Love Your Weeds

10/21/2019

05/27/2019

This is my back yard blooming with buttercups and heal-all. This part of the yard doesn't get mowed until the flowers have been spent.

05/27/2019

This is the year of chickw**d in my yard. I have looked for it in past years but only found a few here and there. It is a small unobtrusive plant with five white petals so deeply cleft they appear as ten. It grows in low dense vibrant green mats. You have probably walked on it without even noticing. Today I picked a basket full to have in my salad tonight. Look for it when you are out and about. Pick a handful and pop them in your mouth. Here are some pictures to help you get started. The last picture is the basket full I picked. You can love your w**ds even more when you know what you're looking for.

05/02/2019

One of the first flowers I noticed this spring was a pretty yellow flower growing along the road and in my yard. When I encounter an unfamiliar plant I want to know what it is and if it is useful. I identified this specimen as a Lesser Celandine also known as Pilewort for a reason I will explain shortly. It is in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) and like all plants in the buttercup family, it contains a compound known as protoanemonin. Contact with the damaged or crushed leaves can cause itching, rashes or blistering on the skin. Taken internally the toxin can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, spasms or paralysis. The common name Pilewort alludes to the folk medicinal use of the astringent root to treat hemorrhoids (or piles). It is considered a highly invasive plant. A Modern Herbal by Mrs. M. Grieve, originally published in 1931, says, “Formerly it was not at all uncommon for beggars to produce sores about their bodies by the medium of various species of Ranunculus, for the sake of getting alms, afterwards curing these sores by applying fresh Mullein leaves to heal them.”

04/25/2019

Well winter has passed and spring has sprung! David has had his back surgery but he has decided not to have surgery on his injured rotator cuff as the outcome does not look good, that is the surgeon told him if he had the surgery he would not be able to garden again.
So as you can see he has expanded the garden and is busy preparing beds for planting. We have expanded our garlic crop and are adding other vegetables we will be offering at the Jamestown Public Market this summer. The market opens June 8. It will again run from 10-2 on Saturdays on Cherry St. in downtown Jamestown.

05/12/2018

Alongside my road the other day I found a stand of horsetail. The first photo is the spore-bearing stems of the plant. The second photo taken a few days later is the mature version. Horsetail is a nonflowering, leafless perennial with hollow jointed stems. When more fully mature it resembles a miniature Christmas tree. Horsetail is one of the oldest plants on the planet and has long been used in folk medicine. It contains the highest source of plant silica, and as such it works wonders in rebuilding joints and other connective tissue. It is quite a remarkable little plant which can be easily overlooked. It is just another w**d to love.

04/25/2018

So sorry. It’s been a veeeeerrry long time since I posted last. We have moved from Lakewood to just outside the city limits of Jamestown on one acre surrounded by woods. Not long after we moved here David had fell at work and injured his back which required surgery. We had (and still have) big plans to remodel our new old farmhouse and get our growing boxes and greenhouses in place. But his recovery has taken much longer than anticipated.
Two years ago we bought a 20x30 greenhouse and because of the aforementioned circumstances we are just now able to start putting it up.
I have completed certification in Holistic Nutrition which I plan to incorporate into my lectures and classes. I am also available for private consultations to aid clients in their quest for natural health and well-being.
Due to Old Man Winter not getting the hint to leave, I am only now able to get outside to see which w**ds are coming up this spring. So far I have found coltsfoot, a dandelion-like plant which is one of the first heralds of spring. Looking forward to finding lots more w**ds to love! Barbara

05/11/2016

David and I will again be giving presentations at the annual Allegany Nature Pilgrimage which will be June 3, 4, &5 at Allegany State Park. David will be giving three presentations on lasagna gardening; Fri. @ 1pm and Sat. @ 10:30am & 1pm. I will be giving two presentations on wild w**ds; Sat @ 10:30am & 2:30pm.
Love your w**ds. Barbara

05/11/2016

What's in your salad? Just outside my door there are many spring greens I have been adding to my salads. Why just the other night I picked young dandelion leaves, dandelion flowers, chickw**d, speedwell, garlic mustard leaves, and tossed some violet flowers for good measure. Yes, all of these are edible and make a delicious addition to the traditional lettuce, tomato, carrot salad. For the dressing I use a light extra-virgin olive oil and tarragon vinaigrette.
I know many are tearing out the garlic mustard plants because they are an invasive species. They do seem to be everywhere this time of year. Besides adding a few to our salads we also give them to our chickens which devour them. I try to find a reason to love my w**ds! Barbara

05/04/2016

Happy Spring! Many of you may be saying, "What's so good about it?" After a mild winter most of us were looking forward to a mild spring. Instead we have gotten mostly cloudy and wet weather. I am an optimist. At least the clouds have kept us from having frost or light freezes. All the blooming fruit trees just may set their fruit without any problems.
So far my garden is doing really well. All the rain has forced a lot of worms to come up in my lasagna boxes and do what worms do. Yesterday I planted 10 more asparagus roots and two elder bushes. I am also in the process of building an 8x10 portable light weight chicken pen so I can leave my chickens out in the yard without worrying about predators. Now that all the w**ds are popping up my flock of 9 will be in chicken heaven.
The big news is my wife and I are in the process of buying a 20x30x12h green house. This will become the corner stone of "Love Your Weeds" teaching center. Hopefully by summer's end we will have it up and running. That's the news for now. Have a great day and Happy Gardening. David

04/13/2016

Has it finally stopped snowing for the year? In my yard in PA I identified almost 100 plants, not all of them were useful medicinally or for food. I like to know what's out there. Here in NY I've been eyeing the yard to see what I can recognize. Some things like burdock and dandelion are easy to pick out. I am anxious to get out and see what is here. I will be keeping you updated. There is quite a lot here to learn.
Love your w**ds.
Barbara