Wildcrafting and Foraging – How to safely identify, harvest and use wild plants for food and medicine. Featuring the Weekly Weeder series, plus special attention to some of our favorite wild plants – plantain, dandelions, and elderberries.
Dandelion roots have long history of use as food and medicine. We’ll share the best time to dig dandelion roots, tips for preserving them, and dandelion root home remedies. Note: Never harvest dandelion roots from lawns or other areas that have been treated with herbicides or pesticides. The roots accumulate whatever has been sprayed on…
New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (formerly Aster novae-angliae) is one of my favorite native wildflowers. We’ll share how to identify and use this fall beauty, and some troubleshooting tips for growing it in the garden. New England Aster is also known as starwort, blue chamomile, blue daisy, fall-rose, and frostweed.
Joe Pye weed is a great native plant to add to your butterfly garden, and it also has a history of medicinal use. We’ll share where to find it, how to grow it, and historical uses of this flowering plant. The photos in this post are Eutrochium maculatum, which is also known as spotted Joe…
Curly dock is an easy to identify spring green with a unique sour flavor, like wild rhubarb. It also has a long history of medicinal use for a wide variety of ailments.
Mullein is an easy to recognize medicinal plant, with big fuzzy leaves and a tall flower spike with little yellow flowers. We’ll share how to identify and use this “gentle giant” safely and effectively.