Juniper Trees and the botanical adventures of a very hungry artist
Although undeniably pretty with it's silvery foliage and ornamental shape, Juniper may come across as unassuming. Whether it's stuffed into a spray of ornamentals or forming a lonely spire in a park, don't let this tree fool you, it's ancient and most definitely magical.
My obsession with Juniper was sparked two weeks ago when I ordered Juniper seeds online. I didn't think much of it until the next day when I found two more packets of Juniper seeds in the cupboard! I had a look online to see if I should take any special care when sprouting them, imagining simply chucking them in potting mix and crossing my fingers, they're known to be hardy after all. But it turns out they require a period of cold stratification as well as being soaked in a citric acid bath to mimic passing through a bird! I was totally intrigued and this revealed a core theme when it comes to this tree - Protection.
That night I had a dream, I was searching for a Juniper tree. When I found it I saw old friends, relatives and an ex boyfriend standing under it's spreading branches, not a small shrub like the ones I've seen locally but a large spreading tree like a bonsai the size of a gumtree with twisting gnarled bark. When I woke up I realised it was straight out of a photo I'd seen of an American Juniper overlooking a rocky plateau. I know it might sound 'woo woo' but sometimes it feels as though plants come into our lives on their own accord. Ever since discovering those seeds in the cupboard I've been looking forward to exploring the Juniper Tree as our next plant of the month. As ever, this is simply the tip of the iceberg but I hope it inspires you to take some extra time outside this Autumn, after all there could be a Juniper Tree hiding in plain sight! Read on to discover: Juniper in mythology, Juniper in landcare and foraging Juniper berries. You can also visit my instagram to see my Juniper Tree painting and foraging adventures in 'reel time':
The Junipers I'm familiar with have small sharp silvery leaves and form a dense conifer style shrub standing about two metres tall, I believe these are Juniperus communis. However Junipers take many forms and are spread all across the Northern Hemisphere, in fact there may be more than 60 different juniper species, which can grow in all different shapes, sizes, and colours. Technically Junipers bear seeds but not fruits or flowers, making them gymnosperms. (In terms of plant evolution they're basically hella old and wise.) These seeds grow in berry-like cones with overlapping scales that form the fleshy outer skin sheltering 1-3 hard seeds inside. These little 'cones' are almost always referred to as Juniper berries, they appear in a range of colours, most transition from pale powdered turquoise to a deep purply black, with others bright orange and red. In Australia Juniper Trees have been introduced as ornamentals, so although common in parks and gardens they're not wild or invasive and definitely a plant to forage with care.
Identifying disclaimer:
This blog post is not intended to be used for identifying the Juniper Tree but rather an introduction to it's mythology and many uses for if you do happen to meet one, or have one living in your garden.
Here are some great resources to start with if you do want to identify a possible Juniper Tree:
Remember to always reference at least three identifying sources to be sure what you're foraging is not going to kill you, the internet is absolutely your friend here - try to find a few articles that include detailed images.
The Protector, Juniper Tree in mythology
Juniper trees are peppered through folklore like raisins in a hot-cross bun and their presence leaves no one guessing about how sacred these trees really are. They embody protection, renewal and purification.
It's perhaps unsurprising a tree so wide spread would inspire stories just as varied, but I've been blown away by the presence and potency of these stories, they show a special kind of reverence along with surprisingly cohesive themes. Juniper Trees are protective, both in biology and spirit. They wield prickly foliage, encapsulated seeds and high levels of essential oils. They're carved into alters and amulets, laid across the dead in their burials and hung above doorways.
Juniper mythology belongs to deep time, these trees are proper old. An early version would have been literally munched on by dinosaurs! Some 66 Million years later we hear Juniper Trees mentioned in Ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. They're written down as medicinal remedies and they're strongly associated with the goddess Hecate, an ancient triple faced goddess, who rules over night time, witchcraft and the crossroads. Juniper is mentioned in the bible four different times and famously shelters the prophet Elijah, giving him protection from Queen Jezebel.
In Europe burning Juniper was seen as an act of cleansing and it was common to smoke out barns or live stock to keep them healthy. There are also some curious accounts from Scottish folklore of harvesting Juniper branches without cutting them, instead weaving it through each finger and pulling it out in a clump. This went along with a special prayer and shows Juniper Trees were probably thought to belong to the faeries, who would have hated any metal implement used. Although after acquainting myself with a Juniper Tree, I've discovered how spiky they can be and to be honest I wouldn't want to 'weave' my fingers into one.
We get another fascinating look at the Juniper Tree in a fairytale written down by the Brothers Grimm, in this story a young boy is murdered by his step mother, his distraught older sister Marlene gathers his bones and lays them at the base of a Juniper Tree, which in turn produces a song bird who enacts justice for the young boy by dropping a millstone on his step mother's head and in the end, brings the boy back to life. It gives us this beautiful passage where the bird appears like a phoenix and seems to capture Juniper's connection with fire.
"Then the juniper tree began to move. The branches moved apart, then moved together again, just as if someone were rejoicing and clapping his hands. At the same time a mist seemed to rise from the tree, and in the centre of this mist it burned like a fire, and a beautiful bird flew out of the fire singing magnificently, and it flew high into the air, and when it was gone, the juniper tree was just as it had been before, and the cloth with the bones was no longer there. Marlene, however, was as happy and contented as if her brother were still alive. And she went merrily into the house, sat down at the table, and ate."
In America, Navajo and Ute people use the Juniper berries to make jewellery. Once the berries have dropped to the ground and have been eaten hollow by ants, they're collected and strung together into necklaces and bracelets, sometimes including colourful glass beads. These beautiful adornments were worn by most people in these cultures, white colonists dubbed them 'ghost beads' but spirit beads might have been more accurate as they acknowledge not only those souls who have passed but the constant thrum of spirit life connected with their own, in fact they're main purpose is to protect the wearer from any malevolent spirits or dark energies, keeping them connected with the spirits yet safe.
