Many know the effects of catnip on our feline friends, but few realize that catnip has medicinal effects for humans. From stomach aches to reducing fevers, catnip is a versatile herb with many benefits. The next time you grow this plant for your cat you may end up taking a few cuttings for yourself! The following is an excerpt from The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer by Jeff and Melanie Carpenter. It has been adapted for the web. Catnip. Photograph courtesy of Kate Clearlight Catnip – Nepeta Cataria Life Cycle Catnip is a short-lived herbaceous perennial that is hardy to USDA zones ..read more

It’s time to take control of your seeds and become a plant breeder! Saving your seed allows you to grow and best traditional & regional varieties, and develop more of your own. The following excerpt is from Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties by Carol Deppe. It has been adapted for the web. Becoming A Plant Breeder Developing new vegetables doesn’t require a specialized education, a lot of land, or even a lot of time. It can be done on any scale. It’s enjoyable. It’s deeply rewarding. You can get useful new varieties much faster than you might suppose. And you can eat your mistakes. Garden ..read more

Wondering where to forage for greens this spring? Look no further than hedges, which serve as natural havens for wild greens and herbs! The following is an excerpt from Hedgelands by Christopher Hart. It has been adapted for the web. Food from Hedges: Salads and Greens Let’s start by looking at all the wild foods and remedies available just in the hedge at Underhill. After blackberries, the green leafy abundance of the hedgerow in March is probably what most people are familiar with. And the choice on offer at this particular salad bar can be dazzling. The Underhill hedge alone, for instance ..read more

There’s a whole new world out there when it comes to koji. It doesn’t matter if you’re making bread, cheese, or ice cream, koji helps you pump up the flavor! Growing Koji in Your Own Kitchen Koji, the microbe behind the delicious, umami flavors of soy sauce, miso, fermented bean sauce, and so many of the ingredients that underpin Japanese cuisine. After you’ve mastered growing your koji, a whole new world of culinary opportunities will be at your fingertips! To start, all you need is a baking tray, rice, koji spores, and a little bit of heat. Enjoy this delicious mold! Read More ..read more

Rewilding is one of the best things you can do for the biodiversity of your farm or garden. By no longer mowing your lawn, flowers will start to grow, creating a meadow and a habitat for creatures that often get forgotten. The following is an excerpt from The Healthy Vegetable Garden by Sally Morgan. It has been adapted for the web. Rewilding Your Garden: A Myriad of Benefits An oak seedling among the brambles. I have seen first-hand how the biodiversity of our farm has increased over 16 years through our organic, agroecological management. We’ve built ponds, planted willow and let our hedg ..read more

Whether you’re looking to replace your end-of-the-day cocktail, relax before bed, or want something new to add to your tea, this non-alcoholic mocktail syrup base will do the trick. Delicious and all-natural, take a sip of this nightcap mocktail and feel your troubles melt away. The following is an excerpt from Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals, Volume 4 by Jill Stansbury. It has been adapted for the web. RECIPE: Herbal Nightcap Mocktail The combination of coriander, jujube dates, lavender, and lemon balm has a calming effect and can improve sleep.1 This recipe is aimed at producing ..read more

Trying to figure out how to manage weeds in your garden beds? Use cover crops and living mulches for weed suppression while your garden flourishes! The following is an excerpt from The Ecological Farm by Helen Atthowe. It has been adapted for the web. Suppressing Weeds With Cover Crops: Getting Started Figure 8.5. Blooming red clover “weeds” moving from living mulch row middles into maturing onions and red cabbage in late summer at Woodleaf Farm, Oregon. Cover crops suppress weeds via several mechanisms that often interact and affect more than one ecological function at a time. Common weed ..read more

Want to enjoy bread without worrying about gluten? With Einkorn bread, a light bread with the lowest glycemic index, you can still enjoy all of the delights of bread. without any of the allergic reactions! The following is an excerpt from Restoring Heritage Grains by Eli Rogosa. It has been adapted for the web. Einkorn Sourdough Starter About a week before you plan to bake, mix equal amounts of flour and pure water; that is, well water, spring water or distilled water. (Do not use chlorinated water. It will destroy the beneficial microbes.) Repeat the feeding each day for about seven days. Af ..read more

Interested in becoming a mushroom farmer? Shiitake mushrooms are one of the easiest and most profitable places to start. The following is an excerpt from Farming the Woods by Steve Gabriel and Ken Mudge. It has been adapted for the web. (Photographs courtesy of Steve Gabriel and Ken Mudge unless otherwise noted.) A beech log that has been “forced” to produce a uniform flush of shiitake mushrooms. The Stunning Shiitake Mushroom Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is the third most common cultivated mushroom in the world and certainly the best-known forest-grown mushroom in North America. It is a bit ..read more

To turn a barren lot into a permaculture paradise, you’ve got to start from the ground up — and sheet mulching is an easy way to start. Here are some tips to help you strengthen your soil with the power of sheet mulching! The following is an excerpt is from Perennial Vegetables by Eric Toensmeier. It has been adapted for the web. (Cross section of a newly sheet-mulched garden bed showing layers of material. Illustration by Elayne Sears.) What Is Sheet Mulching? Sheet mulching combines soil improvement, weed removal, and long-term mulching in one fell swoop. This technique, also known as ..read more