White Sage Harvest April 2022

I spent part of the day yesterday harvesting and wrapping white sage on a friend's farm about a mile or so from my house. She has had these six or so huge white sage bushes growing on her farm for about a decade, and each year, several times per year, she invites people out to harvest in a 'keep a little, leave a little' type of program. All the harvesters gather together and harvest a large wagon full of white sage stalks, wrapping a few dozen wands each, leaving half the wands with the farmer, and keeping the other half, along with odd ends and bibs and bobs of loose leaf and crooked stalks to use as loose-leaf incense or fire starters. The weather was absolutely perfect too, and all of the farmer's Cecile Brunner roses, lavender, jasmine, and rosemary were blooming and beautiful. It was so nice to get out and do this again as I haven't done it in two years. I felt very connected to the soul of the earth there but also, as per usual, a bit overwhelmed by the souls of the other people there. It happens every time I'm out with a group of people. I become groggy and tired, sometimes a bit cranky, and all I want to do is go home and sleep. So I did, eventually, but not before I gathered three pretty little wands, much less than half of what I made, and a bag full of bent stalks and leaves to take home. I have less use for the wands than I do the loose-leaf, but I do really enjoy wrapping sage and other herbs. A few that I made also had some blue sage wrapped into them, as well as Cecile Brunner rosebuds and a stalk of lavender or two. 

I have a special project lined up for the white sage bibs and bobs. I was going to make a very small distillation and gather the oil and hydrosol to put up for sale on the Etsy shop, but I'm going to take the long road on this wee harvest and try something new, something that won't be ready for a few months. If it works, I'll talk about it here. If not, this will be the last you hear of it.