We had a good wind come through the other night. The kind that rattles everything around and leaves a little mess behind. The other morning, I walked out and found the ground under my pomegranate trees covered in flowers.
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Now, for years, I probably would’ve just let them sit there and dry up or get blown off somewhere else. But I’ve been building out my apothecary, little by little, and I’ve started looking at things differently.
Not everything is yard waste.
Some of it is just waiting to be used.
And pomegranate flowers are one of those things.
They’re not just pretty. They’ve been used traditionally for all kinds of support. Things like gums, digestion, blood sugar, and general balance in the body. There’s a lot packed into something most people just walk past.
I’m always looking for ways to support inflammation, so when I learned these could help there too, that got my attention.
So when I saw all those flowers on the ground, I didn’t see a mess.
I grabbed a bowl and started collecting.
Petals, those little star-shaped bases, even the tiny bits that hadn’t fully formed yet. All of it went in. No sorting, no overthinking. If it came off that tree, it had a place.
The first time I gathered a good batch, I turned it into a tincture.
Simple as it gets. Packed everything into a glass jar, covered it with 190-proof alcohol, made sure it was all submerged, and set it aside on a dark shelf. I’ll give it a shake when I think about it, and in about a month or so, it’ll be ready.
That’s the long game.
But here’s the thing about pomegranate trees.
They don’t just drop flowers once.
So the next time the wind did its thing and I had another round waiting on the ground, I went a different direction.
Tea.
And I’ll be honest, this might be my favorite way to use it.
I take the fresh flowers, put them in a French press, cover them with cold water, and let it sit overnight. Next day, I strain it through a cloth bag, and that’s it. I’ve got a tea I can drink cold or warm up if I want something comforting.
It’s light, a little earthy, a little floral, and it feels like something your body actually recognizes.
(and it didn’t take six weeks to get there, which I’m not mad about)
That’s what I like about this.
One tree, doing what it does anyway, and I get more than one way to use it. The tincture is slow, concentrated, something I’ll have on hand later. The tea is immediate. Something I can use right now while the season’s still giving.
Same plant. Different timing.
Now, I’ll be the first to say, I’m not making everything from scratch over here. Some things I buy and call it good. But when I’ve got something growing on my own property, or something I can gather clean and safe, I’ll use it.
And if you don’t have pomegranate trees, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. If you know someone who does, ask. If you come across one dropping flowers, you can gather them. Just use a little common sense and make sure it hasn’t been sprayed with anything you don’t want to be bringing home.
Because at the end of the day, this is how I’m building my apothecary.
Some things I buy.
Some things I make.
Some things show up after a windstorm and remind me to pay attention.
And that’s about as good as it gets.
From The Field: When something keeps showing up, it’s usually worth learning how to use it.
This is what we use and what works for us. It’s not medical advice, just lived experience. Start small, use good sense, and do what’s right for you.
and do what’s right for you.