Harvest in the spring. Healing gifts of the sleeping forest. Birch buds and catkins

Nature gives us fruits, trees, herbs and flowers.

Healing tea tells us to drink in order to maintain health!

These lines came to me at the moment when I saw the first sunny flowers of spring primroses ...

Finally, we waited for the belated spring - the pores of warmth, flowering and joy! Procurers of medicinal plants, a somewhat protracted and slightly fed up vacation is over - begins long period collection medicinal herbs which will run from March to November. Each month has its own blade of grass, connoisseurs of medicinal plants are well aware of the importance of meeting the deadlines for collecting certain herbs, they have a hard and responsible job on which the health of many people depends.

Harvesting of raw materials begins with spring herbs, which are indispensable throughout the year. Since the beginning of March, the spring sun has been actively awakening the roots and seeds of wild medicinal plants, which in a matter of days cover the warmed earth with a fresh green carpet. Active vegetation of plants urges us not to be late with the collection of buds, bark, young leaves and early flowers. spring plants. Many of these plants are, of course, known to you and probably grow on your garden plot or in the area of ​​the nearest forest.

• - spring primrose (primrose)- blooms one of the first, which is why such a simple name is given to it. AT ancient greece it was called the "flower of the twelve gods" and this is no accident. Thanks to high content vitamin C, flavonoids, saponins and other valuable compounds infusions of primrose, collected during the flowering period, help with colds, migraines, chronic constipation as a diuretic for edema. It is a very strong and safe expectorant for coughs.
• - birch buds- valuable medicinal raw material, which will provide significant assistance with edema cardiac origin. Birch buds will also help to cope with stagnation of bile, especially with hepatitis, improve metabolism and digestion, infusions and decoctions of birch buds will fight against colds in combination with other herbs, strengthen the immune system. Gathering birch buds in early spring(March-April) during their swelling period, it is during this period that they contain maximum amount aromatic substances, phytoncides and resins.
• - gentle pine buds, collected strictly before blooming, contain a truly fantastic set of compounds that are beneficial to human health: essential oil, resins, tannins, resin acids, vitamins. infusions pine buds will provide us with significant assistance in winter colds, coughs, beriberi. Baths with a decoction of pine buds will help relieve pain during exacerbation of arthritis, gout, rheumatism.
• - Oak bark- very valuable and necessary in home first aid kit medicinal raw material. For organ diseases gastrointestinal tract, liver, frequent bleeding and sweating feet do not be too lazy to prepare required amount the bark of a young oak, not missing the period of sap flow (April-May). Oak bark is famous for its high content of tannins. Tannin - the main active part of the tannins of the bark - when applied externally (for example, in contact with a wound or other skin lesions) combines with proteins, forming a protective film that protects the tissue from irritation, relieving inflammation and pain, and even stopping putrefactive processes.
• - coltsfoot leaves collected immediately after flowering and dried for future use, in winter they will turn out to be a saving straw when coughing with sputum that is difficult to separate. Infusions of coltsfoot can be safely given to children. They have a diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory and disinfectant effect for any colds (bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia, tonsillitis). Infusions are drunk and used for gargling.
• - biting, wood lice or chickweed average- this is very useful plant, known to many as a weed that covers the beds with a wet green carpet in early April. If you are not too lazy and stock up a certain amount of biting biting for the winter, then you can not be afraid of inflammatory diseases and intestinal disorders, because biting biting infusions will quickly relieve pain and restore its work. Chickweed will also provide positive impact on the work of the liver with alcohol or other types of poisoning.
• - lingonberry leaves harvested in April-May before the flowering of the plant. It is in the young leaves of lingonberries that the maximum amount of useful human body substances. For example, copper, which has a beneficial effect on the pancreas when diabetes, as well as tannins that can bind and remove salts of some heavy metals. Infusions and decoctions of lingonberry leaves are needed as a disinfectant and diuretic for pyelonephritis, cystitis, kidney and bladder stones, rheumatism.
• - young leaves stinging nettle should be used not only fresh in vitamin salads and soups, but also to prepare for future use in dried form for literally all occasions. Nettle is a storehouse of vitamins, so its infusions are used primarily as a strong general tonic. For any inflammation and colds, nettle infusions will help. A weak infusion is used to thin the blood, a strong infusion is used for bleeding. In addition, nettle infusions take care of the skin and hair, if they are used for washing and rinsing the hair after washing.
• - leaves dandelion officinalis should be harvested away from roads before flowering. Dandelion bitterness helps the stomach and intestines work, improves appetite and digestion, cleanses the liver and gallbladder have anthelmintic properties.
• leaves plantain large have long been famous for their healing properties, their infusions have an astringent and strong bactericidal effect (active against pathogenic staphylococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Infusions of plantain leaves treat stomach ulcers and duodenum, compresses with infusion help heal wounds.
• - root of wheatgrass can be harvested during the spring garden work. Decoctions of wheatgrass root will help maintain health for women suffering from frequent inflammatory diseases urinary-genital system, which, as you know, are often exacerbated in winter. It has a strong anti-inflammatory effect and fights infections.
• - grass greater celandine collected at the beginning of flowering (May) will help with skin diseases and various neoplasms(wen, polyps, tumors), in addition, celandine cannot be dispensed with when compiling herbal preparations for the treatment of diseases of the stomach, intestines and liver. In winter, we use celandine herb infusion for gargling with sore throat, as well as for washing the sinuses with a runny nose, sinusitis, adenoids. With acne and other types of rashes, a strong infusion of celandine can be frozen into ice cubes and wiped with them on the face in the morning and evening after washing.
• - strawberry leaves harvested in late spring. With regular use of tea from strawberry leaves, the level of cholesterol in the blood decreases, blood pressure normalizes, the blood formula is updated, and metabolism improves. In addition, such tea will interfere with the development iron deficiency anemia and maintain the strength of the immune system.
• - grass tricolor violets(everyone knows Pansies”) will be able to prepare lovers of outdoor recreation not only in spring, but throughout the summer, fortunately, it blooms for a long time and grows almost throughout the European part of Russia. Violet infusions can be used for flu and colds, the presence of inulin, saponin, violin and other alkaloids in its composition provides a strong anti-inflammatory, expectorant, emollient effect, in addition, tricolor violet has calming properties.

