Summer was a sweet time to waltz into Kasia’s garden and kitchen. We harvested vibrant rose petals (Rosa rugosa), calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis), and marigolds (Tagetes sp.) for teas and fermented herbal vinegar (recipe in the next post).

Kasia’s french press was constantly steeping herbal tea—usually the fresh lemon balm just outside the back door. Kasia enjoys lemon balm tea to support relaxation and good sleep.

While filming course lessons with Ken Parker at the English Gardener, I couldn’t help noticing this striking plant. Meet strawberry goosefoot, also known as strawberry blite (Chenopodium capitatum). The leaves and juicy fruits are edible, mild, and tasty. It’s stunning. And—it’s native!

I make tea with herbs from my garden as much as possible. But in the summer, I've always got hibiscus calyces on hand.

The species that produces these bright-red calyces is Hibiscus sabdariffa, also known as roselle. For iced tea, I love hibiscus with aromatic herbs like mint, lemon balm, lemongrass, tulsi, anise hyssop, or linden flowers.

I'm writing from a homestead outside of Kraków, where I'm volunteering during my third week in Poland. The climate and plants here are so similar to home that I can almost forget I'm on a different continent.

When I spot plants not found in the WNY landscape, I can't help smiling at the sudden reminder of where I am. Red poppy (Papaver rhoeas, pictured above) is one such plant. In Slavic folk tradition, poppy facilitates traversing the veil between life and death, and it symbolizes fertility.

I draw a bit of inspiration from cranefly and putty root orchids. While ephemerals have "found" ways to tiptoe deeper into the challenging winter chill (admirably so), these orchids seem to say, "What do you mean, challenging? We were made for this."

As tough as they are, I wonder how climate change is affecting these orchids.

Many traditional holidays near the winter solstice are Festivals of Light. People welcome the "return of the sun" and lengthening days after the shortest day of the year.

Rather than illuminating like a bright torch, a mugwort bundle smolders, releasing more smoke and aroma than light. Though a Festival of Light is lovely, a Festival of Slow Smolder is more my speed.

Though shamrocks shine on St. Patrick's Day in the US, I think of this clover species on May Day in particular. In Ireland, May 1 is Bealtaine (or Beltane), an ancient celebration of the sun's life-giving power and fertility.

When white folks aren’t taught where our knowledge comes from, we may fall into appropriating information, preparations, uses, and plants without realizing it.

Below you'll find resources from herbalists I trust to support our immune systems and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have questions or need additional help, feel free to reach out.

A health culture focusing on personal responsibility, while ignoring the social and environmental factors that affect us all, is missing the mark.

To safely enjoy edible and medicinal plants in our local communities, we must access information about the safety of soils in our gardens and public spaces.

Those who have experienced nettle's sting first-hand (Urtica dioica) may be surprised to learn what a delicious, tender edible green it is. Its stinging hairs contain formic acid--the same chemical that gives fire ants a dreadful reputation. Its botanical name Urtica comes from a latin word meaning "sting" or "burn." However, when the plant is cooked, dried, crushed, or massaged with dressing--anything to damage the hairs--the sting disappears. Now you have one of the most vitamin-, mineral-, and chlorophyll-rich greens out there. I prefer the flavor of nettle over spinach, and it is far more nutritious.

Though many think of roses for Valentine's Day, violets were traditionally the flower of choice. This is partly due to St. Valentine lore.

In one study, springtime leaves of the common blue violet were found to contain five times as much vitamin C as oranges by weight, and 2.5 times more vitamin A than spinach. It’s used medicinally for the skin and more.