Columns
Long summer days now memories
For leaves are turning now.
A tapestry of pastel hues,
Adorning twig and bough.
Still the elderberry though
Hangs ripe upon the bush,
A final flourish, a luscious gift,
Before winter's coming hush.
--Gary Smith
Although I fight to hang on to...
You can find edible wild food anywhere there is dirt, water and sunshine. While I enjoy my rich rural surroundings, urban settings are not devoid of flavorful fare. This week, I was in Indiana for my daughter’s wedding. We stayed in a delightful B&B with lots of large trees along a busy...
What food is high protein, low carb, low calorie, rich in antioxidants, helps reduce inflammation, kill cancer cells, control blood sugar, help prevent heart disease, and is completely free? Chicken of the Woods! While most mushrooms are small and are therefore used as an appetizer, side, or...
With a broad, white head of delicate flowers and a pungent scent, yarrow is now dotting the late summer landscape with its beauty. The flowers can also be found in shades of pink or yellow. Its lacy, fern-like leaves have long been prepared like spinach, but the uses for this cosmopolitan herb...
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...