When it comes to wildcrafting, you should always know where you’re harvesting from!! It’s so important. Sides of roads, neighborhood streets, public parks… NEVER wildcraft form an area that has been sprayed or has been exposed to other toxins (runoff from roads etc.) Once you’ve identified a safe and healthy plant, or if you’re harvesting …
Note: If you didn’t read Cultivating Garlic, go back and read that post first! Garlic is something we use everyday. Unlike many, I LOVE the taste AND smell of garlic. Once you’ve planted your garlic patch, all you need is a little patience and be ready to harvest when the time is right. In the …
If you’re interested in finding and harvesting yarrow, here are a few guidelines to keep in mind. Yarrow, aka Achillea millefolium, can grow up to 3-feet high, but most of mine are closer to 18″ to 2′. The leaves are the first thing you’ll notice in the spring. They grow very close to the ground …
Let’s talk about harvesting lemon balm! Thankfully, because lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is so vigorous, it’s very difficult to over-harvest. It can be harvested all throughout the growing season by clipping several inches of new growth of the top of the plant. If you do that consistently before it flowers you will have many rounds …
We’ve already determined that dandelion really is a special plant, if you can change your thinking toward it you can begin to reap the benefits of this herbal ally. But before you start picking leaves and eating them (something I do frequently on our homestead) make sure you’re picking them from a clean area. Make …
So let’s talk about harvesting violets. We love to use the flowers and leaves in salad, make syrup (flowers), jelly or use them as decoration on desserts. They are mild and beautiful! Viola is a spring and early-fall plant. It doesn’t like heat, so it tends to die back when the serious summer heat moves …
