Element: Fire
Direction: South
Yin: Spleen
Yang: Stomach
Emotion: Worry
Color: Red
Flavor: Sweet
Harvest Time:
This is the marks the season of harvesting the full spectrum of plant life. Plants are at every stage of the growth cycle– sprouting out from the ground, leafing into their full expressions, budding and blooming, fruiting and even dispersing seeds in the wind. Early summer is more abundant as we experience moderate temperatures and some moisture. Late summer can be its own season- for the dry fire months leading into fall, create a more challenging growing habitat unless managed by humans. Take advantage of this time in the mountains to collect and be with the high alpine blooms that truly speak to the exquisite essence of summer in the wild.
June- Early Summer
July- Mid Summer
August- Late Summer
What to Harvest:
Roots
Full-grown leaves
Herbaceous plants
Flowers
Fruits
Seeds
Plants:
This list is according to the time when to begin your harvest.
Early Summer
Anise Hyssop leaves
Black Walnut hulls
Coltsfoot leaf
Feverfew leaf and flower
Fireweed leaf
Gumweed flower
Herb Robert root
Horehound leaf
Huckleberry leaf and fruit
Mugwort leaf and flower
Pipsissewa leaves
Self- Heal
Skullcap
Tansy leaf
Thimbleberry fruit
Tulsi
Western Pasqueflower leaf
Mid-Late Summer
Angelica seed and root
Blackberry fruit
Cornsilk
Cow parsnip seed
Fennel seed
Hops strobiles
Lovage root
Milky Oats
Oregano leaf and flower
Pearly Everlasting leaf and flower
Peony root
Queen Ann’s Lace seed
Red root leaf and bark
Salal berry
Skunk cabbage root
Sweetroot root
Vervain leaf and flower
Wormwood leaf and flower
Food as Medicine:
Summer is the time to release toxic heat from your system and regulate moisture in your body. By eating fresh, local, seasonal foods, your body naturally eliminates that which does not serve (remember the discernment of the small intestine).
The digestive system supports us in this season. It sheds light on our emotional state of being– unsettled stomachs are often associated with an anxious nervous system. And if we are not balanced, then our digestion will be the indicator. An imbalanced digestive system results in inability to assimilate nutrients and further compromising our immune systems. Diet at this time goes hand in hand with prayer/affirmation/gratitude. To eat from a place of calm allows our body to fully absorb the nutrients being offered to us.
Eat naturally sweet. Millet, corn, cabbage, garbanzo beans, soybeans, squash, potatoes, string beans, amaranth, chestnuts, apricots, berries
Eat the warmth. Aid your digestive system’s ability to metabolize by reducing cooling, dampening and raw foods.
Eat the life force. Locally grown food is abundant at this time, making food from our soils accessible and nourishing.
how to prepare your meals
The optimum cooking methods of summer include quick stir fries, sautés or raw. Try not to eat too many iced foods, cooling foods and raw fruits and vegetables because they can weaken your digestive organs.