Tag: gardening
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Why Red Clover is one of my favorite plants
Red Clover (Trifolium praetense) as you can see in the photo above, isn’t red. It’s purple. Crimson clover is red (and is super tasty if you can find it) and White clover is white with a slightly pink tinge. Red clover grows abundantly in my yard ever since I tossed some seeds on the ground…
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The Most Overlooked Plant I Used To Hate
I know I’m seriously narrowing down my niche when I say this, but if you’re a farmer anywhere in the northern part of north America, you’ll likely have said this phrase: F*CK*NG PIGWEED! I only knew it as Pigweed for at least seven years after I started farming (prior to that the plant had entirely…
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Life isn’t a Straight Line
Your life isn’t always a straight path to where you end up. Mine sure as hell wasn’t. When I was a kid, I loved playing outside. I remember finding a little patch of deer moss in the woods and how I would sit there for long periods of time pretending that the moss was my…
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The Benefits of Marshmallow: A Healing Herb Guide
Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) is a herbaceous perennial plant native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia. It is found on the banks of rivers and in salt marshes, preferring moist, sandy soils. When I first learned that marshmallow was a plant and not just a treat to throw into my hot cocoa, I started looking…
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Bee Balm: Beautiful Beneficial for Boogers
Have you ever been walking through a field suddenly caught a whiff of something simultaneously pungent, spicy, and floral? You might have encountered Bee Balm! Monarda fistulosa and Monarda didyma are the two varieties of Bee Balm I’m referring to in this post, though Monarda punctata also shares the same medicinal qualities. I grow both…
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Wormwood: Cleansing You Body, Mind, and Spirit
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a perennial herb with a long and fascinating history. Known for its distinctive bitter taste, it has been used for centuries in traditional medicine and culinary practices across various cultures. I have two big wormwood bushes in my yard that come back every year and I’m trying to grow more this…
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Comfrey! One of my Top 5 Must-Have Herbs
I’m writing about Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) this week partly because so many people asked for it and partly because it really is one of my favorite herbs. I LOVE how quickly and amazingly comfrey or an infused oil of comfrey heals bruises, sprained ankles, small cuts, or helps mend broken bones. I (sort of )…
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Garlic: A Powerful Food and Medicine Combination
I finally got my small garlic crop into the ground this past week and I thought it would be a great time to talk about why I think EVERYONE (who isn’t allergic) should be eating garlic. I’ve come a long way from the time some garlic bulbs sprouted in my pantry and I dug a…
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Working with your hands
This year, for whatever reason, my harvest of snap peas was abysmal. The plants are basically finished and I haven’t even been able to freeze a single bag of peas (last year I froze 8 bags!) So yesterday, I went around the pea trellis and picked all the fat ugly snap peas that were still…
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What is a Community anymore?
Imagine yourself living in a tiny village in Europe in 1682. There are a little over 200 people living in your village of varying age groups. Your village is a three-day horse ride or week-long walk from the nearest city and you haven’t got a physician living there yet. Most of your friends and family…