Tis the season to plant garlic (at least here in South East Michigan)! This post will talk about some tips and techniques for planting garlic in your organic garden. I planted garlic for the first time a year ago, and …
Seasons
Wild Food Profile: Dryad’s Saddle Mushroom
Dryad’s Saddle, also known as Polyporus squamosus, is a delightful mushroom that you can find the spring and fall cool weather. I first learned about this mushroom earlier this spring, and I must say, I gorged myself on it quite …
Finding the Balance in Providing One’s Own Sustenance: The Time-Intensive Example of Canned Corn
I’ve not been blogging as much as I did a few months ago for a simple reason–the harvest is upon us. Starting with the black raspberries in June to seeking out wild mushrooms the start of apple and autumn olive …
Embracing the Sacred and Understanding the Druidic Garden: Growing and Preserving Your Own Food
When I was a child, I used to read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. In her books, Laura spends a lot of time talking about food preservation–slaughtering the pig, making maple sugar, making “head cheese”, sowing crops, cutting hay for …
Wild Medicinal Plant Profile– Reishi Mushrooms (ganoderma tsugae), or, The Mystery of the Stumps Revisited
In a post I wrote about over a year ago, I told the story of the “mystery of the stumps” where I described my relationship to the forest where I grew up, the forest to which I belong. I told …
Wild Food Profile: Black Raspberries + Fruit Leather Recipe
Black raspberries (Rubus occidentalis) are one of my very favorite foods. This year we have a bumper crop–everywhere I go, the black raspberries seem to be growing! I have been harvesting at several spots, including in my own yard. Black …
Local Food Profile: Chicken of the Woods (Sulfur Shelf, Laetiporus sulphureus) Mushroom
I’ve been studying mushrooms for a while now, but this is the first year I’ve had the opportunity to harvest and eat fresh mushrooms that I’ve picked myself! Honestly, there are few things better in this world than a fresh Chicken …
Summer Solstice – Celebrating the Longest Day of the Year
The Summer Solstice, known in the druid tradition as Alban Heriun/Hefin, is one of my favorite holidays (ok, I say that about every holiday). But really, its a wonderful time of year because everything is growing and in full bloom! …
Garden/Homestead Updates – June 2013
I wanted to spend a bit of time on my garden updates–its been a while since I showed progress. So here’s what’s happening at the Druid’s Garden (zone 6a, South-East Michigan, USA). Photos were taken about 4 days ago. Chickens …
Making Dandelion Wine – Photos and Step by Step Instructions
I’ve decided to learn how to make wine from the dandelions in my yard! Why? When John Michael Greer was here a month ago, he suggested various kinds of reskilling to help us transition to post industrialism. One of his …
Wild Food Profile: Ramps
I’m going to be doing a series of posts on wild foods, especially those that I’ve been gathering for a long time. Why wild foods? Wild foods are just that–they grow without cultivation, are delicious, and allow you to experience …
Garden as Sacred Sanctuary
The garden is a sacred sanctuary. The calming nature of the plants; the patterns of light, water, and growth; and the tranquility the garden provides are unmatched. This world we live in is so busy, so full of concrete and …
The Wheel of the Year in the Druid Tradition – Description of Druidic Holidays
When we think about the practices that various groups and cultures did on a yearly cycle, agricultural holidays are some of the most prominent. The modern Wheel of the Year in the Druid tradition seeks to re-establish a set of …
The Magic of Snow and Energizing Sacred Spaces – Farewell to Winter
There is something very magical about snow. I think, for me, its the stillness of the snow and the fact that it is able to cover up so much. As the snow delicately falls, or as you wake up to …
The Process of Tapping Trees and Making Maple Syrup – A Blessing from the Maple Trees
This time of year, something magical happens to the maple trees. When the temperatures drop below freezing at night and then goes above freezing during the day, the maple sap runs. In South-East Michigan, this usually occurs in late February …
The Healing Waters of Renewal – An Imbolc Personal and Land Healing Ritual
I’ve written on this blog before about land healing, specifically in relation to healing the land here at my property that we purchased 2 and a half years ago. Yesterday, my grove celebrated Imbolc, and as part of that we …
Wassail – An Ancient Rite of Orchard Blessing
Last weekend, I was honored to be invited to a friend’s orchard for an old-fashioned Wassail ceremony (you can read more about my friend’s orcharding and sustainability work on his blog, The Fruit Nut). Wassail (or Old English waes hael, …
January Garden Updates
I really love January. The bitter cold, the winds, the snow–there’s something so magical about being out in a snowstorm. Where most people lament for the sun and hot summer months, I welcome all of the cold, the wind, the …
A Druid’s Indoor Altar / Shrine – Seasonal, Elemental, and Spirit
Now that the winter snows are upon us, I’ve been focusing on some “inside” activities that we can do as druids. I had a few friends new to the druidic and earth-centered path ask about the purpose and setup of …
Papermaking III: Cattail Leaf Paper (A Learning Experience)
In my quest for sustainable art supplies and things for daily living, I’m always experimenting with ways of replacing commercially produced materials with homemade ones. And so, my papermaking quest continues. For earlier posts on papermaking, you can read about …
Growing Amaranth for Food and Beauty
Amaranth is a wonderful plant to grow for a variety of purposes. First of all, many varieties of amaranth are absolutely beautiful. I grew Hopi Red Dye Amaranth this year, and as you can see from the photos, its stunning.The …