Homemade Health by Anke Bialas – Free (for a few days) ebook for Your Kindle!

This is book three in Anke Bialas’ Herbology at Home Series.  What really speaks to me, in this book, is the fact that it helps show us that herbal home medicine making is a craft that has been practiced for eons and it is accessible and practical for all of us. Through the ages people have been using common culinary herbs not only for flavoring food, but also for the medicinal qualities of these plants. Anyone can tend themselves or their loved ones with some of the everyday complaints we humans are prone to, with the help of these herbs. Homemade Health will help you learn how to create remedies for forty three different health ailments using herbs you probably already have in your larder or growing in your kitchen garden. I will share this, I have been making my own remedies for quite awhile now, and I still found lots of new information in this book! Anke has drawn upon the herbal knowledge her paternal grandmother passed down to her and I thank her so much for sharing with us, through this book!
There is a section with the healing properties of some common culinary herbs, over 160 remedy recipes, tips for when to harvest and how to preserve the herbs, easy to follow directions for preparing base remedies, such as creams, ointments, syrups, tinctures and more.
Anke’s goal of her Herbology at Home Series, is to help us realize that each and every one of us have the ability to help support and tend some of our own health issues, (or prevent them), right at our own fingertips. We don’t have to be doctors, herbalists, great gardeners, or chemists! With the help of her tips, ideas, suggestions we can start using common culinary herbs right in our own kitchens to make our own homemade health:) These are home remedies your grandmother knew. Simple and effective treatments right from your own pantry.

Now, Anke has generously offered a chance for us to dowload this book in ebook form to our kindle or other favorite device for free for a few days! If you don’t have a kindle, you can download one for your computer or mac for free on amazon. You can also download it to many smartphones and tablets too. Just follow the link to see all the ways Amazon has for you to take of advantage of Anke’s offer!!
Honey and Herbal Hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages xx

Beauty Gone Wild! Free for your Kindle or other device

If you hurry you can download for free Diane Kidman’s Beauty Gone Wild! Herbal Recipes for Gorgeous Hair and Skin. Diane’s book Herbs Gone Wild was so fabulous with great, easy ideas and instructions, I am sure this will be just as good! If you don’t have a Kindle, Amazon has for free a spot to get a PC or Mac computer edition right here. Better hurry as these free editions aren’t offered for long!

Herbal and Honey Hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages xx

Book Review- Homemade Health (and a giveaway chance)

This is book three in Anke Bialas’ Herbology at Home Series.  What really speaks to me, in this book, is the fact that it helps show us that herbal home medicine making is a craft that has been practiced for eons and it is accessible and practical for all of us. Through the ages people have been using common culinary herbs not only for flavoring food, but also for the medicinal qualities of these plants. Anyone can tend themselves or their loved ones with some of the everyday complaints we humans are prone to, with the help of these herbs. Homemade Health will help you learn how to create remedies for forty three different health ailments using herbs you probably already have in your larder or growing in your kitchen garden. I will share this, I have been making my own remedies for quite awhile now, and I still found lots of new information in this book! Anke has drawn upon the herbal knowledge her paternal grandmother passed down to her and I thank her so much for sharing with us, through this book!
There is a section with the healing properties of some common culinary herbs, over 160 remedy recipes, tips for when to harvest and how to preserve the herbs, easy to follow directions for preparing base remedies, such as creams, ointments, syrups, tinctures and more.
Anke’s goal of her Herbology at Home Series, is to help us realize that each and every one of us have the ability to help support and tend some of our own health issues, (or prevent them), right at our own fingertips. We don’t have to be doctors, herbalists, great gardeners, or chemists! With the help of her tips, ideas, suggestions we can start using common culinary herbs right in our own kitchens to make our own homemade health:) These are home remedies your grandmother knew. Simple and effective treatments right from your own pantry.
In celebration of the honor of being part of this virtual book tour, I would like to offer my readers a chance to win a jar of my rose cream. You will get several chances to win if you do each of these things.
1- Leave me a comment. If your comment also includes a family recipe for homemade health, you will get two chances instead of one.
2- Like Herbology on Facebook and come back and tell me you did so.
3- Sign up for Anke’s newsletter on her site, Herbology, and leave me a comment that you did so
4- Look around the Herbology site, come back and leave me a comment about what tip, recipe or article you especially liked there.
There you go! An opportunity to have your name in the drawing for the rose cream not once, but 5 times! I am leaving this contest open until the end of Anke’s Homemade Health Virtual Book Tour, which ends on the 27th of June. I will announce the winner on the 28th. Make sure and visit the other blogs on the tour for more giveaways! The tour includes question and answer sessions, a radio interview, posts about wild foods, herbs for pets, starting on an herbal health journey, herbal cleaners and more! On the 22nd of June make sure and come back and visit here at Comfrey Cottages where Anke will do a guest blog post about making your own Stillroom book – recording herbal traditions for future generations! I am so excited about this folks, as I have long thought to start a stillroom book, and Anke will help us all get started making our own with her ideas, and suggestions! On that day, I will be hosting a giveaway chance for a signed copy of her book, Homemade Health!
Herbal and Honey Hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages xx

