How to Grow Chamomile in Your Garden

chamomile plants

Bright like daisies, and healthy for the body, Chamomile belongs to the Asteraceae family which is the name for several daisy-like plants. This charmer blossom is grown mostly in Europe, Western Asia, and other countries with accommodating soil and they are considered to be a key ingredient in herbal teas. Chamomile is popular in the … Read more

Bee-Friendly Ways to Keep Pests Away from Plants

bee pollinating a dandelion

Keeping crops safe during growing season is a top priority for most homesteaders, and while nature is wonderful, there are bugs and predators out there that can cause some serious damage to our gardens. On any homestead, bees are crucial to our long-term survival, so it’s important to watch out for their sake, as much … Read more

How to Grow Bee Balm on the Homestead

a patch o bee balm (monarda)

The beautiful and useful North American wildflower Monarda (Bee Balm) is the perfect addition to any homesteader’s garden. With its daisy-like shape and vibrant colors, and its utility as an herb, this terrific plant is great complement to any herb garden or foundation planting. Bee balm is resilient and beautiful, making it a favorite for … Read more

Foraging and Growing Honewort

It is always good to learn about the wild plants growing on and adjacent to your homestead. In many cases, these plants are edible, and can make a great addition to your salads, soups or stews, or great complement to the poultry and meats you raise on your homestead as well. One great pant you … Read more

Stinging Nettles – Everything You Need to Know

stinging nettles

Urtica dioica, commonly known as stinging nettle, is a perennial herb growing throughout many continents. The herb is native to Asia and north Africa, but has travelled to Europe, North America, and even in some parts of the South Pacific. It gets its common name from the stinging hairs, known as trichomes. These fine hairs … Read more

How to Forage and Use Henbit

lamium amplexicaule (common henbit)

Henbit is a delicate edible plant that is commonly referred to as a weed, as are most wild edible plants and herbs. One of around 50 plants found within in the Lamium species family, common henbit, also known as Lamium amplexicaule, is one of them. Common henbit is also known as greater henbit and henbit … Read more

Foraging and Using Sow Thistle

bee on sow thistle flower

Some plants are so common we cannot help but take them for granted. Sow thistle definitely falls into this category. Anyone with a decent stretch of field, or even a big lawn, is bound to have sow thistle growing somewhere in it. If you’ve just scoffed at it or attempted to root it out as … Read more

How to Forage and Use Wild Leeks

wild leeks

As we move into the upcoming spring season, the air is full with the scent of wet soil and blooming floors, and a new round of foraging begins. Even if you’re a novice forager, you should definitely know how to spot and harvest leeks. If you live somewhere on the east coast or in parts … Read more

How To Forage and Use The Greenbrier Plant

Greenbrier Smilax Rotundifolia

Common / roundleaf Greenbrier, or Smilax rotundifolia, is a perennial woody vine growing abundantly through the eastern United States and Canada. The greenbrier plant can grow up to 20ft so long as it has a tall surface to climb up. Just about every part of the vine is edible. Foragers have compared the taste of … Read more

Foraging and Growing Spicebush

butterfly on spicebush drupe

Lindera benzoin, better known as spicebush or wild allspice, is a deciduous shrub belonging to the Lauraceae, or laurel family. It earned its common names from its highly aromatic leaves and berries. Spicebush is easy to identify, edible, and even a host for butterflies, bees, and birds. Although not a common choice, spicebush is an … Read more

Foraging False Solomon’s Seal

If you’re a homesteader or a forager, chances are you don’t pay too much attention to the shadier areas of the forests and fields you venture into. However, if you’re spending most of the time in patches of sun, you may be overlooking the handsome false Solomon’s Seal Plant. This native perennial is a great … Read more

Foraging and Using Japanese Knotweed

japaneese knotweed

Sometimes a plant can be so aggressively invasive and problematic that people can overlook its good qualities, or refuse to believe it has any. Such is the case for Japanese knotweed, a plant so invasive that it has seemingly taken over wide swathes of the Eastern United States and elsewhere. In Southern New England, it … Read more

Foraging and Harvesting Evening Primrose

white evening primrose flowers and plant

There is a wide variety of primrose plants, with over 400 types included in the Primulaceae family. Majority of the various primroses grow in shades of yellow, but there are other varieties that are red, pink, white, purple, or sometimes orange. From the diverse lands of North America, evening primrose varieties were soon migrated overseas, … Read more