Something terrible must have been happening for the past 6 years I’ve been studying herbalism because not once during this time had I made a bonafide fire cider until this year! Everything changed this winter as the third batch is steeping away, ready to be filtered & bottled in a mere 2 weeks. There are… Continue reading Setting Flames to Fire Cider
Winter is ticking into springtime and a lot of our garlic braids are starting to germ! There is nothing wrong with the herb, but we have so much left over and ready to be transformed into a delicious & soothing remedy for the changing seasons. I start by clearing any shrivelled or mouldy cloves… Continue reading Honey Infused Garlic
Emesis ****This is a post about emesis, so consider this your warning. I’m going to keep this log short because if I am going to admit that I am in the throes of one of my recurring symptoms :: vomiting. Apparently I am a sucker for “bad” gut bacteria that just won’t quit. I love… Continue reading Emesis
Allow me to cut straight to the chase, here. If anyone wants to harvest food or medicine from the wild, it must absolutely must be done with the safety of the plants in mind. When harvesting the burdock root, only take less than 1/3 of the amount from a large patch. Leave the flower of… Continue reading Chaga :: How NOT to harvest
I have been enamored with companion planting ever since I started observing and building permaculture designs. The attraction and repelling properties that plants have on each other is so difficult to detect to humans. A lot of the times you cannot see the effects that a parsley or yarrow plant will have on a tomato… Continue reading 7 Sisters :: Buckwheat
Plant Profile :: Nepeta cataria :: Catnip :: Cataire Family :: Lamiaceae (mint) Found :: in garden borders, in garden design, edge & field habitat. Permaculture Zone 1-3. Perennial flowering soft to semi-hard stemmed shrub. Hardiness Zone 3-4. Parts Used :: Leaves, flowers. Leaves have a toothed edge but the surface and underneath of the… Continue reading Plant Profile :: Nepeta cataria L.
Here on the East Coast of North America, the summer solstice and first summer full moon have just come to pass. We seem to be getting all the precipitation that should be due on the West coast! All this to say that our Leaf season is coming to a close, opening the… Continue reading Time to Light the Flame
Behold! The tenacious behaviour of the Calendula officinalis. The batch of calendula flowers I left to go to seed never seemed to get the chance! The frosts & snow came mighty early and they were like that until they were buried….I guess we’ll have a surprise in the spring if they managed to reseed! Tis… Continue reading Winter Survival: Lip Care
The end of the growing season approaches, the darkness fills in. Our days are lined with tincture and vinegar jars flying open between batches of applesauce and filling the freezer with pastured pork, the kale just keeps on growing! Essentially keeping up with the tradition of taking stock of what we have – our food,… Continue reading New Year all Year round
In a last ditch effort to resurrect this blog – here’s some wax, and I may catch some flak for this Because practicing medicine without a license is a major offense in this country, but we all do it all the time! Any time we recommend something to eat, something to drink, something to put… Continue reading Faith & Medicine
Homestead Nomads 