Sweet spicy Monarda (Monarda fistulosa and sp.)  also known as Bee Balm, Sweet Leaf, Red Oswego (red monarda didyma) blooms late June through August, depending upon where you live. In my state, Kansas, early July is the perfect time of year for monarda to be in bloom, because I think the tubular flower appearance resembles […]

Sumac grows pretty abundantly here in the Midwest.  You’ll see it along highways, roadsides, in parks and on the edges of yards. I think it looks rather stately in late summer and early fall with its reddish fruit, called drupes, popping out from the green vegetation. There is a poisonous sumac, but it has white […]

Proper skin care is an important subject for a lot of women, especially once they have reached a certain age. They are looking to maintain the healthy, youthful-appearance of the skin, keeping wrinkles and other signs of aging at a safe distance. If you are interested in enjoying a glowing, imperfection free complexion as well, […]

How to Identify Peppermint and Spearmint Video by Mother Earth Living Associate Editor Gina DeBacker answers the reader-submitted question, “How can you distinguish peppermint from spearmint?” For more great videos check out MOTHER EARTH NEWS and Friends on YouTube!

Apothecary museums  featuring herbal remedies, such as the Stabler-Leadbeater in Alexandria,VA ,  are near and dear to my herbal heart. I hope you enjoy their apothecary video tour and find it as fascinating as I do. My father was a pharmacist of 50 years (from 1930’s to 1970’s). Before the advent of over-the-counter commercial products, […]

Pesto, its not just for basil anymore!  By adding a variety of wild and cultivated plants, you can change this old favorite into something new and fabulous!  I like to add pesto to a pasta or quinoa salad, to  mayonnaise or aioli to change the flavor of a sandwich spread, as part of a summer […]

Herbs the Grow Well in Shade Video by Mother Earth Living Associate Editor Gina DeBacker answers the reader-submitted question, “What are some great plants to grow in the shade?” This is one of the more popular topics on our website since many of us aren’t blessed with prime gardening spots that receive full sun, so […]

Borage, the Brave!  The title reminds me of a children’s book but this beautiful plant is anything but child’s play.  I have known of Borage for many years and eaten the flowers as part of a salad or a simple snack as I walk past my garden. The leaves sauteed in a stir fry are […]

Image of Black cohosh flowering.  https://www.unitedplantsavers.org/species-at-risk For the benefit of the plant communities, wild animals, harvesters, farmers, consumers, manufacturers, retailers and practitioners, we offer this list of wild medicinal plants which we feel are currently most sensitive to the impact of human activities. Our intent is to assure the increasing abundance of the medicinal plants […]

With my abundance of elder in flower in June, I always devote some harvest for this delicious summer drink. Like lemonade, fizzy, with elderflower taste obviously. Once friends taste it, they want gallons the next year. Pick your elderflowers at peak when they bloom out and smell so fragrant. Remember not to cut all the […]