Sorcha Asks:

Hello April,

I have two (hopefully) short and sweet questions. You can just answer one :) I just thought I may as well ask both since I couldn't choose between them!
What is better to use in a violet oil , fresh or dried herb? and
When is the best time to pick hawthorn berries? How can you tell when they are ready?
I hope you are well xx and I just love all you put out into the world! Thank you for all the time you give to everyone, its very special.

Lots of love and warmth,
Sorcha

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

Hello Sorcha,

With Violet being such a moist lady I really prefer her to wilt quite well before I use her in an oil infusion if not she has a tendency to make the oil go rancid . So I'd say make sure your leaves are about 80% dry they don't have to be crunchy just closer to dry than moist .

Now with Hawthorne berries fall is the time to gather these and much like with Rosehips because they are in the same family you get much more medicinal qualities from her if you wait until first frost, if you live in an area that doesn't get frost just wait until you've had a prolonged period of cold at the very least and you can somewhat trick the berries after that cold period by sticking them in the freezer for a day or so!

But if you don't want to wait that long to get Hawthorne's amazing heart health benefits do know that her leaves are shown to have not only the same compounds as the berries but a higher level! So while I absolutely utilize her berries I also make Hawthorn Leaf tinctures as soon as she has leafed out enough that I can gather them in a sustainable manner.

I hope these answers have helped you some!

April G.