This year I grew some new plants, Boneset being one of them. It was soooo easy to grow from a plant that I purchased in North Carolina.   I harvested the aerial parts(all parts above the soil) and have it drying on a rack in my kitchen right now.   Boneset is a must have […]

Hops (Humulus Lupulus), is a vining, perennial plant native to most Northern temperate regions, with three varieties native to  North America. I was surprised when I recently discovered that it is related to stinging nettle, though I had already heard that hops and cannabis (including hemp and marijuana) are cousins, both being in the family […]

Comfrey (Symphytum officianale) is an attractive and useful plant, with large, hairy leaves and bell shaped, purplish flowers. Native to Europe and temperate parts of Asia, it is in the same family as borage and forget me not. Comfrey can be grown almost anywhere and in most types of soil, but is happiest with some […]

Salad dressing is something I have not purchased in a very long time. Back when I did purchase it, the ingredient list, no matter how “organic”, always contained something I had concerns about. As a result, I began making my own dressing and will never turn back. It is so simple and one of the […]

We here in the Northern Hemisphere have just celebrated the summer solstice–the longest day of the year and the beginning (for most of us) of the summer holiday season. All of this sun, mild weather, and blooming gardens have me thinking about calendula (aka marigolds or Calendula officinalis). You’ve probably seen marigolds a hundred times; […]

I spoke with my sons this past weekend. Both of them are up to their eyeballs with study as they head into the last stretch of their college semester.  I always try to send a fresh sprig of rosemary to them for their final exams.  “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember” (Hamlet, […]

Now that this long winter is finally over, I try to check my garden daily to see what herbs are popping up. While I know I won’t see some, like milkweed, goldenrod and St. Johns wort for a little while, early bloomers are popping up. Among them is yarrow, almost as common a “weed” as […]

Calendula is one of the easiest-to-grow medicinal herbs and so versatile in its healing properties that it invariably finds its way into the hearts and gardens of all herb lovers. It has been used medicinally for centuries to heal wounds, burns and rashes, both internally and externally. The sunshiny flowers have also been used traditionally […]

One of the many joys of springtime is the welcome return of so many treasured plant allies. Many of these exuberantly abundant herbs are maligned as “weeds”—the mere sight of their presence inspires farmers and homeowners alike to reach for the herbicide. I propose that our culture radically alters our perception of these opportunistic plants. […]

Stinging nettles, Urtica dioica, get a bad rap. Their name congers up an unpleasant image, which is in fact, the quality of this harbinger of spring most of us wish we could avoid. But since nettles have so many amazing properties, those in the know are willing to work around it, albeit very carefully. Many gardeners […]