And it's far from complete list useful and most importantly affordable medicinal herbs that surround us, you just have to look around a bit and take an interest in them, find out what great benefits they can give us throughout the year and especially in winter. Collect spring herbs!

As soon as the snow melts and the birch trees stop crying with spring tears, in the forest clearings and sunny edges, the first ... mushrooms begin to break through the thickness of last year's foliage. They are not very similar to champignons, russula, boletus, boletus, porcini and other mushrooms that are familiar to the eye, but they are not inferior to them in taste, and according to some lovers of “quiet hunting”, they even surpass them.

Morel is called by many the most delicious mushroom of all, but even experienced mushroom pickers often confuse it with another spring mushroom - a line.

Line by appearance recalls human brain(very smart, because there are a lot of convolutions), and in a delicious morel, the hat, as it were, consists of separate cells.

Both of these mushrooms are conditionally edible, but the line is more dangerous.

How colder climate in the place where the lines grow, the safer these mushrooms are - in the southern and southwestern regions with mild winters and early snowmelt, it is better not to collect them, but the entire North and central Russia enjoy wrinkled hats of lines with pleasure. Until recently, in Western European countries, the lines were considered the most delicious mushroom (and cost five times more than dried mushrooms), but now their harvesting is prohibited - the mild European climate, calcareous soils and unfavorable ecology contribute to the accumulation of poisons in Western European lines. In Russia, experts recommend collecting lines only in deciduous forests - in coniferous forests they are a little bitter, and the bitterness does not go away either when soaked, or when boiled, or even when salted.

Morel, in comparison with a line, is a more harmless “snowdrop” mushroom, but caution when preparing it does not hurt. As well as moderation in use. Despite the fact that morel is considered not only delicious, but also the most useful mushroom(especially for men who want to keep their male power for life), it is necessary to remember the commandment of the great Paracelsus: "Everything is poison and everything is medicine, it's only a matter of quantity."

Many of us have seen a mushroom with the funny name "deer horns" more than once, but ... they did not take it for a mushroom. Most often it grows on rotten stumps and fallen birches and looks like a small tree, coral or branched deer antlers. Cooking it is simple: boil for 10 minutes, drain the water, and then you can fry, stew, salt, etc. The main thing is not to confuse edible deer horns (golden ramaria and yellow ramaria) with inedible ramaria.

