Urban Moonshine on Finding Joy
This last week Jovial King, founder and CEO of Urban Moonshine, came to visit the Herbal Academy of New England to teach us about bitters and tonics. Learning about her journey was a delight, to say the least! While she shared with us a wealth of information, from history to benefits of bitters, perhaps the…
Falling Into Fall With Delightful Guest Speakers
The temps are dropping, the teapot is whistling, and our first course is off to a great start! What a wonderful time of the year to gather together to discuss and share our herbal journeys. Through our first weekend of certification, we’ve learned that many of our apprentices come from rich herbal backgrounds while others…
Eating Nutritiously
When we think about nutrition, it’s important to begin by accepting people’s preferences and acknowledging that dietary practices are often based in cultural and subcultural mores and may or may not be influenced by ethical, religious, and health concerns. It is possible to help people to improve their diet while respecting whatever cultural, ethical, or…
Plantain For Bee Stings
By Nina Katz – Herbalist After gathering oodles of wild amaranth, purslane, lamb’s quarters, and gallant weed (galinsoga), Barbara and I headed back to the parking lot with some of them, and her CSA share, before moving on to gather wild grape leaves. As we walked, we talked about the bees on the farm, and…
Brie Wrapped in Grape Leaf Appetizer
Brie wrapped in grape leaves is a delicious appetizer. We hope you’ll enjoy this simple recipe below!
Stinging Nettle
What plant has the highest amount of protein, by weight, of any plant? Hint: it’s not a bean, lentil, or pea, and you can gather it yourself in wild and not-so-wild places. The answer is stinging nettle. Stinging nettle is an amazing superfood vegetable that is not only high in protein but also in calcium, magnesium, iron,…
Yarrow: The Plant That Made Achilles Invincible
Yesterday, we harvested our first yarrow of the season. Yarrow is one of my favorite plants, and its uses are legion. It makes a nice cooking spice, effective bug spray, slows bleeding, brings down temperatures and activates the immune system, soothes sore throats, supports the digestive system, and promotes labor. Not only that, it’s a…
Borage – The “Heart Comforting” Herb
The topic of the day is borage! Botanical name: Borago officinalis. I have taken pictures of the borage plants growing in the garden here at the herbal cottage. The leaves are hardy and fuzzy, and the tops of the plants are flowering with beautiful blue, star-shaped flowers. Borage The aerial parts of this plant are…
Wild Edibles Have More Nutrients
Wild edibles have more nutrients, and particularly more minerals than the tamer stuff of supermarkets. They let us taste the seasons in the most literal, deepest way we can. They also help us minimize our reliance on large agro-business and on food brought from great distances at considerable cost to the environment. Wild Edibles Wildcrafted…