Homemade Health Virtual Blog Tour

I just received my reviewers copy of Homemade Health by my dear friend Anke Bialas and it is fabulous folks! A must have for any herbal bookshelf. I will be giving you a review on June 8th, (with a little herbal giveaway for those of you who comment). On June 22nd, Anke will do a guest blog here on making a still room book for you and your future generations! I can’t tell you how excited I am about it! I will be drawing a name from those of you who comment on that day for a free copy of this wonderful new book, Homemade Health. Follow this link to find the other places on the net who are also hosting this virtual book tour. They include more reviews, question and answer posts, and a radio interview, and a book signing event!
Sorry I haven’t been blogging lately folks. Been very busy working with the bees, creating new herb garden spaces and sprucing up the gardens here at Comfrey Cottages! Besides, the children are out of school for the summer, so been a bit busy with them.
One project has been to refinish some old, rusted, beat up metal lawn furniture I found/bought several years back. I still have two chairs and a double glider to finish but here is the two I have done

I will catch up with you all soon! In the meantime, Amazon is now selling Anke’s book, Homemade Health, and I suggest you get over there and get your copy today!
Herbal and Honey hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages xx

Goodreads Book Giveaway – Homemade Health by Anke Bialas

My dear friend Anke Bialas, author of Homemade Health, Making Herbal Remedies and owner of Herbology, is giving away 5 copies of her new book, Homemade Health on Good Reads! Pop on over and enter to win!

Homemade Health is a collection of home remedies straight from a time, not so long ago, when people went to their garden or kitchen pantry before going to a doctor.
Some tried and true, some quirky, but all based on natural remedies your grandmother knew and most likely used on a regular basis.

• Healing properties of common culinary herbs

• 43 common ailments

• 160+ remedies with recipes

• Common & botanical names

• Harvesting & preserving

• Making herbal remedies at home

Herbal traditions run in Anke Bialas' blood. She spent her childhood learning traditional Germanic herb lore from her paternal grandmother, who learned from her own mother before her. Anke now lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband and 3 boys where she continues to teach about herb use on Herbology.com.au, reconnecting people with old world health traditions. Anke focuses on simple, effective remedies with an emphasis on common sense and safety.
The book is available for pre order on Amazon also!
Herbal and Honey Hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages xx