Primrose

On sunny glades in May, you can see unsightly pale yellow flowers, collected in a drooping umbrella on a fleshy stem, with a wide rosette of light green rounded hairy leaves, a sweetish taste and smell of drugs. This is a spring primrose (or real), it is also a spring primrose, a very valuable vitamin plant, the leaves of which contain incredibly a large number of (5-5,9%) ascorbic acid.

Stems, flowers and leaves can and should be eaten by children and adults, young and old - in addition to the fact that this way you can get a solid dose of general tonic, immunostimulating, vascular strengthening and antioxidant vitamin C, with the help of primrose you can get rid of migraines and sleep problems, as well as improve condition in respiratory diseases and urinary tract, rheumatism, visual disturbances, bleeding gums, cardiovascular diseases, neuroses and skin diseases neurogenic nature: eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis. You can squeeze the juice from the aerial parts of the primrose, dry them, brew, infuse, add to soups and main dishes, but it is best to eat them fresh, just like that or as part of salads or desserts.

Lotions with a decoction or infusion of primrose help to quickly cope with traces of bruises. With baldness, as well as neurogenic skin diseases, juice, decoction and infusion of spring primrose are used for compresses and baths.

If you find a primrose in the forest, do not pluck it entirely - leave a socket from the lower leaves. Spring primrose is now becoming an endangered species due to predatory harvesting and is almost never found near cities. If you see it, eat it to your health, but save the plant so that this amazingly useful modest flower can grow again next year in this place.

Angelica

A very common plant in our country, unfortunately, is now not used as widely as it deserves. It has edible almost all parts, including unblown flower buds. Jam is made from young roots, candied fruits are prepared from stems and green shoots of leaf cuttings.

young nettle

Well, how can we pass over in silence a very useful, but underestimated because of its familiarity stinging nettle? In May, it is still not very hot and young leaves are quite capable of providing you with valuable protein, as well as a solid set of vitamins (A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, C, E, K, H, B4) and minerals (potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus, chlorine, copper, iron, zinc and selenium).

Collection of plants, both for medicinal purposes and for cooking fragrant tea, can be carried out from spring to late autumn. But it is better to collect individual plants in the spring, when they have more nutrients. Traditionally harvested in spring kidneys and tree bark and bushes , young leaves and first inflorescences , and in some plants roots .

The buds are harvested just before they open. when they are in a swollen state. May to collect birch buds the term has already passed, but in the forest ravines, where the snow melts late, unblown buds can still be found. But buds of spruce, cedar and pine it's time to collect. Prepared from coniferous buds medicines(infusions, decoctions) used for urolithiasis, pulmonary and acute respiratory diseases, with angina, etc. AT traditional medicine They have been used since ancient times as an effective expectorant. chronic bronchitis, as well as for rinsing and compresses.

Spring best time to collect bark , which is cut off during the period of active sap flow. In the middle lane most often collected oak bark, common viburnum, brittle buckthorn (alder). The bark is cut from branches or thin young trunks. Infusions and decoctions oak bark used as an astringent, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, inflammation of the mucous membranes, diseases of the spleen and liver, skin diseases, eczema and frostbite, female diseases. Previously, infusions of oak bark were drunk for poisoning with mushrooms and various poisonous plants.

From the bark of viburnum make drugs used as hemostatic, astringent, sedative, light diuretic and sleeping pills. They are used for hemorrhoids and female diseases.

freshly dried buckthorn bark limited use in the treatment of skin diseases. In the bark there are toxic substances, which are oxidized in about a year of storage or when heated for at least an hour at a temperature of about 100 degrees. In the second year, buckthorn bark is used to prepare a laxative for constipation, as well as to treat wounds, eczema, ulcers, boils.

In May, the leaves of individual plants are harvested. , as a rule, this is done before flowering. In the middle strip during this period is harvested young leaves of birch, currant, wild rosemary, nettle, European hoof, lingonberry, primrose .

birch leaves used for the preparation of infusions, tinctures and decoctions used as a diuretic, choleretic and expectorant, for kidney diseases, Bladder, gastrointestinal tract, with beriberi, atherosclerosis, gout, menopausal neuroses, to remove toxins and various harmful substances.

black currant leaves traditionally used to brew aromatic tea. In addition, decoctions and infusions of them are used as a mild laxative and diaphoretic, for skin diseases and metabolic disorders, to remove excess purine and uric acid.

