Spring Tonic with Cleavers
/By Mel Evans.
One of our favourite Forest School activities to welcome the Spring is to make a ‘Spring Tonic’ from Cleavers. This herb is abundant right now and very recognisable. You might know it by the name of Goose Grass, Sticky Weed or even Sticky Willy. Whatever you like to call it, its easy to find and hard to mistake.
The plant should be used before the hard round seeds appear and is perfect at this time of year.
If you take your family on a stroll around the garden, up a quiet lane or into the woods you are bound to find some. This can be gathered and taken home to make a refreshing cold drink.
Before we talk about the Spring Tonic itself I need to share with you some advice about gathering your Cleavers. You see this activity, and all our favourite Forest School activities, is all about the process. You could choose to pick some Cleavers, put them in a basket and carry them home and that would be fine. Better though if you have a game of trying to stick pieces to each others clothes. The person with the least Sticky Weed on them at the end of the walk wins! If that doesn’t appeal how about making everyone a Cleaver crown?
We made this beauty this morning using Cleavers from the hedgerow outside our cottage and decorated it with Dead Nettles and Narcissus.
Hopefully by the time you get inside you should have had some fresh air, some exercise and some laughs and you can get to work on your ‘Spring Tonic.’
All you have to do is put the Cleavers in a jug of cold water and mash them up with a wooden spoon, pestle, potato masher or whatever you can find in your kitchen. Once the water has turned a delightful green colour the Cleavers can be strained out and its ready to drink. If you don’t have a sieve to hand you can make one using a bundle of Cleavers.
In the woods the children might make their own ‘pounder’, by sawing a fresh log and removing the bark with a knife.
The finished ‘Spring Tonic’ has been used historical to improve the immune system after a long Winter. It does this by helping the body remove toxins and improving lymphatic flow. Sounds like just the tonic at the moment!
