Raspberry leaves tea

Did you know that you can make a delicious (and medicinal) tea with raspberry leaves?  

If you're already growing raspberries (or know someone who is!), remember to harvest, dry, and brew yourself a wonderful cup of tea.

It’s wonderful to be able to harvest it from the garden, to drink a potion of vitamins and minerals and to feel a stronger connection with the plant.  

Benefits:

The leaves are rich in potassium, iron, magnesium and b-vitamins.

Red raspberry leaf tea is a natural remedy for women’s health including menstrual support, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause.

How to Harvest & Preserve Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

The leaves are best harvested in the spring before the flowers emerge. 

Choose young, bright green leaves. 

Collect raspberry leaves before the plant blooms.

Harvest mid-morning after the dew has evaporated and before the sun is hot to preserve the oils and flavor.

Spread the leaves out on a screen and allow them to dry naturally away from dust and sunlight.

Or you can gather the leaves by their stems, tie the ends, and hang them to dry.

Depending on the humidity, drying usually takes 2-3 weeks.

You can tell when the leaves are dry, by crushing a leaf or two. It should crumble easily.

Try not to crush the rest of the leaves to reserve the flavor until you are ready to brew your tea.

Once dry, store leaves lightly packed in a glass jar away from direct sunlight.

From the market garden.

On a whole we feel it’s been a great season for the market garden.  

We have had some stunning crops throughout the season with some of the favorites being the late carrots, dill, sweet corn, Chinese cabbage and the consistent crisp salad mix.  

The long dry period late summer and autumn gave our autumn and winter crops a bit of grief such that our cabbages, Japanese turnip, broccoli and cauliflower yields have not been so great.  As a testament to the diverse CSA seasonal veggie box model, we have still been able to provide a great value and a  range of veggies each week.

Winter boxes will be a little less abundant for the last few weeks and the last box will be on the 24^thof July.  As hard as it is not to see our crops reach their full potential and make it to our valued customers place , we have to accept that we can't “win them all” and plan to improve for next time.  

In terms of box numbers, demand continues to increase and at times we have had a small waiting list.  More and more people are seeking out farm direct veggies from the Jing Clinic in Lilydale and Upwey food hubs which has been great.   

A massive thanks to all our members and special acknowledgement to our members who made the time to come to help out on a Tuesday and for the hands on the land days. This connection and participation is at the heart of our CSA model and it really warms my heart and gives me a boost to see big smiles on our member’s faces getting out on the land!  

Thanks again for playing your part of the CSA and we hope you can join us next season when we start back up again in late December.

Why is balance so important in relationships?

You’ve probably experienced being thrown off balance and you grab onto anything within reach to stop you from falling.

This is what it’s like in relationship when you don’t take care of your own  balance. We grab at, clutch and cling to those around us in an attempt to stabilise ourselves. The problem is that everything around us is inclined towards movement (unless it’s dead, in which case it’s probably time to let it go). When we’re depending on someone or something to stabilise us we tend not to appreciate it moving on us.

In the case of a relationship we’ll be compelled to, in some way, influence, control or manipulate another in order to maintain some semblance of stability.
Of course, it’s not going to create long lasting stability. Everything changes and we must perform our own balancing act and in doing so, leave others free to develop their own balancing abilities. Of course it’s hard to let others go sometimes, for example, one’s own children as they head off to forge their own path in life but at this stage you can only hope that you’ve sufficiently modelled how to stand on “one’s own two feet” well enough that they’ve become proficient enough at it by then. The more we cling the more we limit others’ opportunity to grow and learn and practice. 

So if you’ve been sufficiently interested in the subject presented here to read this far you might be wondering in which context I’m using the term “balance”. “Does he mean mental balance, emotional balance, physical balance....?”

Well the amazing thing about balance is that it crosses all these divisions, meaning that physical balance effects emotional balance effects mental balance, etc....and because that’s the case, balance always points back to the centre.