My Juniper Tree Illustration created using gouache and ink on cotton paper
Which will be available in my shop as the cutest little print! Perfect for adding a touch of whimsy to your abode. I painted this piece in my studio on a beautiful autumn day two weeks ago, I'm in love with this style and wanted to add a folk art wolf - he makes me smile every time I look at him.
The quiet achiever, Juniper Tree in Land Care
The Juniper tree can take many forms:
I love the idea of a collection of small Juniper shrubs or ground cover as part of a house garden, acting as both an ornamental and a medicinal. These pretty trees are hardy, slow growing and evergreen, making them a great addition to any garden along with obvious wildlife benefits. They can withstand chalky or rocky soil and they even add an alkaline quality over time.
The Juniper Tree's ruling planet is Jupiter, although I can personally can see an affinity with the Sun and Saturn too. It's not hard to see Juniper's connection with fire as it stands like a silver flame lighting up a winter landscape and although I would not opt to grow this tree for fire wood, it's said to burn incredibly hot.
My other idea is a longer term timber Tree, perhaps acting as a windbreak or garden border, I found this great image of Eastern Juniper or 'Eastern Redcedar' getting ready to be milled apparently it has beautiful, highly aromatic wood:
This is not a tree I would cut back and incorporate into a fast paced system but rather let it work it's quiet magic on the perimeter.
Read more about growing juniper Trees:
It is important to note that the Eastern red cedar is an alternate host for cedar-apple rust, which can affect fruit trees.
The culinary forays of a very hungry artist (No recipe sorry!):
Please Note: Some Juniper Berries are toxic!
No Juniper Berries or any part of the plant for that matter should be consumed by anyone who is pregnant or has any Kidney sensitivities. Some varieties are toxic and even the edible ones can be toxic if ingested in large amounts as all juniper berries contain the powerful oil Thujone, this oil can cause stomach upset, diarrhoea, and kidney problems when ingested in large quantities.
Make sure you do not forage for these toxic varieties:
Savin juniper - Juniperus sabina
Cade Juniper - Juniperus oxycedrus
Best practice to avoid poisoning:
Take care to thoroughly identify your Juniper Trees, ensuring they are not a toxic variety.
Understand they are not so much a food, but a flavouring - think of them like a spice.
Make sure you do not feed them to anyone who is pregnant.
Many people simply opt to only forage for Common Juniper - Juniperus communis, as this is the type used to flavour meat and gin and is safe in normal quantities.
Foraging:
Meeting a Juniper Tree is always lovely, they seem to catch the light in the most delightful silvery way, the tree I visited was covered in berries. The new unripe berries were smaller, pale green, while the ripe ones were a powdery blue coming out dark purply black once the powder rubbed off. The ripe berries were hardly attached to the tree at all and with a light touch would fall from their cluster. Often the tree would catch them again just a few cm below, held aloft on top of another spiky spray of foliage, at first it struck me as odd but of course this tree is not interested in it's cones reaching the ground but rather wants them to be gobbled up by birds.
After trying one I was delighted to discover it tasted sweet and aromatic. I'd read that if you taste a Juniper berry and it's bitter that means it's either not ripe or toxic, or both, so I knew I had to try one before picking really began. I still haven't eaten more than four at a time and I would be careful to treat Juniper berries as a spice if I cooked with them. They're powerful medicinally and the one's I collected were distilled in a local lab together with Burdock root to create a tincture for liver support, I was happy to leave them in the hands of knowledgable herbalists.
Just as the Juniper is slow growing, the process of harvesting Juniper berries is incredibly slow, I tried my best to let go to this fiddly process, after about half an hour the sun burned through the lazy autumn clouds and a curious neighbour came to ask what I was doing. Young Juniper trees are pretty spiky and I would almost recommend wearing gloves. It's true it would make it faster and more efficient but I wonder if the Juniper's thorny leaves are exactly what we need right now, it felt like an old grandfather saying slow down child. Why the rush? They also didn't actually hurt my hands, but perhaps if you're foraging with young uns (or old uns for that matter) with sensitive skin, gloves might be in order.
I have to admit that after all, I haven't cooked with them yet! I'm sorry to disappoint. I want the recipe to be a big part of this series so I was considering not even posting the Juniper Tree... But, as my uncle says: Perfect is the enemy of done. I'm making an exception for this ancient tree and the next plant I have lined up will be a little more... Meatier, let's just say....
Some quick Juniper Berry recipe ideas:
Leave Juniper Berries in high quality Vodka to infuse, creating your own gin.
Incorporate into rich meat dishes like this Venison Loin: https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/venison-loin-potato-rosti-recipe
Simmer on the stove with aromatic spices such as cloves, anise and cinnamon to fill your home with the perfect Autumn aroma.
Use ground up as a warming spice for sweet desserts like this Pear Crumble: https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/pear-crumble-recipe
Quick tip for beginner foragers:
If you feel scared to eat something, simply don't. A great way to connect with the Juniper tree without eating it, is to smell it! Take a berry and crush it between your fingers, holding it under your nose, delight in the pine-y peppery aroma. Or throw a sprig on your fire and see what it smells like, Junipers are full of essential oils and resin.
Further Juniper Tree reading:
https://www.drhauschka.de/en/cosmos/values/organic-raw-materials-from-around-the-world/medicinal-plant-glossary/juniper/?srsltid=AfmBOoqizLALCh4xdQ0EM2zEEvHHO8-Uf2buTDywZ6y_x7zYLNssZccG
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