herbalism, foraging, Community Health, & mutual aid.
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Moving Past the Zombie Apocalypse
For a long time, the zombie apocalypse was my ice breaker for trainings and workshops in first aid and disaster response. But really, I think the zombie apocalypse is stale. We’re already there. Because scrolling creates zombies. Behind the onslaught of images lives an algorithm that feeds you whatever gets you to keep scrolling. Instagram.…
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Herbal First Aid – Using Echinacea and Plantago
Ooooo beautiful Echinacea! It might be very important this winter, so I collected flowers for tea. I’ll dig up some roots a bit later after I collect a small amount of seeds for replanting and medicine making. I use Echinacea liniment, salve, and oil in first aid remedies. At the Elderberry School I was taught…
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Hanging with Medusa + Community Medics
Do you ever wonder if that plant emerging from the sidewalk can share its resilience? Or if that pesky weed can teach you something about being grounded and nourished? Even in urban centers plants find ways to break into cracks and thrive. Some plants are more resilient than others, and their chemical constituents, medicinal properties…
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What if I don’t feel resilient?
Do you ever wonder if that plant emerging from the sidewalk can share its resilience? Or if that pesky weed can teach you something about being grounded and nourished? Even in urban centers plants find ways to break into cracks and thrive. Some plants are more resilient than others, and their chemical constituents, medicinal properties…
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Cultivating Resilience
Do you ever wonder if that plant emerging from the sidewalk can share its resilience? Or if that pesky weed can teach you something about being grounded and nourished? Even in urban centers plants find ways to break into cracks and thrive. Some plants are more resilient than others, and their chemical constituents, medicinal properties…
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Turning the Wheel
“Turning the Wheel” is a monthly publication with recipes, music recommendations, things to read and listen to, suggestions for activities to get you outside, and shopping lists for seasonal medicine-making projects. To take the turning to heart and turn up the volume, join “Turning the Wheel: An Herbal Plan to Align with the Seasons.” The…
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Cookie Cutter Herbalism
And other problems with herbal information Does anyone remember the horrible, teeth cracking yellow dock cracker recipe? I tried it. It was terrible. And it was the only recipe I could find. All search hits for a yellow dock cracker recipe gave me the same terrible recipe. Did anyone actually try this recipe? Did they…
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Fire & Ice
Dusk falls. I walk down the path. Looking up at the first stars. I turn, look across the woods to see fog hovering like an apparition. The embodiment of water coming off heat from the last days of summer. The particles condense, preparing for the ritual of morning dew. I take a deep breath of…
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A sojourn in consensus reality
I’ve gone there and back again. The year 2020 promised so much, then turned very quickly into an alternate reality. I took a job at the local arts center and after two years, I’ve stepped down. Now I’m slipping into the liminal space of keeping time by the angle of the sun and measuring the season by…
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Possessing Teff in NE Ohio
Did you know that possessing teff might get you in trouble? I guess I need to start at the beginning… for instance, what is teff? Teff is a grain that is native to the Horn of Africa. It is used as food, fodder for livestock, and as a building material (probably as a binding agent…
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A Story of Hawthorn
“There are only two things: energy and its direction. One needs both energy and a direction, the direction is the dream you have, and you have plenty of energy – knowing you. So “Never Give Up!” for me is to continue to attempt to build the dream, the love life, the Path with Heart. I…
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Do Herbs Really Work?