Rose Petal Jam

Some rose bushes are starting to bloom! Seems very, very early! Rose is one of my herbs I am studying in depth with my Springfield Sanctuary Apprenticeship, and as I have stated before, I am going to be sharing lots of recipes. Here is one I will be making as soon as I have enough lovely rose petals:) I will show you pictures when I do!
4 cups rose petals
1 1/4 cups water
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons rose water
1 cup white sugar
Slowly simmer the rose petals in water for 15 minutes. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice and bring to a boil, stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves. Cook steadily for 15- 20 minutes, until the jam starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and stirin the rose water. Pour into sterile jelly glasses and seal. (The Herbal Connection Collection, Maureen Rogers and Patricia Sulick)
An alternative recipe  is this one, from a delightful book I am reading titled Rose Petal Jam Recipes and Stories from a Summer in Poland, by Beata Zatorska and Simon Target
Such a simple recipe to just use a mortar and pound the rose petals and sugar together:) Time consuming, yes, but nice! Make sure and choose the most fragrant roses you can find, and cut the white off. You can stack several petals together before cutting to save time.

Herbal and Honey Hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages xx

Forget-Her-Nots Every Flower Has a Secret

Laurel’s mother passes away, just when she needs her most.. on the cusp of becoming a young woman. Her father immediately sells their home and moves them away from her mothers beloved gardens. Her grandmother is devastated and becomes withdrawn, even going so far as burning her own gardens!
Laurel starts school at a boarding school that her mother and her grandmother both attended. The only person she knows there is her cousin, Rose. She is lonely with few friends and deeply missing her mother, home and the supporting love of her grandmother.
Things begin to change one day when Laurel is giving a presentation in English class on the Victorian Language of Flowers. Strange sensations and thoughts begin to happen when Laurel interacts with the flowers she brought for the demonstration.  She soon learns she has the ability to affect peoples lives with the flowers she shares with them! Giving a spinster teacher a bouquet transforms the teacher's life with a love interest, and soon Laurel’s secret is out. Other girls begin clamoring for Laurel to give them flowers to help with tests or attract a boy. Being only fourteen years old, Laurel doesn’t fully understand or have the ability to have control of her power and many unusual things begin to happen to the girls who receive requested  tussie mussies and bouquets from her!
Ms. Suarez, who is in charge of the schools conservatory, takes Laurel under her wing and begins to reveal to Laurel her family legacy. Her grandmother finally recovers from the devastating grief of loosing her daughter, and joins in to help guide Laurel in learning to control her inherited power.
I highly recommend this book for young women. Very well written, entertaining, and enchanting. I found it a delightful read myself! Amy Brecount White has crafted an amazingly magical story!

 Hugs to All who Visit Comfrey Cottages xx

The Language of Flowers – Book Review

This novel touched me on so many levels and plucked so many emotional heart strings. Vanessa Diffenbaugh has crafted a magical book that takes the reader through a journey of loneliness, solitude,rejection, hate, grief, mistrust, love, redemption and hope.
Victoria has spent a life time in the foster care system. She turns eighteen and is emancipated. She is unable to feel a connection to other people, and instead is immersed in a world dominated by flowers and their meanings, as learned from the Victorian language of flowers. She is alone and homeless, when a florist learns of her unique ability to choose flowers that will help the flower shop customers with their own problems. A flower vendor at the flower market enters Victoria’s life and forces her to examine her life and face a painful secret, which changes her destiny.
Vanessa Diffenbaugh was inspired to write The Language of Flowers from her own experiences as a foster mother. While researching flower dictionaries, she noted that there were discrepancies between them and sometimes the same flower would be said to mean two or more different things. The more she researched, the more discrepancies she found! Therefore, she has included in this book, a flower dictionary she has made using either the science behind each flower, the most popular or frequent meaning, or the meaning she best liked. I think she did a brilliant job!
I don’t often spend money on novels, as I just don’t have room in the budget for both novels and the herbal books I need for my studies, but this novel is one I am going to definitely buy. Not only because I want to reread it whenever I like, without going to the library, but I also want the flower dictionary part as part of my herbal/plant library. Besides the fact, as Lily gets older, I think this book will help teach some valuable lessons. One being that love can overcome even the worst secret we might hold.
Vanessa Diffenbaugh is the founder of the Camellia Network. The mission is to create a nationwide movement to support youths transitioning from foster care.
Using the Language of Flowers, I thank all of you who read and comment at Comfrey Cottages