To wild rosemary should be handled with care as the plant is poisonous. But in folk medicine, it is used to prepare antitussive, expectorant, diuretic, disinfectant and antibacterial agents.

Some caution is needed when using hoof leaf capable of causing severe vomiting. In the villages, they were traditionally treated for alcoholism. In addition, it is used to treat diseases of cardio-vascular system, gastrointestinal tract, liver and bladder, bronchitis. Used as an anti-inflammatory and sedative.

Made from lingonberry leaves drugs have astringent, choleretic and diuretic effects, help lower blood sugar, are used in the treatment of diseases of the liver, kidneys, urinary tract, constipation, rheumatism and even arthritis.

From a number of plants in the spring, you can collect both leaves and flowers. . First of all, this applies to coltsfoot and lily of the valley . Flowers coltsfoot collected without petioles. They fade quickly, if they did not have time to collect, it does not matter, the main useful material the plant is in the leaves, and they can be harvested until the beginning of June. Coltsfoot is one of the oldest medicinal plants used in folk medicine in many countries.

Infusion of coltsfoot leaves used as an expectorant, diaphoretic, diuretic and anti-inflammatory agent. It is used in the treatment of colds, diseases digestive tract, kidneys, bladder, for gargling with sore throat. Leaf compresses help treat ulcers, boils and boils. In addition, coltsfoot stimulates appetite, and with its decoction they wash their hair from dandruff and even from baldness. To be honest, I doubt the effectiveness of such a fight against baldness.

When collecting lily of the valley do not forget that the plant is poorly restored and in many places has almost completely disappeared. It should be handled with care, as the lily of the valley is poisonous, especially its berries. dried lily of the valley leaves and flowers separately. Lily of the valley is widely used not only in folk, but also in official medicine. Usually use alcohol tinctures and infusions of its flowers and leaves. Lily of the valley preparations are used as a sedative and hypnotic, used for tachycardia, hypertension, diseases thyroid gland, urinary organs and gastrointestinal tract nervous disorders and epilepsy.

In a short post, it's hard to go into detail about all of them. medicinal plants that can be harvested in the spring. So I'll just list a few.

Harvest in the spring birch chaga, red hawthorn and bird cherry flowers, roots of burdock, angelica and medicinal comfrey, dandelion, fern, couch grass, grass (leaves) of shepherd's purse, club moss, wormwood, bearberry, horsetail, plantain, tricolor violet.

Spring is a fertile time: nature, having rested during the winter, is ready to generously share its wealth with people, help treat diseases, give fragrant water to drink. herbal tea and even give natural cosmetics.

Just do not forget that nature is fragile, you should use its gifts in such a way as not to harm it.

Morels

When answering the question, what mushrooms are harvested in the spring, they are first of all remembered. Their wrinkled brown caps, always hollow, on brittle legs, often appear on the slopes of ravines, among aspens. They can appear both under a shrub and under a tree, on humus-fertilized soil or on sandy forest paths. The most popular spring morel mushrooms delight with a rich taste and unique forest aroma.

How to cook morel mushrooms

Rinse the mushrooms, chop and cook in boiling water for half an hour. Drain the liquid through a colander, cut the morels into rings. Fry in a cast iron skillet with vegetable oil or butter, add salt and sour cream to taste. Simmer for half an hour on low heat under the lid. Alternatively, bake in a well-heated oven for 15 minutes.

Morel hats

Lovers in the spring at the same time as morels can find morel hats related to them. They can choose lowlands, places near wet pits and ditches, aspen and birch forests. The “headdress” of spring mushrooms is light brown, small in size, while the stem is quite long - sometimes more than 10 cm long. Some specimens have wrinkled caps, while others have smooth conical caps.

How to cook morel cap mushrooms

It can be cooked along with morels, the taste and aroma of those and other gifts of the forest is the same. A very satisfying dish - spring mushrooms, morel caps and morels after preliminary boiling, fried in a pan with eggs. Mushrooms should first be fried with chopped onion in oil for 10 minutes, then mixed with a couple of beaten eggs and add salt, pepper, or sour cream to taste. Fry while stirring for another 10-15 minutes.

Stitches

Conditionally edible spring mushroom the line with its wrinkled hat resembles an edible morel, but there are differences. His cap is dyed a richer, red-brown color, not cone-shaped, but shapeless. Lines are especially fond of pine plantations, they grow in places where butterflies are found in summer.

