Learn how to harvest, store, freeze, and dry elderberries, then how to turn them into healthy syrup, tea, vinegar, oxymel, and more! July 2023 update: I’ve also made a free printable “cheat sheet” of Elderberry Remedies & Recipes that you can grab below. (No signup required!) Have a bounty of elderberries and not quite sure…
Learn how to grow and care for Dragon’s Egg Cucumbers. They’re mild, delicious, and fun to grow! About: Dragon’s Egg is a sweet and unique cream-colored cucumber that originates from Croatia. This is an excellent cucumber well-worth growing at least once in your garden- it’s a mild, faintly sweet-flavored, thin-skinned delicate little thing, free from…
Learn how to grow, harvest, and dry bee balm (wild bergamot), plus 8 creative ways to use it, including recipes for bee balm salve, tea, infused honey, and more! Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa, M. spp.) also called wild bergamot, is an excellent plant to put in a pollinator garden! Beloved by bumblebees, butterflies, and hummingbirds,…
Wineberry, also called Japanese raspberry, or wine raspberry, is an invasive (but very delicious!) species that can be found growing wild in the Eastern parts of North America. Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius) has no poisonous look-a-likes in the U.S., making it a good option for beginner foragers to explore. Around here (growing zone 7 USA), the…
Yarrow and Queen Anne’s Lace have overlapping bloom times so it can be easy to mix them up, but these tips about their differences will help you tell them apart! What’s Yarrow? Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a perennial flowering plant with feathery leaves. You’ll often find it growing in sunny meadows, at the edges of…
This delicious freezer jam features fresh strawberries and rose petals. It’s quick and easy to make – no canning required! Ingredients: Preparing the Roses: Collect your rose petals off of unsprayed roses, packing them fairly tightly into the measuring cup as you go. Give them a quick rinse and pat them gently dry once back…
Learn how to grow lavender from seeds or cuttings, tips on pruning, watering, and other growing requirements, then how to harvest and dry the flowers and leaves! Want more lavender in your life and flower beds? Try growing your own plants from seed or cuttings! How to Grow Lavender from Cuttings Rooting or propagating your…
In this article, you’ll learn how to forage for mullein flowers, leaves, and roots, then how to harvest and preserve them! Common mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is a favorite summer plant to forage! It has a unique look and lots of healthy benefits. Once you learn about mullein and the things you can make from it,…
Yedikule is a white-seeded romaine-type lettuce that can be grown close together in rows, or the plants spaced out more to form large heads. The leaves are bright green and have a pleasantly mild taste. Leaves grow more pointing upright than outwards. Thanks to the high levels of natural oils present in the plant, the…
Use some foraged early spring greens to make a lovely little lip balm! Violet leaves, purple deadnettle, and chickweed combine with sweet almond, tamanu, and castor oil to create a soothing balm for chapped lips. Infused Oil First, you’ll want to make an infused oil to use in the lip balm. You will need: 1…
Learn how to make naturally pink lemonade using redbud flowers, lemons, and your sweetener of choice. It’s that time of year around here where the sweet pink mist of redbud flowers is visible around the edge of the woods, and it won’t be too much longer until they’re gone! So while they’re still here, why…
When spring has arrived and the forsythia flowers are in full bloom, head outside with a container. It’s time to pick those lovely blooms to make some delicious jelly! Forsythia bushes (Forsythia suspensa, F. spp.) are non-native shrubs that produce bright yellow, edible flowers in early spring. They’re commonly found planted around homes or in…