Bellflower – Gratitude
And in the coming New year I wish you each

Celadine – Joys to Come
Herbal and Honey Hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages xxx

September blow soft,-Till the fruits’ in the loft…

 

(art and title from The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden)

 

That quote seemed appropriate with so many of us canning, freezing, drying, and storing food by for the coming winter

(Earl of Sixth Avenue, inspecting the harvest)

(Peppermint wondering if it is for her)

(the old pear tree Eric and I found a few years ago, in the woods)

(my forager basket was full! How blessed I am to live in our beautiful world, eat of her fruits and hang with my bro!?)

We spent a whole afternoon peeling and chopping up those pears. (All while watching the first season of the Walking Dead! lol! Myths and lore of all flavors fascinate me, and when mixed with survival type situations, I can’t resist! Even if I do have to cover my eyes occasionally). We then canned these pears in a water bath canner. We spiced ours with a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, crushed spiced bush berries, (you could use allspice), and tiny pinch of cloves, into each jar before processing.

We are pleased to even have our modest amount of homemade preserving to help nourish us this winter.

Do you see Comfrey Fairy watching over all? Some of this years harvest. Top shelf is herbal honeys, and oils. Then we have violet jelly, spiced pears, peaches, jams, tomatoes, green beans and others. I love to give specialty preserves and jellies for special occasion gifts.

We made peach vinegar from the trimmings this year. Peach pit tincture, and my favorite, I can tell all ready…Mrs. Reppert’s  recipe for fruited Peach Vinegar!

Note the sassafras roots we  managed to harvest, when transplanting some sassafras saplings from my stepsons hedgerow, to the hedgerow we are planting.

Our Mother Earth sent me another gift, just yesterday. One of her own, who passes between the worlds, came and danced for me :) She seemed to be trying to lead me down this ravine…. I was on my way to our beekeeping meeting and it was near dark… so thought best to go back and look, with Eric in tow this weekend. I do not know if there was anything physical she was trying to show me, but I do know what she means as a totem animal when she addresses you. I have recently found friends who enjoy discussing the same things I am into, and amongst other topics, we talk about our dreamland experiences. Today I explore what it might mean for Groundhog/Woodchuck to choose to invite your attention. I am ready to follow….

See how she looks over her shoulder? She would dance, then go a few feet, look over her shoulder at me, dance and go a few feet, all the while heading down the ravine…

Marmota monax, travels between the worlds of burrows dug into the earth, water, and land. She will be entering true hibernation and trance dreaming when winter comes. When I see her I think of her messages and reflect she is a powerful creature, often the totem animal of Mystics and Shamans. She symbolizes altered states, like lucid dreaming, Shamanic journeying, and trances. She reminds me to mark my boundaries, store for winter, build my home, be prepared, manage my metabolism, know when to go to ground and to burrow deep into my journeys… I will embrace her presence, now when I enter dreamland and allow the experiences there to develop and be learned from…I feel very honored that she has come forward to be my guide as I explore these others realms..they have been calling to me and I have held back from the whole experience…I was waiting for my guide..

How appropriate she appears on the Autumnal Equinox/Mabon/Harvest Home. Which reminds me of one of Eric and I’s favorite book, Harvest Home! lol! I am Widow Fortune and he is Worthy:) See? Otter still is with me as I had to lighten up a bit before I entirely lost those of you who aren’t into Woodchuck’s message!

And I wanted to share with you all a very nice video on Edwardian Herbs. I love this whole series, so explore around enjoy the other videos also

And in case you have not read this series, by Susan Wittig Albert, and enjoy Victorian and Edwardian books, I highly recommend Bill and Susan’s mystery series, The Robin Paige Victorian- Edwardian Mysteries!

