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Tag Archives: sustainability

love tip #12: spring wild edibles and medicinals

06 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by Dusty Lynn Baker in love tips

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Bloodwort, Columbine, Eastern Redbud, edible, forest, gardening, herbal, love tip, medicinal, permaculture, spring, sustainability, Trillium, woods

It is so important to know what is already growing nearby!

I’ve been busy combing my woods lately and I’ve found many new edibles and herbals/medicinals.  These are all early spring/spring bloomers.

Bloodwort/Bloodroot

Bloodwort/Bloodroot

Bloodroot/Bloodwort — (Caution: Bloodroot must be used with extreme caution and under professional care!)  Medicinal uses: mainly for bronchial problems and severe throat infections, pharma uses mixed with other compounds to treat heart problems, treating migraines, and in dental uses.  The paste is used externally for skin diseases/cancer, warts, tumors and ringworms.  The root has many uses as a dye and anesthetic/expectorant.

Trillium

Trillium

Trillium — The young unfolding leaves are edible raw or cooked as a pot herb.  The root has many medicinal uses as an antiseptic, diuretic, and ophthalmic and can be boiled, grated, and/or made into a poultice for external use on the eyes to reduce swelling or to reduce joint aches and inflammation.

 

 

Dragonfly Columbine

Dragonfly Columbine

Columbine — A flower that is both beautiful and edible.  The flowers are high in nectar and therefore can have a hint of sweetness.  The roots are used to stop diarrhea and the flowers and seeds are used for the liver, jaundice, and kidney stones.  Leaves are used for aches and mouth/throat sores as lotions.

 

 

cropped-dsc02317-2.jpg

Eastern Redbud

Eastern Redbud Tree — Another pretty flower that is also edible raw or pickled while also rich in vitamin C; buds can be used as a caper.  The inner bark can be made into a tea creating strong astringent.  Redbuds are also used to treat fevers, diarrhea, dysentery, whooping cough and congestion.

 

Please remember to use home remedies with caution, and to always ensue proper identification.  The information here in no way substitutes professional advice for ailments and/or use of the plants listed!


 

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love tip #8: plants with wet feet

07 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by Dusty Lynn Baker in love tips

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benefit, flooding, gardening, hardiness zones, medicinal, perennials, puddles, rain, rooting hormone, shrubs, sustainability, trees, wet feet, Witch Hazel

So many of us panic when the rains arrive as small puddles form, then larger puddles, and then entire areas of our yard or acreage are overtaken by low-level flooding.  But is this always a bad thing?

As the rains came this past week (and yet more today) the approximately 4″ of rain in as many days has allowed me to find out where there are unexpected low areas on my property, allowing me to decide if I need to fill, line with wood chips, or just find an accommodating plant that enjoys and endures a little wet feet every now and then.

Wood chips are needed around the base of the composter.  But with a closer look, a puddle behind and to the right on the edge of the woods shows an ideal spot for a Blueberry patch.

Wood chips are needed around the base of the composter. But with a closer look, a puddle behind and to the right on the edge of the woods shows an ideal spot for a Blueberry patch.

Trees that accommodate wet feet are Willows, Red Maples, and some Magnolias and Dogwoods.  Willows must be placed carefully because they will seek out any and all water in their range, including any type of underground water or drainage/sewage lines within their reach.  Bald Cyprus will handle wet feet but if you are looking for an evergreen these will not do as they are true their name by dropping many of their needles in the late fall.  Some shrubs to consider are Blueberries, Witch Hazel, Holly and Anise.

Witch Hazel
Blueberries
Willow

When making your decisions, remember to consider sustainability and hardiness zones.  Of those mentioned, Willows are a base for making homemade rooting hormone, Witch Hazel has many medicinal values and of course Blueberries are both healthy and delicious.

this

This photo shows water settling below the driveway edge and in a lawn area between an Oak tree and the sidewalk to the house.  As this is the access area for the backyard, propane, etc., it’s not an ideal place for a planting and needs to be backfilled and reseeded so that the water will drain on the natural slope

So seek out the many additional options for your location.  And remember that perennials will not only provide you with benefits year after year, but if suited to your zone, they will not be so needing and craving your attention when gardening chores come due.

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love tip #6: get your knowledge on

13 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by Dusty Lynn Baker in love tips

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Alaska, books, forest garden, hugelkultur, insomniac, knowledge, lifestyle, Mother Earth, Nook, permaculture, Peter Bane, Ross Mars, sustainability, The Basics of Permaculture Design, The Permaculture Handbook

As a relative newcomer to permaculture, gaining knowledge for me is a must.  I’ve always been frugal and concerned for Mother Earth, but this is the first time since leaving high school that I actually have the opportunity and intention to put at least five years of work into a set amount of acreage.  And although I plan to spend a year of the next five in Alaska, by setting fruit trees and hugelkultur (mound) gardening up, I can leave my property in the hands of someone else with just the care for perennials and animals once I have my bases established.

The Permaculture Handbook, Peter BaneForever the insomniac, my Nook is always at my bedside and ready for searches for new books and magazines to bring into my library.  One of my favorites is The Permaculture Handbook by Peter Bane.  Published in 2012, it has the knowledge of a permaculture pioneer with modern reflections on legal and other variables affecting modern organic farming and sustainability and forest farming.

My biggest take in the first year of farming my land?  Knowing how to begin and not getting too dedicated to a specific process.  While I of course have big dreams, Bane stresses keeping things close to the property’s existing buildings in the first years so as to keep the work close at hand.  And he says, if things do get left undone, don’t worry.  The seasons and other factors will start and stop projects as you develop, learn, change and grow with the process.

The Basics of Permaculture Design, Ross MarsSo, when you check it out, don’t get sticker shock!  The book is about $35 but it is also over 600 pages of in-depth knowledge from a renowned permaculturist and educator.

A second book in my favorites is The Basics of Permaculture Design by Ross Mars.  Although published earlier (1996), Mars focuses more on basics of sustainability within 160+ page length.

So get to it!  It’s never a better time than today to learn, practice and live the permaculture lifestyle.

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