What centre? The centre of your universe. You. Just below your belly button. The expression, “to contemplate your navel” is a bit of a backhanded way to refer to someone who likes to meditate. But in light of what we’ve been talking about but in another light it’s actually not a bad idea. To pose the question in relation to anything, inverted Commers where is my centre in this? Is a very fundamental question in reaching confidence debility insurance within oneself in a changing world where things often move in and unpredictable way

In therapy sessions people commonly experiencing stress and doubt in relation to situations in which they are facing. Sometimes there is an appeal and the client for some advice on the matter. The best advice I can give in any case is to invite encourage the person to find a balance in the face of the challenge course when you can find your balance with something you are not dependent on the outcome the surfer does not need to know how the way the scanner ultimately crash so long as he can maintain centre of balance. So what is the golden nugget, the secret to maintaining one’s balance.? Well I don’t think anyone can answer this question for anyone else but the best I can offer is to say that asking the question is the first step. Because when we asked the question we move the focus away from controlling another’s actions and look towards Our own Centre for the answer

How medicine drumming became part of my life?

My main use of the medicine drum is through Drum Journeys. It's when a drumbeat is played at a rapid rate allowing your brain waves to harmonize, dive to a deep state of meditation and receive messages from a deep wise inner place. The benefit of these inner journeys took full meaning for me during my birthing journeys.

I came across the School of Shamanic WomanCraft when I was pregnant with my first baby, and a new path opened to me. I’ve learnt to use and understand deeply the benefits of the medicine drum thanks to the Four Seasons Journey where I have connected and continue to learn about womanhood, honoring the rites of passage of birth, menarche, childbirth, menopause and death, and connecting with the Cycles.

Drumming is one tool, amongst many others, I’ve learnt to be very familiar with and I found it very useful in my life journey especially in time of crisis.

For example, one difficult time was when I went though the experience of my second miscarriage. I was 10 weeks pregnant, and it was very painful emotionally as I had to face myself again in the grieving process.

I’ve reached for the first time for support, and during a drum journey I have been able to connect with my baby, I saw her, I received a name and important messages from her. I’ve been able to have a better sense of clarity and being able to say goodbye and let go. This experience totally shifted my experience of a miscarriage because I didn’t feel guilty or victim of a loss but I felt gifted with a story and a strong sense of connection with my baby. She existed. Her birth was really beautiful at home and for the first time of my life I truly felt like being a goddess when she was born and I was proud to bring her to my hands and heart. I am grateful for that honoring and healing experience, made it possible thanks to an amazing trustful support.

We live at a time where natural birth has become “endangered”. My first experience of giving birth in a hospital with an unexpected pre-eclampsia condition, was a real waking up call for me, realizing the impacts and reality of the hospital policies, routine, and way of communication to the birthing mother. Since then, part of my personal journey has been to reclaim trust and surrender with birth and it's mysteries. For my last pregnancy, I chose to receive regular drum journey sessions as a way to check in and connect with my baby. My baby gave me clues on how he wanted to be born. He always told me about a straightforward birth at home, with our little family, me being the one who catches my baby in my hands. I chose to trust those messages. It was actually huge to follow this guidance and act accordingly to prepare for birth while facing doubts and fears. It felt like a huge inner battle between the rational mind and the heart. I was blessed that the birth unfolded exactly as my baby told me.

So the drumming and the messages I got from it, showed me a new way and informed clearly my decisions. From fear, I’ve learnt to connect, trust and surrender. This has transformed my life completely. It’s why I’m now sharing that amazing tool with women.

For this reason, you have now the possibility to make your own medicine drum. 
Sarah  (shamanic craft woman, dancer and creator of :  www.embodimentsdance.com.au), and myself (shamanic craft woman, dancer and creator of womb connect) are so honored to work together to offer a sacred space and to hold you while you are birthing your drum.

If making a medicine drum calls you, feel free to contact us for more info or book in your place through that link:
https://www.embodimentsdance.com.au/product/shamanic-drum-making-two-day-workshop/
 
Blessings to all!

Kate's PEACE Farm Internship Experience

A Personal Account from an intern at PEACE Farm

Most mornings start with chickens. Their crows might wake you up, or you’ll have an early alarm set to feed them, but either way you certainly won’t forget their presence on the farm, and they won’t forget about you either because no matter what time of day, if you walk past their enclosures they’ll be running up to greet you hoping you have some old bread or compost scraps for them to peck at.

