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…

Forage Friday/Weed Walking: Plantain

Continuing with our weed walk, this week is plantain...the plant, not the banana-like thing that shares the same name. There are actually over 200 species in the genus Plantago, but there are two I'd like to cover that are most common in the areas that I've seen, Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata. Plantago major Broadleaf plantain, common plantain,…

Forage Friday/Weed Walking: Dandelion

weed (noun): a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth a wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants any wild plant that grows in an unwanted place, especially in a garden or field where it prevents the cultivated plants from growing…

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: Wild violets and onion/garlic

Yay! Spring has sprung! Let the bountiful foraging days begin! Each spring I get super excited when I start to see the all the green life poke up around me, and I just can't wait to get out there and pick. My daughter is particularly fond of the flowers and any given afternoon, she may…

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…

Foraging Friday: Lamb’s quarters

One of the wonderful things about the cooler weather of fall is that it brings back all the lovely spring "weeds" to the garden. That first green that comes in early spring is full of nutrients and minerals, and in olden times was valued as a "spring tonic" to clear out all that heavy food…

Sometimes you can teach your parents something new

My mom is a retired registered nurse (RN). She has always (even before becoming an RN) worked in the psych wards, and although she's Asian by birth and culture, all her training and experience has been in the Western medicine traditions. Growing up, we took OTC pills. We went to the doctor. We got prescriptions.…

Today, I have to mow the lawn

Today, I have to mow the lawn. I don't remember ever being a huge fan of lawns. Even as a child, I much preferred walking in the woods among the trees in dappled sun that couldn't sustain an even layer of grass, but was enough for a huge variety of other, more interesting plants. Or…