I have something really exciting for all of you today! I recently received a copy of Emily Han’s new book Wild Drinks and Cocktails, and let me tell you, this book is seriously awesome! It is all about wildcrafting herbs and plants and then making delicious drinks with them. Some have alcohol and some are…
Foraging for Dandelion Root: Edible and Medicinal Uses
We all know what dandelions are, right? They are the best example of a super easy to forage, edible, and medicinal plant. I’ve written a post all about foraging for dandelions, but I didn’t say too much about foraging for dandelion roots. They deserve a whole post on their own! Wildcrafting Weeds If you want…
Updates and Recent Happenings: Orange Calendula and More Shrooms
Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you all have a spooky day today. I don’t have any jack-o-lantern pictures for you, but I do have this beautiful orange calendula flower that recently opened. Can you believe that we’re still getting flowers? I sure can’t, but I love it! We also have a few pretty decent sized cauliflowers…
How to Brew Jun Kombucha
Hello my fermenting friends! While most of you have heard of kombucha, I bet only some of you have heard of Jun. Jun is similar to kombucha, but instead of using black tea and sugar it is brewed with green tea and honey. Sounds better, right? I have been brewing kombucha for years, but have…
Updates and Recent Happenings: Many Mushrooms and a Rainy Fall Garden
Hello you! Yes, you… how has your week been? Good, I hope. Mine has been lovely! It finally feels like October around here. The rain has started, although there are plenty of sunny days in between. Not a problem in my book, as I know how grey it can get around here come winter. We’ve…
Updates and Recent Happenings: Foraging Finds and a Baby Cauliflower
Well, hi there! I hope this past week has treated you well. I’ve had a wonderful week, and the weather has been beautiful! We finally got a bit of rain today, which was needed, but up until now it’s been sunny and gorgeous. On our days off, Joel and I went for a little foraging…
How to Make Balsamic Vinaigrette
Maybe some of you know this, but I actually used to be a cook for a living. Nothing much, just the pantry cook at Tuolumne Meadows Lodge in Yosemite National Park. I worked in Yosemite for almost 10 years with many different positions, but this was by far my favorite. As the pantry cook, I…
How to Make Milk Kefir Cheese
I have an exciting post for you guys today! Have you ever wanted to make cheese but were too intimidated by the complicated process? I have totally been there, and while I fully intend on conquering it someday (you know I will!), in the meantime this has become my saving grace in the homemade cheese…
Updates and Recent Happenings: Fall Flowers and Zesty Salsa
Well, here we are. A couple of weeks into fall, yet the days are still beautiful and warm. So warm, in fact, that we still have flowers blooming all over the garden. The cold snap that we had didn’t last, and the warmer weather is tricking all of our plants into thinking that it’s still…
Fermented Green Tomatoes: preserving the harvest
Green tomatoes are an inevitable part of homegrown tomato plants, as there always seem to be some that haven’t quite ripened before it gets too cold. While you can pick them green and bring them inside to ripen, sometimes there are so many green ones it makes sense to utilize them as they are. Of…
