Autumn Harvesting

As the heat of the sun wanes, what’s left of the harvest hangs on the boughs. Bright red hawthorn and rose hips will soon become ever-present against the muted colours of the coming winter. Their bright colour is inviting, beckoning for attention. And for good reason. Hawthorne berries strengthen capillaries, blood vessel walls, and strengthen…

Read More

Spring Harvests

I haven’t had much time to blog lately as I’ve been so busy putting in the garden and harvesting spring herbs. Here’s what I’ve been up to this week As most Salt Spring Islanders know, nettle can be used as any other tender green one would eat. Nettle pesto, nettle soup, nettle stirfry, sauteed nettle,…

Read More

More on the Bounty of Nettle

I woke early this morning to set out and harvest nettle root from my small but healthy patch of nettles (urtica dioica) The peak time to harvest roots is early spring while the vitality still resides in the root pushing upwards for new growth, or autumn while the vital energies are drawing downwards to the earth…

Read More

Spring!

I love the month of March.  I love the dramatic intensity of the weather this time of year brings. The sudden rain followed by the sudden break of sunshine; the cleansing wild winds followed by stillness; the noticeable lengthening of daylight past Equinox; the cheerful twittering of birds; lambs and calves joyfully hopping along the…

Read More