During my time at PEACE Farm I opted to divide my time into 2 week segments using each segment to focus on a different aspect of what the residents of the farm specialize in. After the first 3 weeks of settling in and doing the normal wwoofer routine of rotating which families/areas of the farm we would be working with, we started in the nursery with Matt. Here we learned about the earliest stages of a plant’s life, where we started with the seeds each Monday, propagating at least 50 trays of a variety of vegetables. Learning about the different families- brassicas, chenopods, and so on, and how each seed must be sowed in different ways depending on the type, temperament, and environment. After sowing the seeds we learned about the seedlings themselves and how to properly care for them before they grow on their own after being replanted into the ground.

When our time in the nursery was up we moved on to the CSA market garden with Trav. Aside from Tuesday, veggie box day, each day was different, but was filled with new information to learn about many different aspects of the farm. We learned how to start a garden from scratch, going through every step of bed-prep, soil fertilization, plant spacing and more, gaining confidence in the process so that if need be we would be able to grow our own vegetable garden wherever we were, no matter the circumstances. Between all the weeding, planting, harvesting and more we were able to get a deeper insight into the philosophy of the PEACE Farm, and the importance of Community Supported Agriculture. This would always come full circle on Tuesdays as every member of the PEACE Farm along with wwoofers, and friends/members of the community would come together to pack the veggie boxes full of fresh veggies and herbs straight from the garden. Through the chaos of it all I was always able to find joy from the simple act of a community working together for the greater good.

Our final focus at the farm was centered around the women’s practices here. With Emilie we were able to learn more about her journey of shamanic womancraft, and herbal medicine, gathering a plethora of new knowledge about the benefits packed into every herb and flower in our garden that is often taken for granted. With Cat we continued to attend her Chi Yoga classes every Wednesday night and with her guidance and extensive knowledge on film/media and video production we spent many afternoons putting together some videos highlighting different aspects of the PEACE Farm. On Monday mornings over our last few weeks we got to participate in Vicky’s Kundalini Yoga classes and spend more time with her learning about her experience and history with the practice, and how we may incorporate it into our lives. She also shared her love of eco printing with us and helped us make printed paper and wool to keep. With all of the women we were able to learn about their personal journeys and experiences along with creating a space where we were welcome to do the same, celebrating the joy of womanhood and how we can all learn from each other.  

When I signed up to be a PEACE Farm intern, I had no idea what was in store during the three months I had planned to work at the farm. Through all the weeding, planting, sowing, cooking, and much much more I have gained such a vast array of knowledge from the wonderful folks at the PEACE Farm. This place is radiating with love, peace and curiosity, and I'm already planning when I can make it back. 

Ella's PEACE farm internship experience

This is a blog article written by Ella Gambell for the Carpe Diem Latitudes Semester program https://www.carpediemeducation.org/2018/04/peace-farm-australia-2/

I’m not going to lie, the first couple weeks of this semester were pretty tough for me. At Latitudes orientation right before I came here, I heard about all of the amazing things all of the other Carpe kids are doing and I wondered if I could be doing something better or more adventurous than working on a farm. I would be weeding in the garden and think, “Wow. There are people cage diving with sharks, diving with seahorses, teaching African kids how to swim, helping women who are being trafficked in Nepal, etc., and here I am sitting in dirt pulling out weeds in another wealthy, Western country, much like my own.”

I really needed to shake that perspective and see the bigger picture, so I did. It took a little more patience than I like but I kept reminding myself: I chose to be here. I’m supposed to be here. Better make the most out of it.

I’m going to talk a little bit about the place I’m living right now. It’s a permaculture farm in the Yarra Valley, east of Melbourne, called P.E.A.C.E farm. The name itself makes this place so inviting. It’s one of the reasons I chose to be here, to be honest. It stands for “Permaculture. Education. Art. Community. Enterprise,” some of the many things this place has to offer. The farm is run by 3 families, all of whom live on the property. There are Travis and Emilie and their two boys, Ossian and Matis. Trav runs the market garden and the CSA. I’ve never seen someone who works as hard as that man. Then there’s Matt and Cat, with their four kids named Jazzy, Marlow, Luca, and Ollie. Matt runs the nursery and sells seedlings in local markets. Lastly, there’s Murray and Vicky who live in a tiny house that they built out of all recycled materials, with their little daughter Gracie. Murray is an acupuncturist and Vicky is an artist. Also, several WWOOFERs come and go. This place is always buzzing with people!

So, I don’t know if you’ve counted, but there are seven kids total that live here, and most of them are little boys. We also had a Catalonian family living here with 3 kids of their own. Things can get pretty loud and crazy, though while the kids are at school, the peace remains at PEACE farm. 

