Columns
Down in the mullein meadow
The lusty thistle springs,
The butterflies go criss-cross,
The lonesome catbird sings,
But where the sunshine lingers,
And merry breezes come
To gather pungent perfumes
From the mullein-stalks a-bloom.
--Jean Blewett, 1922
A prince among...
Also called wild spinach, I'm particularly fond of this weed because it's one my late grandmother taught me to prepare. It's plentiful, easy to identify, and absolutely delicious. Lamb's quarter can be transplanted and cultivated. Pinching the tops will encourage it to branch out, making the plant...
This week I couldn't help but write about the beautiful flowers blooming all along the roadsides and in the fields. This time of year produces some of the most beautiful cut wildflowers. In addition to being beautiful in a vase, many are also edible. While not usually remembered for their...
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
During the country's recent unrest, I was confronted by an odd scene
photographed on the streets of New York City. A metal barricade, manned by
police, encircled the Raging Bull Monument in front of the New York Stock
Exchange...
If you're visiting my house one afternoon and are unfortunate enough to be stung by one of our honeybees, don't be alarmed if my children race about the yard, then come back and spit something green on your sting. They've learned that plantain is wonderful for stings! I've taught them to identify...
Acts 1:4-5 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that
they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the
Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with
water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days...
It makes the heart merry, drives away melancholy, quickens the spirits, is good against quartan agues, stancheth bleeding at mouth and nose, if it be stamped and applied to the nape of the neck; the herb also bruised, and with some salt and vinegar and hog's grease, laid upon an hard...
This week's wild edible is a superfood, grows in many parts of the world, and has a long history as a medicinal food. It was part of Captain James Cook's arsenal against scurvy. According to the CDC, watercress is the most nutrient dense vegetable you can eat! And it's probably growing in a...
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk roses and with eglantine.
--Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare
Growing up near Hutton Valley, I eagerly looked forward to Saturday...