The recent strong winds have caused some branches to break from our Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) trees, which, incidentally, are native to North America and hold c…

Wild garlic is plentiful in the woods in Marianna, but its origin is believed to be in Asia, having been brought here about the 18th century. Wild garlic is often conf…

Artemisia vulgaris(not to be confused with Artemisia absinthium) is a wild perennial herb native to Europe and eastern Asia. Historically, Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) h…

Purslane grows wild, often in gardens, and is considered a weed. However, this is unfortunate since it has many health benefits. The herb is a good source of omega-3 fat…

Plantain pretty much grows in every yard and field here in Marianna. And it grows well into late fall. It makes a useful salve to soothe insect bites and poison ivy itch…

Narrow-leaved Dock,  Rumex elongatus Every year is a good year when it comes to learning something new about the natural world. I have used narrow-leaved dock and…

Did you ever have snow ice cream as a kid? There’s something quietly magical about the first snowfall, the kind that takes you back to a time when winter felt slower and…

Solidago, commonly called Goldenrod, grows wild in fields all over Marianna from August to November. There are 150 species of wildflowers and most of them are nativ…

Wild Violets I picked in our field. They were plentiful!

Autumn Olive ( Elaeagnus umbellata ) is an invasive shrub in eastern United States. In the 1930's it was introduced  and later promoted as an excellent food sou…

Wild violets were picked from my backyard. Stems tossed. Cleaned but not rinsed.

DOGBANE   ( Apocynum cannabinum)  has been used for thousands of years for rope making. It grows along Ten Mile Creek and is easy to identify in all stages. In summ…

Wild elderberries were picked in West Beth and cleaned (greens removed) and added to pancake batter.

Once the hulls are removed I put the uncracked nuts in a bucket of water.  The ones that sink are the ones I used for eating and planting; the others are either rot…