When I look at weeds, do you know what I see? I see plants that have removed minerals from the soil in which they were growing. And because of that, I want to compost them so that those nutrients can be returned to my garden soil. But composting weeds presents some challenges. Here’s how to compost them the safe way.Continue Reading
Summer’s here, and I’m spending lots of time outdoors – you probably are, too. And for me, that invariably means coming in contact with poison ivy. I do my best to avoid it, but once or twice a year I do manage to break out in a rash. That’s why I always keep this amazing plantain and jewelweed home remedy for poison ivy rash on hand. The remedy is often found growing in the same area as the poison ivy plant. Continue Reading
It’s spring and that means rhubarb and strawberries, a classic combination. Turn these fruits into fermented strawberry rhubarb soda and you have a real treat!
I love refreshing fermented sodas like root beer and ginger ale. But since I’ve learned to ferment with wild yeast, I may not go back to my former ways of fermenting soda and other beverages like lemonade. Wild fermentation is so much easier than keeping a ginger bug active, and a plus for those who can’t use whey which is a dairy product.Continue Reading
There’s something special about seasonal eating, don’t you think? It seems to me that is was more common when I was a child. Apples were only available in the fall. Oranges and tangerines in the winter. These days you can find most anything all year round.Continue Reading
I’ve loved, and have been learning about plants my entire life. And I have identified quite a few of them. But one of my weaknesses when identifying plants, and one I’m attempting to remedy, is that I tend to recognize plants in the same way I recognize people.
I may know you, but if the pressure was on, I probably would have a hard time describing you in detail. I likely wouldn’t know the color of your eyes, and I certainly wouldn’t know things like birth marks. Heck, I may not even remember if you have a mustache, or wear glasses.Continue Reading
I love supporting local families who produce maple syrup, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy tapping the two black maple trees in our yard. We’re lucky if we get a gallon of syrup, but it’s our syrup. We’re the type of people who get joy from sitting down to a meal where there’s something on our plate that we produced ourselves from our quarter acre lot. Continue Reading