I will hopefully get permission to post the spiced peach vinegar recipe soon! I will explain my steps for making peach scrap vinegar, and why in the world I would make peach pit tincture then. Those of you interested in trying some of this tincture or vinegar for yourself, stick around, I will be having a fall giveaway:)

Big hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages xx

 

The Apothecary's Daughter( book) and Victorian Pharmacy (video)

I have such dear friends! Beautiful Debs turned me on to a great video series called Victorian Pharmacy:) Even if you just fancy history, but not so keen on medicinal, this series is for you! I harvested lemon balm and worked with it, while watching this series for hours last Saturday:) If you have ever wondered what sheep intestine condoms, fireworks, lead nipple shields, and plaisters have in common, this is a must watch for you! lol! I learned so many things and was thoroughly entertained and enthralled so I hope you can make time to enjoy it also, if you haven't already watched it:) You will find the full documentary at this link:)

 This series was timely in relations to the fact I had recently read a good book called The Apothecary's Daughter. This book was set in the Regency Era, so its historical references, such as the laws pertaining to an apothecary, are in the era before the Victorian Pharmacy. So you see, I was able to get a taste of the apothecary business in a sequential manner which was most helpful to be able to see the progression of ideas, culture trends, laws, medical advancements, marketing, women's issues and a whole host of other things that made me understand and appreciate the labor and dedication of this profession of apothecaries! The Apothecary's Daughter, by Julie Klassen, is a delightful read I think you will enjoy:) A bit of romance also! As usual I would write more, but 3 children here and two on the way! lol!

Big hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages! xx

The Birth House

I wanted to take a moment out of the day, to share with you a really good book, The Birth House by Ami McKay. When I am searching for a book to read I usually plug in the words; bees, beekeeping, honey, herbs, herbal, midwife, and similar ones and then read the librarian review and decide whether to pursue it.  This book was the fruit of one such recent search and I found it just an excellent read!

The story is set in Nova Scotia, and is a result of the writer of this novel discovering that the house she was living in was originally a birth house! The lead character Dora, comes to the art of midwifery through her apprenticeship with a local midwife/herbalist. The book is a sometimes gritty, often hilarious, touching, moving story of a time in history when women still were in charge of the health and welfare of their own families and themselves. The story develops as a new doctor and medical facility moves to the community and comes in odds with Dora and her midwifery. I could go on and on about how much I loved this book but two of the little grandchildren just arrived so must keep this brief! The Midwife’s Garden poem and excerpts from Dora’s stillroom book at the back of the novel are true gems!!

Big hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages and happy reading! xx

I see Sunshine! Time for the Field Guides!

I love field guides. I am still learning about identifying plants and trees (besides mushrooms, birds lol), that I customarily have my favorite field guides in my vehicle. Living in town I usually have to go out to the parks or a friends country property, to really get out in nature,so works for me just to store them there. The added bonus is more book space on the shelves inside the house:) I am sorry that I am unsure just how useful these specific books will be for all my friends, all over the world. But, for other friends, I hope these might be useful recommendations, especially if you are rather new to having a fascination with plant names, and want to find and use plants and trees from the wild places, like me:)

Botany in a Day, The Patterns Method of Plant Identification by Thomas J. Elpel, Herbal Field Guide to Plant Families of North America

His webpage is excellent also. I knew I was getting a bit more serious about learning when I got that book!

My newest finds made me do a happy dance! Winter Tree Finder for Identifying deciduous trees in Winter, by May Theilgaard Watts and Tom Watts.  And Tree Finder A Manual for the Identification of  Trees by Their Leaves, by May Theilgaard Watts. While these two books are aimed specifically for the Eastern two thirds of the U.S., I found that there was one specifically for the Pacific Coast of the U.S. also.  There are other areas covered in other editions also, so look around Amazon if you are interested:)

These little books are just amazing! The keys for using the pages are simple and methodical. You select a typical leaf  or twig from the tree you wish to identify and proceed in an orderly fashion to being able to key in on the tree you are wishing to identify.

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These books are just must haves for portability, reasonable price and wealth of wonderful information. May Theilgaard Watts’ book Flower Finder was one of the first field guides I ever started using regularly, and still do.