How to cook stitch mushrooms

Scientists have found that the line contains gyromitrin toxins, deadly to humans. In addition, the pulp of the mushroom has a characteristic iodine taste And not everyone likes this kind of food. Expert opinions are divided about eating. Some believe that the poison of mushrooms does not decompose from cooking, others - that the lines can be after soaking and boiling for an hour, or after drying.

by the most in a safe way the preparation of stitches is considered natural drying for six months. Then the mushrooms should be kept overnight in water or milk to swell, drain the liquid after soaking and rinse. Cut the lines, after which you can use them for cooking mushroom soup.

Pour a handful of mushrooms hot water boil, add table salt to taste and keep the pan on fire for 40-50 minutes. After that, you can add other ingredients to the cabbage soup. Consistently put in the broth: potatoes; browned carrots and onions; shredded cabbage; spices and spices to taste. Cook everything until done.

oyster mushrooms

Oyster mushrooms are known for their unpretentiousness, it is no coincidence that they are grown along with champignons and even cultivated in private farmsteads. Mushroom pickers usually harvest forest oyster mushrooms in autumn, but in cold springs, you can find individual specimens in May and even early June. Multi-colored caps (whitish, greyish, tan, purple) appear on living wood and develop well on dead wood.

How to cook oyster mushrooms

Fragrant and juicy mushrooms proper cooking can become a real delicacy. Cooking oyster mushrooms is easy, because they do not need to be boiled, soaked, or dried beforehand. It is enough to clean the raw materials from debris, rinse and cut into pieces - and you can fry.

Heat up a frying pan, add some vegetable oil and fry chopped onion(can be pickled). Put oyster mushrooms, fry with stirring for 15-20 minutes.

Polypore scaly

Going to pick mushrooms in the spring in a mixed deciduous forest, you can probably find a tinder fungus on trunks and stumps. These gifts of the forest are extremely common in the middle lane, but they can only be collected for food when they are young, tender, crumbling in hands, with a hat up to 10 cm in diameter. Then the mushrooms will please palatability not inferior to oyster mushrooms.

The scaly tinder fungus especially likes to grow on maples and ash trees, located low above the soil. Initially, the fungus resembles a kidney, then its fleshy cap grows. "Headdress", as the name implies, is covered with scales, its smell is pleasant, fresh, reminiscent of flour, wood and cucumbers at the same time.

How to cook tinder mushrooms

Washed and peeled young tinder fungi, cut into slices, boil in salt water for 1 hour. Drain liquid and refrigerate mushrooms. Mix with sour cream and chopped herbs, onions add salt to taste and drizzle citric acid. Serve tinder salad with vegetables.

Sarcoscif cinnabar red

Now you know what mushrooms are harvested in spring. The most popular species in the middle lane are described here. Special attention it is recommended to give morels and morel caps, oyster mushrooms. With luck, a fragrant harvest will allow you to cook a hearty roast and even stock up for the winter.

Attentive mushroom pickers may stumble upon less famous mushrooms which can also be eaten. Among them is the spring mushroom cinnabar-red sarcoscypha. Already in April, these very beautiful red mushrooms with the edges of their hats raised up appear in the forest, because of which these gifts of the forest are called in another way scarlet or elf bowls. Sarcosphyres delight with the beauty of bright placers formed on rotten trees in moist soil.

How to cook cinnabar red sarcoscif

It is known that even in ancient times, people prepared a hemostatic agent from the powder of sarcoscypha. But should you eat it? Mushrooms are conditionally edible, although they have a low nutritional value due to small, thin fruit bodies. Some gourmets boil the scarlet bowls for 20 minutes, after which they are fried with sour cream or used in a salad with onions and vegetable oil.

Even if a novice mushroom picker does not dare to try a sarcoscif, meeting her - good sign. It has been noticed that it does not grow near industrial zones and highways, which means it is an excellent environmental indicator. In the area where scarlet bowls appear, you can safely pick spring mushrooms.

The main rules of a beginner mushroom picker:

If you don't know what kind of mushroom - don't take it;

If in doubt, consult an expert;

I'm not sure whether to boil before cooking - it's better to boil;

Undertake quiet hunting only in an ecologically clean area;

Process and cook the collected mushrooms right away!