In spring and summer wildflowers start popping up everywhere. I love finding and identifying them, especially when I discover that they are edible or medicinal (or both!). Wild California poppies are a common sight for us here in Southern Oregon and in other western states. No, they won’t quite put you to sleep like Dorothy…
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Blueberry Cornmeal Skillet Cake
This blueberry cornmeal skillet cake is so delicious and easy to make! I am usually not much of a sweets person, but when I do make something of that nature I almost always cut back on the sugar. This cake is not too sweet and perfect for any get together! Rustic Cast Iron Skillet Desserts…
Backyard Garden Update
Well, I figured it was about time for me to give you a backyard garden update! As you may or may not know, we moved into a brand new little homestead this past March, and have been feverishly working on the garden ever since. We don’t have a huge amount of space to work with,…
How to Make a Wild Yeast Starter
Learn how to make a wild yeast starter for home brewing and natural sodas. This wild yeast starter is made using foraged juniper berries, and is very easy to make! Cultivating Wild Yeast for Brewing With all the mead and hard cider brewing that I’ve done, up until now I’ve never tried cultivating my own…
Foraging for Mugwort
Mugwort is an edible and medicinal plant that has many uses. Foraging for mugwort is easy and fun, and it grows almost everywhere! Learn how to identify and forage for mugwort, plus all of its uses in your herbalism and natural medicine practice. Wildcrafting Weeds If you want to learn more about the edible and…
How to Make Infused Herbal Honey
Sometimes it’s the simplest things that can make a difference. Take this infused herbal honey for instance. While it’s really quite easy to make, it takes something as wonderful as honey and makes it even better! I couldn’t believe how tasty this honey became, and it really got me thinking of ways to use it….
How to Grow and Use Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are a plant that every gardener should consider growing. Besides their beauty, nasturtiums are also edible, medicinal, and are great for companion planting in your garden. On the California coast they have naturalized, and you can often find large patches of them growing wild. I have always been amazed by this, and I wonder…
Calendula and Thyme Shortbread Cookies
I have a lot of calendula growing in my backyard. This is not a bad thing, mind you, as calendula has many uses, but my mind kept turning to cookies (whose doesn’t?). It’s probably because of this Sweet & Savory Dandelion Shortbread post by Gather that I keep seeing. That recipe definitely sparked my idea…
Homemade Rosemary Beard Oil
Learn how to make this DIY rosemary beard oil for that bearded man in your life! This is an easy homemade beauty product for men made with just three all natural ingredients – olive oil, rosemary, and tea tree oil, and it smells wonderful! The Big Book of Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health &…
A Quick Backyard Tour
Hello everyone and happy spring! We are excited to announce that we bought a house and are finally all moved in. While it’s not our total dream property, as it’s much smaller that what we would like to have someday, it does have a lot going for it in the semi-urban permaculture sense. We feel…
