Tag: New England
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Foraging in Connecticut: Learn the Land Through Your Senses
Connecticut is home to a wide variety of wild edible plants and medicinal herbs year-round. In spring, look for stinging nettle, greenbriar shoots, and serviceberries. Summer brings elderflower, chanterelle mushrooms, and St. John’s Wort. Fall is ideal for rose hips, sassafras roots, and hickory nuts, while winter offers evergreen barks like wild cherry. With diverse…
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Birch vs Birch: Is there a difference among them?
You probably know by now that I love birch trees, because birch bark is a phenomenal herbal pain reliever. But what are the differences among the various varieties of birch trees? Let me tell you what I have personally experienced and you can make the final decision. The first time I ever worked with Birch…
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The Ancient Plant that hoards Precious Minerals
Horsetail is one of the world’s oldest plants, dating back over 300 million years. Many people find it on their property and decide to hate it, as it’s incredibly difficult to eradicate once it has populated an area. But those “in the know” see this wild being as the precious resource it truly is. There…
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Wild Lettuce: How to Identify, Forage, and Work With This Powerful Plant
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. I’m an Herbalist, not a Doctor. Wild Lettuce (Lactuca spp.) quickly became one of my top favorite herbal remedies as soon as I was confident enough to recognize it and try it. Why? Because it is hands-down the strongest natural painkiller I’ve ever experienced. Traditionally speaking, this plant has…
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Benefits of American Reishi Mushroom: A Complete Guide
The American native Reishi mushroom, also known as Ganoderma tsugae, grows on the Eastern white hemlock tree (Tsuga canadensis.) If you wild harvest some of this amazing mushroom, be sure to slice it up within a few days after you cut it off the tree. Reishi dries as hard as wood VERY quickly and once…
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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…
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Favorite Herb This Week: Black Birch!
Black Birch (betula lenta) is definitely one of my Top Ten favorite herbs of all time. And luckily for me, it’s ALL OVER the place here in Northeastern Connecticut! Black birch and it’s brother, White birch (also known as the Paper Birch) can pretty much be used interchangeably medicinally speaking, so I have been trying…