Well, I’ve learned that many people have experiences that lead them to believe that herbs don’t really work that well (if at all). As a person who continually sees (and experiences) amazing results in those who are willing to infuse a little herbalism into everyday living, I can’t help but ask the question, “what is…
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Green Blood
The breath of life rises green from the earth. I imagine ancestors rising at dawn to witness the sun marking their ancient calendars. Giving them hope for the seasonal dawning of new life. Giving them hope for food, medicine, the materials for shelter, and the melting of snow and ice. Watching the nascent buds and…
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Sweet Blood
Through Love all that is bitter will be sweet, through Love all that is copper will be gold, through Love all dregs will become wine, through Love all pain will turn to medicine. Rumi I’ve spent many hours breathing the steam of boiling maple sap in the last month. Making syrup isn’t just about boiling…
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Herb of the Saints
My first lesson in ethnobotany was in 6th grade. Mr. Robbins took the entire class on a field trip into the hills across the street from the school. We scurried across the highway chaperoned by Mr. Robbins and his assistant. I’m sure he talked about the ecology of the region. It’s frequently visited by geologists…
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The Longest Night Moon
That shining object in the night sky has been the subject of poetry. Some good, some bad. Some inspirational, some laughable. I once played a fortune-telling tightrope walker in an experimental play. Experimental in that none of the actors were actually actors. We were a hodge-podge of artistic folks. Painters, writers, sculptors. With a few…
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Liquid Courage
“There are many ancient superstitions regarding this herb. Its name Hypericum is derived from the Greek and means ‘over an apparition,’ a reference to the belief that the herb was so obnoxious to evil spirits that a whiff of it would cause them to fly.” ~ Maude Grieve, A Modern Herbal, 1931 Tracy’s not the only person…
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St. Joan’s Wort According to Tracy Maier
The hills spread out in all directions, undulating into mountains in the distance. It is dry and cold. The weeds crisped by overnight frosts. The breeze is chilly, but not as frigid as expected for late November. I’ve never been to this part of Idaho. Two of us walk through the valley on a old…
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Making Room for Grief
I started writing a song or prayer many years ago. It’s very short, only 4 lines, and sometimes one of those lines changes. But it carries the depth of poetry because the meaning of it depends on what is going on at any given moment. In this version of it, I honor the life and…
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Listening with Heart
I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am. I am. I am. ~Sylvia Path, The Bell Jar The senses are vital to foragers of wild foods and medicines. Sight, smell, touch, or taste reveal a plant’s identity; giving way to a deep knowing of the land. Many…
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Off With Their Heads
Back in December, Tracy Maier, a good friend of mine crossed over into whatever follows this life. It was unexpected. Tracy was a humble easygoing person who laughed long and hard. I learned a lot from him, but if I ever said so, he’d wave his hand at me like he was waving off an…
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Radical Herbalism
What is radical herbalism? For me, radical herbalism is about getting to the root of health issues. The word radical means “going to the root.” I believe that every person has a right to good health. This goes beyond providing health care. Do you see the difference? What I see is that health care in…
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Meet the Barberry Baby
This is the 2016 Community Herbal Intensive class. They have just created something I have never seen – a barberry baby. They look very pleased with themselves, don’t they. I found more evidence here… They learned that the barberry plant, Berberis vulgaris, is both an invasive plant and an important medicine. Its most well known…
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Let’s make syrup… and sugar!
I first learned how to cook maple syrup at a community farm in northern Wisconsin in 2009. They had a makeshift set up and worked around the clock each person taking shifts. As I grew more attached to the land I now live on in NE Ohio, I learned how to tap trees myself and…
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The Art of Making Tinctures
Some of the frequent questions I hear from students and friends is “why doesn’t my tincture look/taste like yours?” I have spent many years making wonderfully potent tinctures and making horribly disappointing mistakes. So here are my lessons learned. But first… A note on menstruum, marc, and other words used to describe tincture making. The…
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The United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary
Today we received a package in the mail from United Plant Savers. UpS has welcomed the the Trillium Center at BLD farm into their botanical sanctuary network. A bit from the UpS website: “The mission of United Plant Savers is to preserve, conserve and restore native medicinal plants and their habitats of the US and…
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Building a Straw Bale Seed House and Hoop House
In late 2011, Charles and I began the construction of a timber-framed straw bale structure that we call the Seed House that sits next to a hoop house, which greatly increased our capacity to grow vegetables and medicinal plants. The project is an experiment in alternative building styles. We started by gathering tires that washed up…
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Health Research
Currently, we are especially concerned with the chronic disaster that is caused by mountain top removal coal mining practices in the Appalachian area. These practices are causing air and water pollution, fear, and dislocation of communities in an area that has a history of poverty. I have seen black water, I have felt houses shake…
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