Summer

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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

Arnica flower

Black Walnut hulls

Burdock leaves

Calendula flower

Coltsfoot leaf

Echinacea leaves

Feverfew leaf and flower

Fireweed leaf

Gumweed flower

Herb Robert root

Horehound leaf

Huckleberry leaf and fruit

Linden flower

Lemon Balm leaf

Mint leaf

Motherwort leaves

Mugwort leaf and flower

Mullein flower and leaves

Pipsissewa leaves

Red Clover flower

Rose petals

St. John’s Wort flower

Self- Heal

Skullcap

Tansy leaf

Thimbleberry fruit

Thyme

Tulsi

Western Pasqueflower leaf

Yarrow flower

Mid-Late Summer

Angelica seed and root

Blackberry fruit

Borage flowers

Burdock seed

Chamomile flower

Catnip leaves and flower

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

Sage

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.