Red berries are especially colorful this time of year and these three; Highbush Cranberry, Rose Hips and Sumac Berries are more than a glowing red face.  Each of these are important as good winter foods, good winter medicines and can be part of your landscape. High Bush Cranberry High Bush Cranberry (Viburnum opulus) is a […]

A lot of people take their respiratory health for granted. Sometimes, it’s normal considering that we’re constantly surrounded by car gases, cigarette smoke and other harmful things that can cause our respiratory health to deteriorate with time. Therefore, quitting smoking, staying away from toxic air quality (if possible), and eating and drinking healthily are all […]

It’s not uncommon to see a lack of focus and concentration in children which may be caused simply by attention deficit disorder or ADHD. Research shows that ADHD affects around 4-5% of school-aged kids and if your child is one of them, it’s important to consult your doctor on available treatment that might include both […]

This is the time of year that people with maple trees (genus Acer, maple family Aceraceae) are the envy of their neighbors. Maples, especially American and Japanese maples, turn bright red in the fall. The Many Maple Offerings But, maples have more to offer than that. If the maples are sugar maples (Acer saccharum), of […]

Cooking is an art, even if the only thing you can cook is a microwaved baked potato. You have to know how to balance the ingredients and bring them to perfection. One missing ingredient and you could miss out on a great meal. Sometimes when people cook, they skip over some of the herbs and […]

 Disclaimer: The information provided throughout this site is for educational purposes only and is not to be regarded as a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice. The information provided is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always seek the guidance […]

Dandelions, Taraxacum officinale (sunflower family, Asteraceae) are perhaps the most widely recognized  U. S. weed. Huge amounts of money and time are spent killing dandelions. How the Dandelion got its Name No one knows why the scientific name is Taraxacum. In 1600 pharmacists called it Taraxacon, but whether that word is based on the  Arabic words […]

 Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)  Some people have said they aren’t sure how to pronounce mullein…it is like mull, as in mulling over mullein. Because mullein is a biennial plant (taking two years to complete its life cycle), leaves and roots can be harvested at the end of the first and beginning of the second year, […]

Have you grown up firmly believing that carrots are the key to a healthy vision since that was perhaps the only way your mom could convince you to snack on one? Rich in beta-carotene, a nutrient that’s precious to our eyes, carrots do indeed help protect our sight and keep our eyes healthy. However, in […]

We eat stalks of celery, raw and cooked (see Part 1), but the celery plant (Apium graveolens, parsley family, Apiaceae) is the source of three other foods: leaf celery, celery seed. and celeriac.  Leaves of Celery Some celery, particularly in Asia, is raised for its leaves, not its stalks. Leaves of most celery plants are […]