Tag: herbalist
-
I grow everything myself.
That sounds like a boast. Maybe it is? I am telling you this because I think that’s one of the few things that sets me apart from many other herbalists and herbal remedy makers. This is my farm. My entire property is just over one acre and the garden spaces only take up maybe half…
-
Heart Health for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but this year it doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. However, in years past, it WAS a big deal… whether I was single or in a relationship. Whether you are paying close attention to your heart because you desire romantic love or your heart…
-
This Farm’s Future is Evolving
Black Sun Farm has been the product of my heart and soul for over five years now. I poured myself into building this small property into a working homestead. I can’t even tell you how many plants I’ve put into the ground here. And the birds I’ve raised for eggs and meat over the years…
-
Spring is Nettle Season!
I’m sure you’ve heard of nettles. There are two kinds I’m talking about here: Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) and Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum.) Both plants come up in your yard and fields in early to mid Spring, and both are edible and medicinal! Dead nettles taste better before they flower…. honestly, most herbs in…
-
Favorite Herb This Week: Ginger
Ginger is the herb I’d like to highlight this week, as I have started working with it more frequently since growing my own last season. Zingiber officinale is the official Latin name, and the plant is native to somewhere in Southeast Asia. You CAN, however, grow it here in Connecticut if you play your cards…
-
Fighting Cancer Naturally
As far as I can tell, I don’t have any more cancer. Yet. I felt a lump on my neck a few months ago and decided to have it checked out at the doctor. They ended up doing an ultrasound of my thyroid gland, which led to a biopsy, which eventually led to a very…
-
Summer Mushroom Foraging
I don’t usually have enough time to create a blog post over the summer and early autumn months, for what should be obvious reasons. The gardens look atrocious right now, as I have neglected clean up in favor of harvesting and preserving before it’s too late. I wanted to share a brief glimpse of some…
-
Herbal Smoke and Smudging
Cleansing your body and your space with herbal smoke has been practiced by many cultures all over the globe for centuries. There is quite a lot of controversy over the word “Smudging,” as it originates from the Native Indian tribes of the Southwestern United States, where white sage (salvia apiana) grows wild. I personally use…
-
Cleavers is Galium, but not all Galium is Cleavers
That title statement may not mean much to you unless you’re into herbs or foraging, but Cleavers are a common herbal remedy in much of North America and the UK. For the past two years, I have been operating under the exciting assumption that cleavers had graced me with their presence in my back yard…