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Intentional Farmcraft: Garden Planning from the Heart
Garden Planning from the Heart Take time this month to make an intentional plan for garden projects for the season. Now that the ice has melted and the mud has dried up, the growing season is upon us in full. I choose 1-2 projects per month, whether that's rebuilding a trellis or spreading mulch, and … Continue reading Intentional Farmcraft: Garden Planning from the Heart
Winter Gardening: Collecting the Seeds of the Year’s Labor
My herb gardens thrive on benign neglect, and one of the ways I support the plants' life cycles is by letting the kids cast seeds.
Preserving Water-Soluble Magic Beyond the Growing Season: Herbal Ice Cubes
This thing happens kind of a lot when you live in a place with significant seasons: you harvest some wonderful medicine, enough to last you a while--maybe all year--but then you have to actually do something with it while it's still good, knowing you can't get more until next year. Most people's gut reaction is … Continue reading Preserving Water-Soluble Magic Beyond the Growing Season: Herbal Ice Cubes
Starting Medicinal Plants from Seed
Starting seeds is a cornerstone of my herbal practice, not to mention my sweet sideline as homestead queen. I highly recommend growing this skill, as it quintuples your access to strange and interesting plants. There is a great, wide, green world of herbs and flowers out there beyond the garden center, and it can be … Continue reading Starting Medicinal Plants from Seed
Homegrown Tea
As the snow piles up and icicles grow from the eaves, tea becomes a central part of my life. Drinking a steaming, fragrant cup of last summer’s bounty in front of the woodstove on these long winter nights is a cold weather ritual that resonates to my bones. I love the seasons; I love how … Continue reading Homegrown Tea
Bark Harvest & Ethical Wildcrafting
Autumn is the season for bark harvest, one of the most fulfilling medicine making tasks. A walk through the woods on a crisp fall day followed by several hours in the sun as the days grow shorter and the world goes to sleep—it is definitely worth the effort, and a few trees will provide a … Continue reading Bark Harvest & Ethical Wildcrafting
Make Your Own Herbal Allergy Syrup
Seasonal allergies can destroy an otherwise beautiful day, especially among those of us who have done a lot of travelling or have moved from one bioregion to another. Many folks turn to Benadryl in desperation, then waste the rest of what would otherwise be a lovely, productive day sacked out on the porch with a … Continue reading Make Your Own Herbal Allergy Syrup
Nettles, Burdock, & How to Make Tinctures That Actually Work and Don’t Taste Like Death
This is an excerpt of a longer article originally published in Country Grind Quarterly about spring tonics and tincture-making. Much more info here about making weight-to-volume tinctures, and some gems here on troubleshooting tinctures. If you're in Vermont, come to the tincture-making class in June! Info here. Spring is the time to start making your own herbal medicine, or get … Continue reading Nettles, Burdock, & How to Make Tinctures That Actually Work and Don’t Taste Like Death
How to Make Herbal Teas
Herbal tea is the backbone of herbal medicine. It is often one of the easiest ways to get herbs into your daily life, just by having a nice cup of delicious whatever in hot water as part of your routine. However, not all herbal teas are prepared using the same method. In herbal medicine making … Continue reading How to Make Herbal Teas
Old Ways Herbal: Juliette Abigail Carr 