology

I realized recently that I have similar inklings toward certain ancient plants, like thistles and ferns. I think it has to do with how "evolutionarily perfect" they are (think cockroaches, too...). So little has changed over millennia, and when I gaze upon them, I could be living at any point in history in that moment. 

While it is difficult to relate to these beings (many environmentalists observe that this is a major hurdle to a widespread earth stewardship); I believe this marvelous repulsion is worth acknowledging and exploring. 

E.g.

Above: Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus)

Ancestor to today's globe artichoke, perhaps cultivated for 30,000 years. 

According to a friend (whose garden this is) the cardoon is not officially supposed to be a perennial in Southern Illinois, yet it typically does overwinter. Cardoon is used in traditional cheese making in Portugal as a vegetarian rennet (http://joyofcheesemaking.blogspot.com/2010/10/homegrown-rennet.html), and the stalks are edible as well. (http://www.yougrowgirl.com/2010/11/26/growing-and-eating-cardoon/)

Yes! I want to make home-grown rennet!

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In a pinch while cheese making last night (I spilled the last of my rennet), I used 1/2 teaspoon globe artichoke tincture to attempt to set 2 gallons milk. I left it sit overnight, and it worked! A curd formed, and while the curd was too soft to make it into the feta I had planned, it made a very tasty cottage cheese. First cottage cheese I tasted that had lipase powder in it; it's tangy, saucy and delicious!

Yesterday's kitchen tasks

(l-r)
sweet chili garlic sauce
roasted tomatillo salsa
pineapple quince tomato chutney
garlic herb cheese curds
cucumber olive hummus
butternut squash puree

I got incredibly real for a second yesterday while talking about beets with my coworkers....they are so delicious! This salad was dinner yesterday for one of them; inspired by me saying something like the following:
Every time I consume beets, I am overcome by the earthy, sweet and soilly tones and my body feels so connected to the earth. It makes total sense that they be grounding, since beets are root vegetables and develop underground. Regularly I encounter folks who are so disconnected and I just wish they'd eat some beets :)

meditations on the Oz labrynth

            Over the past few weeks at the co-op, I have found myself scrambling to try and keep up with the Dr. Oz show. Raspberry ketones, forskolin, 7-Keto, caraway seeds, coconut palm sugar, pu-erh tea, bacopa…to name just a few of the most requested Oz recommended supplements. It’s quite a dizzying and incredible phenomenon! People are hungry for Oz niche products, and while we do offer some of them on the shelf, we do not carry them all. Furthermore, although we can often order the products, it sometimes takes a while to get them into the store (due to distributor and manufacturer out-of-stocks; the demand for these products is unprecedented in our industry!), which is no doubt frustrating for some.           

            After pondering different aspects of the Dr. Oz phenomenon, I decided to jot down some ideas and considerations on successfully surviving, and thriving from it.

            Recently, Dr. Oz spoke about how forskolin, a compound in the herb Coleus forskohlii, has successfully been used to burn belly fat. Yet coleus has also traditionally been used for high blood pressure; so people who are currently on blood pressure medication may not want to take it; also people with hypotension would likely want to avoid an herb with this property. One thing that fails to come through on a show where time is limited is that herbs have many actions in the body, and every body is different.

            The coleus example also illustrates the importance of working with your health care practitionerwhen adding a supplement to your daily regiment. It is important to get a second opinion from someone who is familiar with you and your bodily constitution, and also who is familiar with contraindications between herbs and pharmaceuticals and other health conditions.

              Owning a reliable herb book is another helpful resource for the self-care enthusiast. The dose of forskolin that Dr. Oz suggested was much higher than any traditional suggested dose I could find, which concerned me. A book that lists traditional dosages is an essential reference to double check suggested dosages from the show, examine other actions of the herb that may affect you, and also to get a sense of the rich, lengthy history and artistry of herbalism.     

            Herbs can be taken in many ways: capsules, liquid extract, tea, topically, to name several. One way is not necessarily better than another, with some exceptions, of course. It may seem obvious, but when someone in the store cannot make a decision between capsules or tea, I generally suggest that person go with their initial instinct.  

One last hope of mine in relation to the Dr. Oz show is that it will start to incorporate a more sustainable perspective. While exotic, tropical herbs and fruits can be fun and healthful dietary additions, it’s not necessarily realistic in the long term to expect constant access to these foods. Also, we have medicine cabinets growing in our backyards!  Chickweed tea was recently recommended on the show…and it is growing all over the place, right now…

So, in short, kudos to Dr. Oz for bringing positive attention to alternative medicine and for empowering folks to take charge of their health. That is truly a powerful and beautiful thing. I just want to add that his show and suggestions are just the tip of the iceberg of alternative medicine and often deserve further investigation.

[originally published on tumblr - March 21, 2012]