At the Zoom meeting Tuesday, I shared a few plants that are ready to gather in the fall. Here’s the list I shared with a few photos. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list – there are many more plants you can harvest throughout the fall and even the winter! Sumac (Rhus spp.) …
If you’re a Huckleberry Mountain Botanicals student, you won’t want to miss the free webinar Tuesday morning at 10 am Pacific time. If you aren’t enrolled yet, simply follow the link and enroll in the free course. This week, I’ll be answering a few questions submitted by students: How to dose herbs for children? …
Okay, I know it’s not spring yet, but our weather here in North Idaho sure feels like it! We’ve had temps in the 40s and rain – I can hardly believe it! We still have quite a bit of snow on our pastures, gardens and throughout our forest, but it’s still got me itching to …
Fall, winter and early spring bring opportunities for harvesting roots (as long as you don’t mind digging through the snow!) The Basics Make sure you’ve positively identified your plant and understand what you are looking for. Always collect from clean areas, as plants absorb toxic materials into their roots and leaves. Don’t be an “herb …
Let’s continue our overview of some botanical basics. Last time I talked about leaf venation and this time I’m going to talk a little about leaf arrangement. Alternate: This is when you see a leaf on the left side of a stem, then a little bit up there’s a leaf on the right side of …
Daisy, dandelion, viola, mullein; these are names that many of us are familiar with and use in everyday language! So what’s the big deal with learning botanical names that sound unfamiliar and are difficult to remember? Common names can cause confusion when communicating with others, especially when discussing edibility and medicinal qualities of an herb, …
Achillea – representing a couple of different folklore stories that have been passed down: Achilles used it to treat his soldiers in the battlefield Achilles mother dipped him in protective water – a yarrow infusion – but she held his heel meaning that his entire body was safe from harm, except his heel. Mille = …
Borage is one of our favorite plants to grow throughout our homestead. But we get particularly beautiful, large ones growing in our hoop-house alongside our tomatoes, peppers, melons and cucumbers. They make incredible pollinator attractors, but did you know that borage is also a popular food choice employed in various recipes in the Mediterranean? The …
Learning botany doesn’t have to be intimidating or boring You will feel more confident in your foraging and wildcrafting if you take the time to learn some basics. Don’t get too caught up in the details and have fun! So let’s talk about the basics of leaves… Leaf veins serve several function, regardless of their …
When talking about aerial parts of a plant, we are referring to any part of an herbaceous plant that grows above the ground. This can include leaves, stems and flowers. This does not usually refer to the bark of a tree. Harvesting the aerial parts is not difficult and requires very simple tools. A sharp …
