Since I was not able to make the Spring workshop happen this past weekend for various reasons (not the least of which being that most of the crew came down with covid over the last few days-- don’t worry, we’re all well on our way to recovery!), I wanted to share the monograph on milky oats that I wrote here.
Avena Sativa
Oats (milky oat tops, oatstraw)
Family: Poaceae
Parts Used & Collection: Milky seed, whole plant. For milky seed, strip seed heads when green and when pinched, milky sap comes out.
Habitat & Cultivation: Native to Europe, and some species native to North America. Naturalized worldwide in sunny fields and meadows. Prefers full sun and can tolerate a range of soil conditions.
Taste: Sweet, moist
Energy: Cooling
Actions: Nervine tonic, antidepressant, nutritive, demulcent, vulnerary
Body System Affinity: Nervous
Indications: Nervous system depletion, especially when exhaustion is present (burnout!); nervous system exhaustion associated with depression; lack of focus; insomnia associated with exhaustion; occipital headache; nervous palpitations; nervous headache at menstruation or pre-menstruation; weak or broken hair, skin, nails
Dosage & Preparation: Tincture dosage is 1-3mL, 3x per day. Fresh tincture is best prepared at a ratio of 1g herb to 1.75 or 2mL menstruum (1:1.75 or 1:2), using an alcohol percentage of 50-70% ETOH.
Combines Well With: other nervines such as skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), catnip (Nepeta cataria), tulsi (Ocimum africanum), rose (Rosa spp.)
Safety & Contraindications: Generally safe for most, but may be too damp for some constitutions. May cause diarrhea if very large quantities are consumed.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding: Safe
Personal Reflections: Simply harvesting the milky oat tops is amazing medicine for the nervous system. It is a soothing and meditative act to strip the seeds, and there’s nothing better than pinching them and tasting the sweet milkiness right there in the field. Taking the tincture regularly has clearly had a fortifying, soothing effect on my nervous system
Pick List: Since we are working with a smaller crew, we picked the most essential items!
Eggs
Fresh garlic
Cortland Yellow and Monastrell Red Onions
Rhonda Beets
Primo Cabbage on Tuesday and Pink Beauty Radishes on Friday
Dazzling Blue Kale
Preludio Fennel
Parade Scallions
Black Seeded Simpson, Buttercrunch, and Cantarix Lettuce
Regiment Spinach
Parsley
Albion Strawberries
Tea Blends and Ground and Whole Chiles (Please bring your own containers!)
Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries
Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)
Starts available in the shade tunnel (Please only take starts from area in between the two signs!)
Spaghetti with Garlic and Parsley, from seriouseats.com
Salt
1 pound spaghetti
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 stalks green garlic (or 4 cloves regular garlic), thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Small pinch of red pepper flakes
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large (3-quart) saucepan over medium heat until shimming. Add the garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup of water. Cover and sweat, stirring occasionally, until soft, adding more water if necessary to keep the garlic from caramelizing too much.
Add the cooked pasta to the garlic mixture and toss well to combine. Add some pasta cooking water if necessary to bring the dish to a creamy consistency. Serve with more olive oil and the minced tops of the green garlic, if desired.