Pressing Herbal Tinctures—Lessons Learned And Questions Answered
Early disasters. Pressing tinctures was my first herbal job, and I approached it quite enthusiastically, but soon realized the benefits of—finesse...
Read MoreBeyond Seed Cleaning Screens
The screen used is industrial grade stainless steel, and we have chosen the most robust stock. The wood used is clear grade Port Orford Cedar, which is bioregional to us, is the hardest of all Cedar species, has a hardwood-like pattern of grain, and emits a delightful aroma, especially when newly worked. The wood itself is antiseptic, repels bugs and is quite weather and rot resistant.
Read MoreGrowing True Comfrey From Seeds
The flowers of True Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) are generally very richly arrayed and colored dark purple. The leaves are lance-shaped and not so broad as those of Russian Comfrey. True Comfrey is really the nicest of the Comfrey clan in my opinion.
Read MoreWhite Sage: Planting, Growing And Harvesting
White Sage (Salvia apiana) seed harvest has begun, the giant plants lifting their aromatic fronds to the summer sun. I hurry to get a hit before the birds do the job for me!
Read MoreGrowing Mandrake — Beyond The Basics
Growing mystical plants requires a certain amount of consciousness on the part of the gardener, and for best results one allows the plants to call the shots. This is only to the extent of one’s willingness to let go of control. One never really knows where it will all go. Simply wishing the plant to do well seems to be the best approach.
Read MoreTulsi (Holy Basil) Type Comparisons
How does one disambiguate a subject so complex? Holy Basil, a plant that is gentle and healing to body, mind and spirit should bring happiness, not confusion! The commonality of all types (species/cultivars) is that the leaves may be eaten fresh, used in cooking, or best yet picked, dried, and made into tea.
Read MoreA Deeper Look at Forest Roots
Sandy loam, a substance created by the breakdown of minerals (rock) mixed with the breakdown of carbon (tree or grass detritus). Sandy loam is what we all want, because it is the best all around substrate for growing the plants we love the most...
Beyond Seed Cleaning Screens
The screen used is industrial grade stainless steel, and we have chosen the most robust stock. The wood used is clear grade Port Orford Cedar, which is bioregional to us, is…
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Extremely simple seed planting techniques
Learn from the plants. Do it. . . for the plants. — Richo Cech For those of you who simply cannot get a medicinal or culinary herb seed to germinate, despite…
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Wild Lettuce, Spontaneous Generation in the Garden of Diversity
We like to leave our best plants to produce seeds, seeds that may be harvested and set aside to plant at a later time, or seeds that fall spontaneously to the…
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