Nature Fights Back

This past weekend, we went a-foraging. It's been super dry here, and unseasonably warm, so no mushrooms or other wild edibles to be found, unfortunately. (I did manage to find some still-green gumballs for medicine making, but that will have to be a separate post.) In an effort to find something, we went off the beaten path,…

Forage Friday/Weed Walking: Ground Ivy

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) is one of those plants that has a whole slew of names depending on where you are from and how back you look. Some other names are alehoof, gill-go-over-the-ground, haymaids, tun-hoof, hedgemaids, catsfoot, creeping Charlie, field balm, runaway robin....the list goes on. When I first discovered this plant growing at the edge of…

Putting the Ahhhh in Afternoon, with Chamomile

Spring has sprung and the weather is warming and with the sunshine comes the flowers. Daisies have always been among my favorite flowers. They are a member of the Asteraceae family, which includes so many of my other favorites, including: cosmos sunflowers dandelion calendula echinacea/coneflowers dahlias chrysanthemums artichokes zinnias marigolds ….there are actually over 30,000…

Spring Tonics

Imagine you live at some point in the past in which you didn't have electricity, refrigeration, or grocery stores as we know them today. When fresh foods were the things you picked out of your own growing plot or found in the wild around you. Right about now (depending on where you live) you'd probably…

Forage Friday: Chickweed

As we settle into the new year, it may seem that there is nothing left to forage out in our bleak, brown, wintery landscapes. But there is a wonderful little plant out there who will remain vigilant to see you through the cold months. You may need to peek under fallen leaves or even push back…

Comfrey, our magic plant

Around our house, we have nicknamed comfrey, specifically the Symphytum x uplandicum Bocking 14, that grows prominently in my flower bed "The Magic Plant." I have 6 plants which I purchased as root crowns online from Strictly Medicinal Seeds which are wonderfully full and healthy and provide so very much. The Bocking 14 strand of symphytum…