What a bounty you have all around you! I'm constantly amazed at America's biodiversity.
I've been eyeing off all the hawthorn - an import from European settlement - ready to make some medicine this year. What do you find the best way to prepare it is?
I do a couple things. In the Spring, you can do a flower harvest and tincture in vodka, or do a honey infusion.. and then I gather leaves and thorns and do a tincture, chopping those up a bunch to break them open. Then, once late summer into early fall rolls around, when the fruits ripen, which look like little tiny apples I harvest them and crush them a bit until they are a mash of sorts and then put them all into a jar and tincture, or make a honey or vinegar infusion OR a honey and vinegar (called an oxymel). Then when they are all finished macerating, I mix them together. Sometimes (as I did this fall) I also mix this with Rose flower and hip tincture and or oxymel. It is SO TASTY.