It’s Summer Solstice, the longest day. According to The Old Farmer’s 2012 Almanac, today the sun will rule the sky for 15 hours and 18 minutes. It’s time for our Summer Solstice trip to Marine Drive, where we will hunt the wild St. John’s wort, Hypericum perferatum. It’s flowers, glorious tiny sunbursts, are just coming into bloom. This is the traditional herb of Midsummer and, like the midsummer sun, it is full of good medicine. It grows best in freshly disturbed soil beside rivers, paths, and roads. Both my husband and I can spot it from the car at speeds often exceeding fifty miles per hour. This is no small feat, since there are many other yellow flowered plants in bloom at this time of year. St. John’s wort is considered an invasive weed in Oregon and it’s illegal to grow it, but no matter how hard they try to eradicate it, we are always able to find it. Once we’ve spotted a likely patch,… Read More »