Hi! I don't really follow recipes and I like mixing things based on what I have and what someone needs, or perhaps, more aptly, what I think would benefit them based on their ailments.
My sis had a recent health scare and has loads of anxiety as a human and small business owner. She is rather non-compliant with most of the things I have given her for various reasons. She doesn't like AVC. She doesn't prefer oxymels. She doesn't prefer tinctures. She doesn't eat mushrooms. She is just starting to drink the herbal tea I made for her. So I thought, maybe she'll eat her vitamins! I made an anti anxiety tincture, a chaga tincture and a turkey tail tincture last year, all foraged and/ or gifted herbs and mushrooms. I reviewed a few recipes for ACV honey based gummies and decided to give it a shot. I used 3 cups liquid (oxymel) with 4 packets gelatin (she is decidedly not vegetarian) and froze them for about 20 minutes. They came out a bit sticky on the edges with a bit of a fine motor workout and a deliciously deceptive dose of herbal medicine. I will let you know how she likes them, and more importantly, if she takes them!
Another year, another experiment. I started the garden late this year and started quite a few vegetables from seed after June 1st. During my internship in N Carolina this April/May, I learned about indigenous milpa planting for 3 sisters. I have been making squash mounds for years but the milpa rows are new to me. I decided to give it a shot here in Wisconsin. My dad asked me to plant a sunflower in the center of the mounds to help stabilize the corn roots due to the high winds at the farm, just like his mom used to do (rural organic dairy farm). I really liked the easy harvest from the potatoes last year using a trench and burlap sack method so dad and I each planted a section of potatoes. All the green plants in the first photo are volunteers from last year, mainly flowers, mint and chives. I moved several of the tomato volunteers into a row and left others in place. I purchased around a dozen plants from an Amish farm to Kickstart the season and covered the ground in straw between the rows for weed control. I discovered that the translucent green coffee bags i used as a border for my section are superb for growing weeds so I am in the process of cleaning up the edges and deciding on another border option. Overall, I am pleased with the results from the cardboard/compost/burlap sack winter ground cover, I barely had weeds inside the borders. This year I'm working on increasing diversity, establishing more perennial crops and building soil. Let the fun begin!
It's July 5. We just had a warm dry week followed by 2 days of humidity and a big rainstorm. I swear everything grew 3 inches overnight! The mustard and chard grew well from seed after the 1st of june, the garlic and onion sets are coming in beautifully. The volunteers are thriving and the milpa corn is gorgeous! I just planted 1 bean in each mound and they are popping up. The summer squash on the west side has several tiny yellow squash coming in. I'd say, all is well. Patience is the way of nature; everything grows, flowers and fruits when it's ready.
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