Giant Butterbur

It's Saturday, June 27th. This whole day has felt a little strange to me. I felt a bit lethargic, mostly unmotivated, and generally disinterested in anything. Can you relate to that at all?

Even the weather was a bit off: gray, yet not rainy. Cool - and then warm and buggy.

That being the case, I still pushed through to get some work done in the garden!

I transplanted some lilacs, some nicotiana, and replanted some beans...

Then, as I walked through to check on the Elderberry, I realized how BIG the Butterbur, aka Fuki (Petasites japonicus) had become. It was a veritable jungle!

This is why this plant is also called the 'Umbrella' plant. The leaves are huge.

When I first planted it, I remember being pleased that it was both beautiful and edible.

The Japanese consider the stalk to be a prized vegetable, harvested June through August. Until now, I had never tried it...

Hey! Maybe this was just the thing to kickstart some enthusiasm??

I dug up all of the rogue Butterburs that had crept into the pathways and used their leaves as mulch around the potatoes and squash in the vegetable beds.

Then I scrubbed them, cut the stalks and roots apart (they each have separate healing aspects), and boiled them for ten minutes.

I found a recipe and followed the steps, thinking that the smell was quite unusual. It's okay - I am my own best guinea pig!

Besides, look at some of the health benefits:

Treats Seasonal Allergies

Relieves Migraines

Reduces Asthma Symptoms

Protects the Brain

Promotes Heart Health

Decreases Inflammation

This experiment was enough to pull me out of fatigue/listlessness and back into curiosity. That place of wonder (what is it going to taste like? How will it improve my health? How else can I prepare it?) is what carries me right now!

Curiosity/wonder is a terrific antidote to what is going on in the world right now, too. Right??

What are you going to get curious about next?