There is an abundance of things to learn and do here. Cat and Vicky teach yoga classes throughout the week, Emilie does shamanic drumming women’s circles on the new and full moons, we have an annual tomato festival in February, and there are all different kinds of workshops throughout the month; it’s endless.
I chose this place because I felt super drawn to Australia and like I needed to come here. I am also in love with our planet and wanted to connect deeper with her and learn ways to reduce my carbon footprint.

Throughout my time here I’ve realized the importance of many different things. From the environmental perspective, I have learned the benefits of eating local, organic foods on the personal and community level. Every Tuesday here, we have our “Box Day,” where we pack boxes full of produce for our CSA. Everyone on the farm gets together and harvests heaps of produce fresh from the garden that gets dispersed in about 40 boxes for different locals. So much effort and love is put into the consumer getting the best produce possible. Community Supported Agriculture has great benefits for the community and the people, I’ll briefly mention a couple things.

People have lost touch with what they eat and where their food comes from. Most people eat whatever they are craving, regardless if it’s healthy, seasonal, or if it has traveled thousands of miles to get to the supermarket. Not only is local, seasonal food better for the environment because it is not traveling far to get to you, it is better quality, therefore better for the body. Knowing where our food comes from and who grows it, is a practice of being connected to the earth. If more people felt connected to the land we live on, I think they would be more inspired to save the planet. It has been enlightening for me to be part of a CSA, and I know it’s something I’m going to carry with me in the future.
Personally, I’ve been more connected to the earth here than ever. I’ve always loved nature and being outside, but having my hands on the earth almost every day has really made me more aware of how special our planet is. Doing little things like planting baby beetroot in a garden bed and having my hands in the soil or just walking around barefoot, have given me a sense of groundedness and peace. Harvesting veggies and herbs straight from the ground and using them to cook and make tea is so fulfilling. It’s so nourishing taking something from right from the earth and using it to feed our bodies, just like a baby nursing from their mother. I have learned how to raise a plant from seed, prep a garden bed, how to keep a plant thriving while it is in the ground, all of the tools needed to grow a successful, healthy crop. I have even learned how to use the different veggies on this land, so nothing goes to waste. I can’t imagine living any other way than getting my food from a CSA when I get back home!
Those are a few of the many skills I have acquired from farming, but I’ve learned much more than just how to tend the garden. Living here has given me a new appreciation for life. Separating myself from all of my loved ones and immersing myself in a community of strangers has been one of my toughest challenges. I’ve had to learn how to take care of myself on my own, without the support system I’ve always had. It has not been easy, but as I learned last semester, you grow the most from immersing yourself in the unfamiliar.

I have found new gratitude for my family, friends, my hometown, mother Earth, and for myself. This place helped me open my mind and my heart and connect deeper with myself. There is so much I have left to learn from the incredible people that live here and I’ve barely scratched the surface. That just gives me more of a motivation to come back!

Kate and Ella - 2018 interns at PEACE Farm

From the end of January to mid-April we have been lucky enough to host Kate and Ella from the USA as interns at PEACE Farm.  The girls are on a gap year program through Carpe Diem and have been learning about living in community, running an organic nursery and market garden, participating in some of the well being activities at PEACE farm such as Yoga and Shamanic Drum Journeys, and some deeper learning from the PEACE Farm women.  Kate and Ella will be sharing some of their experiences on the PEACE Farm blog over the coming weeks.

Fall at PEACE Farm - by Kate

Nestled in the Yarra Valley of Australia, the PEACE farm is home to an eclectic community of three vibrant families along with a constant flow of volunteers and friends just passing through or even staying for a while- always working as a collective effort to love the land. The past few months have brought great joy thanks to a successful tomato festival to wind down the summer and celebrate an incredible tomato harvest as a community with food, music, dancing, and all sorts of fun. As the autumn equinox has passed we’ve started to feel the chill of fall, waking up to feed the chooks requiring an extra layer to brave the cold and maybe even an extra cup of coffee too. After a bountiful summer overflowing with tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchinis, both our hearts and plates are excited to welcome the vegetables of the season. Last week we cleared out the tomato jungle to make way for new life, sowing peas where the tomatoes once thrived, ready for the change in season along with the change of pace here at the farm.