My Best Intentions…

I was knocked down by yet another cold this season. This is hard for me to wrap my brain around (especially in the cold-induced foggy state.) I have been healthy and cold free for about 2 years and this year is completely different. I have learned a lot over the past few years about herbs [...]

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Sun Flowers

The Solstice is a year-marker. The longest day, the shortest night; the day when the god believes in his supremacy and his triumph over the world. He shines high and strong and hot and proclaims the summer. The Sun flowers are primary- daisy, petunia, primrose, tickweed. But though the god sleeps through the winter, the [...]

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Elderflowers

The end of cool, spring days are long gone here in the southeast (and most of the Midwest for that matter), and we’re working our way into a hot and dry summer. Though the days may be thick with heat, we’re fortunate that the fragrance in the air is sweet, making odoriferous (read: sweaty) outdoor [...]

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Dry Skin Relief

Being a gardener, a mother, a housekeeper, a homesteader, and if there’s time left over – an artist, I always have rough hands. On top of all that, I suffer from eczema from time to time and have dry skin. We joke about it at my house: that I have “manlier” hands than my husband. [...]

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Quick Herbal Bug Bite Salve

Several years ago I read about the wonders of Broad Leaved Plantain, a “weed” that grows everywhere. It’s also known as: Bird’s Meat, Common Plantain, Great Plantain, Rat-tail Plantain, White Man’s Foot. I have it growing all over the gardens here at Chiot’s Run and I’m quite happy about it. It comes in very handy [...]

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Enjoying Homegrown Tea

This past fall I harvested a lot of my herbs for warming winter teas. I should have harvested them all summer long, but I got busy and forgot to do it until winter threatened, so I didn’t get as many as I wanted. When I harvest tea I carry a big bowl around with me [...]

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family medicine chest – preparing for flu season

there’s been a lot of talk about the swine flu and how to prepare it lately online. a lot of scary talk, from mandatory vaccines (which incidentally, the manufacturers have just had a law passed on their behalf which holds them unresponsible for any side affects that might occur from said vaccination) to quarantines and [...]

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family medicine chest: kitchen herbs as medicine

a lot of people become intimidated when it comes to herbs because they don’t know where to start. most are familiar with the more commonly used ones such as echinacea and st. john’s wort but what a lot of people don’t realize is that they have a whole arsenal of medicinal herbs in their spice [...]

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Family Medicine Chest: Herbs in the Bath Part 2

the family medicine chest is an ongoing series on the fourth thursday of each month. all sorts of beauty products can be made at home for a fraction of the cost. shampoo, conditioner, lotion, hot oil packs, facial packs, body packs, body scrubs, body salts, creams, bath bombs, toner and more. last month, i gave [...]

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Family Medicine Chest: Herbs in the Bath Part 1

the family medicine chest is an ongoing series on the fourth Thursday of each month. I apologize for the shortness of  this article…i dumped water into my keyboard and can’t use several keys. next month, i will go more in detail about  the beauty side of herbs in  the home. Herbs have been popping up [...]

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