#johnmas

It’s cactus season here in my neck of the woods. I’ve been foraging the youngest paddles for a month or two now, with my biggest harvest on Johnmas/Midsummer Night when I discovered a new (and large) patch in the woods.

The prickly pear I worked with for this project was one of my nine healing plants gathered according to Czech custom on St. John’s Eve when the plant’s benefits are at their peak. According to tradition “In order for the herbs to retain their magical power, they must always consist of nine species (regional Czech custom).”

This was a two day process. To start I cut off the bottom end of each paddle and sliced around the edge. Then I scraped off the spines and rinsed them well to make sure all the stabby bits were gone. I then “butterflied” each paddle and cut it into approximately one inch pieces.

I placed each piece with the internal side down in a dish, and covered with a shallow layer of distilled water and then placed it in the fridge overnight.

Today it was oozing thick, snotty, sticky gel.

I scraped the gel and the cactus solids into my food processor, blended it into a liquid, and then strained out any remaining solids.

Prickly pear gel, derived from the Opuntia cactus, offers a variety of benefits for skin and hair, primarily due to its rich content of vitamins, antioxidants, and hydrating properties. It can help to hydrate, soothe, and protect the skin, while also promoting a brighter, more even complexion and potentially reducing the signs of aging. For hair, prickly pear gel can provide nourishment, shine, and strength.

Some of the faster drying herbs that I gathered at Corpus Christi, or the day after, were already good to jar (some of them had some help from the dehydrator): shiso, mimosa, wood sorrel, pepperweed, blackberry leaves, and dandelion leaves.

I did my Midsummer gathering this year from Corpus Christi to Midsummer Day. However, some of the herbs that I gathered on Midsummer Night will be jarred separately and labeled accordingly.

I was inspired to label decoratively from an article linked to below.

Before everything was put away in the cupboard Děduška and I shared a glass of black cherry cordial to celebrate our hard work and I asked him for his further blessings upon the house.