Botany is not to be feared, and I think these books would be very beneficial with children also. I mean, the parts of a twig; terminal bud, lateral bud, leaf scar, lenticels, vein scar, bud scale scar and pith are really no harder to learn than something like the old ditty “Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes”:) The keys in these books are very helpful, with little drawings to represent the usual habitat, the place of a tree in association with people, native or introduced symbols, shapes, etc etc which I find very helpful.

The Sibley Guide to Trees, another excellent book for identifying trees. I am sure most of you are probably familiar with Sibley’s Guide books! The other book in the picture Illinois, Iowa and Missouri Wild Berries and Fruits Field Guide by Teresa Marrone is just too much fun to take into the field and is color coded so a snap to thumb through if I encounter a berry or fruit tree I am unfamiliar with. Check out Amazon, again, if you are interested, as she has written similar type guides for various parts of the country.

Two other books I usually have in my vehicle, are Medicinal Plants of North America, by Jim Meuninck and Medicinal Plants and Herbs by Steven Foster and James A. Duke

Well, I have a few others I will talk about later. The sun is finally shining, the bees are flying, and nature is beckoning me out for a walk, so talk to you later!

By the way, always be mindful of your harvest practices. Sometimes we just have to be satisfied with looking :)

Hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages xx

 

Continuing the Road Trip, Antique Archeology and Women of the Old West

LeClaire is also the home of the now famous antique shop, Antique Archeology, made famous by the History Channel’s television series, American Pickers. We enjoyed exploring the shop and it was a pleasure to meet Danielle. She is just a sweetheart, who happily autographed publicity handouts, the shop provided.

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After exploring LeClaire, we travelled on up the River Road and explored a bit in a few more towns, briefly, on the Iowa side of the river. One of the towns was Clinton and I would like to go there in the spring to visit the Bickelhaupt Arboretum located there. Then it was time to cross back over the river, which was frozen over from to shore to shore ,on a different bridge, and head home.

Imagine my delight when we got to the Illinois side of the river and found ourselves in the town of Fulton, Illinois. It was late in the day when we were there, so we just had time to locate and look through a couple of the antique shops and discover that this is a richly historical town also. One we would like to explore more thoroughly on another day trip. I really want to go there during the first weekend in May, when the town celebrates its rich Dutch heritage with the Dutch Days Festival. This is a picture of the working grist mill that was closed for the day. Another reason to come back as I have a thing for historic grist mills:) This one has a nice museum associated with it.

I found a very interesting book also. I will love reading about Susan La Flesche, the youngest daughter of an Omaha Indian Chief, who felt the call to medicine. About Bethenia Owens Adair, who traded in laundry work for a successful medical practice. And dozens of other women who lived and treated patients in the frontier-era West.

Speaking of that era, we saw the loveliest cupboard in one of the shops. It was reputed to have been crafted around 1800 and to have travelled, over the Atlantic Ocean, with an European immigrant. What a history associated with this piece! I can well imagine it being many women’s prized possession, through the ages.

Thank you for visiting Comfrey Cottages xx

Herbal First Aid kit and Herbal Books

I am learning about being prepared for life’s little and big  dramas such as blisters, tummy troubles, acne, broken bones,stings and other common things that happen. Learning to regulate our reactions, how we can comfort and tend ourselves and loved ones, who can help and other necessary tools. This can be your own design to suit your own needs. I knew straight off I needed one that travelled well. What I would eventually like is not what I ended up with at the moment, but it will suit for now, and can be put to another purpose later. I have started to add things to it and will keep adding things over the next few weeks, I am certain. But for now, it is a work in progress. This will be handy to grab and shove in my backpack as I head out each day. Whether it is in the bee yard, the park, boating, minding the grandchildren or foraging through the woods, it will not be a hindrance and is fairly sturdy. I am making index cards I am going to laminate on which herbs to use for what purpose, in the event someone else needs to use my kit and with an eye towards future presents for my family members, so each household feels empowered that they too can learn to care for their families with herbs and confidence.

a little fennel for the tummy and a bit of heat might be needed…


No doubt about who actually runs the apothecary! lol Wisteria!
I take a bit of time doing each one of my assignments…. there is just so much and it is presented in such a way my creative side takes over and I am inspired to do things like this….

