Learn how to forage goldenrod – a native pollinator plant with herbal uses! You’ll also learn how to tell it apart from ragweed and other plants that bloom at the same time, plus tips on how to use it. Goldenrod (Solidago spp) is a bright yellow flowering plant that blooms in late summer and early…
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a common weed with beautiful yellow flowers that are well loved by pollinators and herbalists alike! Learn how to identify and when to harvest this herb – then check out our accompanying article for information on making St. John’s Wort infused oil and salve for aches and pains! Tips…
In this article, you’ll learn what the data says about ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora). Is it endangered? Edible? Poisonous? Find out the answers to all of your questions below! Around June 8 every year, we start finding Ghost Pipe (also called Indian Pipe), mainly around our creek area. This year so far, we’ve had a…
Learn how to identify Japanese honeysuckle, an edible flower that can be used for tea, tincture, jelly, and more! Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a non-native species of honeysuckle that you’ll often find growing in the wild. The trumpet shaped edible flowers not only smell amazing, they have food and herbal medicine uses too! Because…
Learn how to identify, safely harvest, prepare, and preserve stinging nettle, plus ways to use it for food, natural medicine, and more! Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) is delicious and nutritious wild edible that may already be growing near you. (If not, you can also grow it as an outdoors potted plant.) Not only is it…
Tasty and nutritious, black locust flowers are only in bloom for about two weeks each spring. Here’s how to identify and harvest them, plus ideas for using! Black locust trees (Robinia pseudoacacia), also called false acacia, are native to southeastern United States, but have spread throughout North America and the rest of the world. You’ll…
Learn how to identify and use chickweed – a common backyard weed that’s nutritious and delicious, and can also be turned into salves for itchy skin, and more! Where & When to Look for Chickweed While common chickweed (Stellaria media) isn’t a native plant, it has naturalized and spread all over North America, and is…
Learn how to identify and use Eastern redbud – a beautiful spring flowering tree that produces edible flowers! Where Redbud Grows Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is native to the eastern part of North America – from the top part of Florida, all the way up to southern New England, and westward towards the Great Plains….
Learn how to tell the difference between henbit and purple dead nettle, plus tips for using and eating these early spring weeds! Where to Find Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) and purple dead nettle (Lamium purpureum) are two commonly confused weeds whose flowers appear around March, or early spring. You can easily go foraging for them in…
Learn how to forage and harvest pine resin, then use it to make a first aid salve, a decongestant balm, and a pine resin sore muscle rub! Resin is a substance that oozes or exudes from pine trees, and some other plants, to help heal wounds or seal off insect damage. Depending on what time…
Learn how to harvest and use Usnea, a gray-green forest lichen with medicinal benefits! Also includes recipes for usnea tincture, infused oil, salve, and wound powder. Usnea (Usnea spp), is also called beard lichen, lungs of the forest, or old man’s beard. It’s considered a cooling, drying herb and is valued for its powerful action…
Learn how to identify and harvest reishi mushrooms, plus how to dry and use for tea and tincture. Reishi’s distinctive look makes them friendly for the beginner mushroom hunter! There are multiple species of reishi worldwide – all are thought to have some forms of medicinal properties and none have poisonous lookalikes. Here at our…