Simple success with just one herb is a great inroad. Start by planting some seeds of at least one of these easy medicinals in a pot on the windowsill or in a prepared bed in the garden. Richo Cech Easy not Peasy Why is this introductory collection of herb seeds needed? A little bird told me that new growers…
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…
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 your best efforts, here is something that may help. Choose the very easiest germinators that are also the most useful: Genovese basil, Calendula, Chinese balsam, nettles, Echinacea purpurea,…
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 ground, germinate and grow in season. We follow the “Mother Plant” concept where, given that one is working with open-pollinated plants, a single plant can produce enough seedlings…
Early disasters. Pressing tinctures was my first herbal job, and I approached it quite enthusiastically, but soon realized the benefits of—finesse. The press was a handmade affair, bolted to the wall, fitted out with open pans that could be jacked together to squish a large, loaf-shaped object that was actually the macerating tincture surrounded by a carefully folded-over pressing…
According to herbalists, Elderberry syrup is a great preventive for colds and flus, an antiviral (helps prevent viruses from replicating) and immune stimulant. European Black Elderberries (Sambucus nigra) are the best type to use. Here is a simple recipe for making the syrup at home: 1) Use one cup (appx 100g) of dried black elderberries. 2) Place the dried…
The urge to muck about and create plant habitat goes hand-in-hand with the urge to grow more and more species of plants that need individualized growing conditions. As your species list increases, you will probably feel motivated to prepare specific plant habitats. After all, making your plants happy is a way to spread a groundcover of happiness into yourself….
Before me stood two test-tubes, one full of olive oil, the other containing pure grain alcohol. I dropped a fragment of Alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria) root into each, and watched as the fragments drifted down, trailing in each case a tail of bright red pigment, like barnstorming biplanes emitting colored smoke at a county fair, eliciting excited “ahs” from a…
For the home herbalist, the easiest and safest way to use the plant is by making a poultice of the seeds. RICHO CECH On the walk home from school, there on the corner of Hutchinson and River, stood a stately tree with heavy arms holding aloft a rounded crown of green, an English Horse Chestnut tree that made in…
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: Goldenseal, Ginseng, Black and Blue Cohosh, Wild Yam, Twinleaf, Bloodroot, Stonerooot, Mayapple — the entire…