I make recipe cards of the recipes of herbal tidbits.. And I also make little mini lessons to refer back to. These cards will help me make the cards I want to include in my portable kit as well as my home apothecary. 
 Part of the books I ordered for my dh to give me ;-)

I am thrilled to have just received two of the books from the ethno-botanical list. 


These are a few of the books I customarily refer to of my own gathering over the last few years

the above books are all in my kitchen:) Anyone else a bookaholic?
Was Santa Claus nice to everyone? Santa, aka Eric, was very nice to me this year, as well as my family and friends! I feel utterly spoiled!


Eric and I found all those herbal books while together at an antique store:) Nice they ended up in my basket! Lovely teas, and handcrafted soaps and some seeds! Oh my! I am so psyched to grow nicotiana! I can just smell it on a late June evening now…. dreamy:)
I will keep you posted with updates on how my herbal medicine chest progresses.
I gave Eric a pretty cool gift. If we all ask him nice, maybe he will start posting about it. I have given him blog permission;-)
Big hugs to all who visit Comfrey Cottages

All About Thyme

Just thought I might share this in case some of you are unfamiliar with Susan Wittig Albert’s newsletter All About Thyme. It is free and gets delivered weekly right to your inbox:) Susan is the author of many of my favorite books including The China Bayles mystery series, The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter, and a wonderful series of Victorian/Edwardian tales she and her husband wrote under the pen name of Robin Page. Here is a link for the mystery partners page. It is a joy to just explore all the links here! Where else can you enjoy a tea party with either China Bayles and friends, or Beatrix Potter and her friends? LOL  Make sure and sign up for her e-letter if you haven’t already. And the Book of Days is just a must and great fun to read each days entry throughout the year! Have any of you started reading her new series the Darling Dahlia’s yet? You can also register your book reading club with Susan and get the benefits of having her suggest questions and other ideas as your group reads each book. Also, your club will be eligible for free book drawings, book marks, recipes, herbal hints and other goodies sent out for you to distribute to your group. Comfrey Cottage reading club is registered!

 

Basket Making Video Using Tulip Poplar

One of my facebook friends, Plantain Patch, shared this wonderful video. Doug Elliott shows us how to use Tulip Poplar,Liriodendron tulipifera, to make our own baskets! Now if you are unfamiliar with Doug Elliott, I highly recommend his books. They are just a joy to read! He is down to earth and full of useful and fun information on a huge variety of natural subjects. The book he wrote, Wildwood Wisdom is one of my all time favorites.

When Plantain shared about these baskets, I was immediately interested. You might remember I shared earlier this year about this trees medicinal uses. We have a huge one overhanging our yard, and this year I have found a couple saplings started from it. Making these baskets don’t look hard at all and when my saplings are bigger I am going to give it a go. Who knows, I might find a sapling to use soon during one of my woods rambles:) Will share about it when I do get to make my own baskets. Enjoy the video!

Book Recommendation: Anthill by E.O. Wilson

I love to read. I just had to share with you all about the novel Anthill by Edward O. Wilson. This book should especially appeal to anyone who loves nature, is interested in ecology preservation, and loved a fine story with an admirable lead character:) An inspirational story of how a boy, in love with local beautiful wildlife spot, explores and learns natures secrets and determines to follow a career path that will help him save it from the most savage ecological predator: man himself. Now if that mini review hasn't convinced you to read the book.. consider this line...
"They were obedient to a simple truth that separates our two species: where humans send their young men to war, ants send their old ladies."
Food for thought, don't you agree.
The author, E. O. Wilson is such an interesting person. You might enjoy checking out his Biodiversity Foundation.