Shari Clark

We've been heating with wood for the last eleven years and love it. It creates such a nice heat. I'm in Canada, so the types of trees may be different than Australia. For splitting, we use a wood splitter for everything. It makes things a lot easier and we got ours for around $400, I think. As far as storing, we store ours outdoors, stacked, and in a shed. As far as I know, we haven't had any rodents in the wood but there have been a few ants. Of course, the cold of winter kills off a lot of things, too.

We use a combination of hardwoods (ash, oak, birch and tamarac) for the long burn, and then  usually jack pine for starting the fire. Wood is much better when it is seasoned, which means waiting a season to use it so it dries out. On average, we use about 4-5 cords of wood over the course of a winter season (approx. 5 months.) For hauling, my husband uses a wheel barrow to haul it from the pile to the house. We have a storage area under the stairs which are close by our woodstove.

Hi there!

I was joyed to see that garlic chives are growing as perennials in my garden, and I am trying to find ways to use chives more in our lives both for food and medicine.

When I think of it, I add it to dishes like stews and spaghetti. I know they can be added to scrambled eggs or omelets, too. Do you have other ways that you use chives? And do you use them for medicine? What is your process for doing that? I would love to hear how others are using this lovely herb in their lives. Thanks so much!

This is a useful thread! I will definitely bookmark this for future reference to learn more about creating pain medicine from natural sources.  I sometimes rub the leaves of stinging nettles directly on the area that is sore.  I got this idea from a video of a older gardener who found that his muscles got better when he accidentally rubbed up against some nettles in his garden. It does sting, but it also relieves the ache and pain. If nettles bother you, you can use gloves to protect your hands as you rub them in.

I just wanted to post some updated few pictures from my garden this year. It's been a very wet year, and half of my paths are underwater right now. Things are still growing but we are in need of lots of sun. This is our backyard, which is located right in a forest.

Love this thread!

For me, it's plantain, stinging nettles (although with limits!) and goutweed. I also the wild daisies, which are considered invasive in our area. I only had them one year and wish they would come back. So beautiful!
Another things that has taken over our yard/garden is forget-me-nots. They are breathtakingly beautiful but would refuse to let anything else grow if they had their druthers.

I am super-curious about lambs quarter, which I have been hearing about and want to learn more.

Plantain grows profusely on one area of our lawn, and I try to pick it in between mowings. So, it's kind of unofficially my plantain spot. I did try to leave a big area of my garden this year for stinging nettles, and the results have been mixed. The area was so big that the nettles went to see two months earlier than other years. The good part is that I will have a huge crop to use for enough tea for the year but the bad part was that it became even more uncontrollable. I am not sure if I will do it again.

Marco Zolow wrote:I have been spreading my nettles all around my rewilding project on the back half of my suburban lot. I planted a couple patches in my front yard pollinator garden and they like to try to take over. My strategy is to go around and collect the plants when they are around two feet tall. Just to thin the herd and keep them localized to the area where they are welcome.

I am also finding that I have a higher tolerance for the sting after constant exposure. Still has a kick when it gets me on more tender skin, yet my fingers are getting nearly immune. I had no idea how much I was going to enjoy having nettles here. The tea is supposed to be good for arthritis, so I am testing that out.

Marco, great strategy! Can you say more about the "rewilding project?" That sounds interesting.

I also find I am quite tolerant to the sting now, too. My husband and use it directly on sore muscles in the summer, just rubbing the fresh leaves on the aching area. It is an immediate relief, kind of like a Tiger Balm idea. I did try sending some to my sister for her arthritis last year but it was ruined in-transit, so will be trying it again this year. I would love to hear if it seems to help for your arthritis.

Rio Rose wrote:

It was like the cleanest cup of coffee I've ever had.

I currently have ten pounds of blanched nettle in the freezer and I feel woefully impoverished to last the coming year with so little (!!!), headed out for more later today. My green security blanket, is stinging nettle. May it be yours too. ❤️

Rio, thank you so much! Yes,  love your description: "the cleanest cup of coffee I've ever had"  and your "green security blanket." So poetic! I knew it was good for medicine but had no idea it was good for something so immediate: energy, a much-needed commodity!  I gave away my second sample of it today to a lady at work.   <3

I just wanted to update this thread from last year, where I was unsure what I should do with the proliferation of nettles in our yard.

This year, I have made a decision. I am keeping the nettles contained to an area within the garden, one being a hugel mound, and a patch adjacent to it. This is where most of them are growing right now. I will try to grow some flowers in there with them (for now, some giant poppies.) If I see them anywhere else, I will pull them up.

This year, to me, the nettles are definitely not weeds but a desired crop, albeit one that must be controlled.

One reason for my decision is that the other night I tried some of the dried nettle tea harvested from last year (I only did a bit of it) and it gave me a complete energy boost. I was up late working and it allowed me to keep going. That convinced me that all the hype about nettles is true and I want everyone to try it! I know it's good for so many things but I hadn't tried it as an energy boost. To me, it was life-changing!