Environment & Conservation

Farming The Wetland

I never expected to be a wetland farmer, but now I can’t imagine being anything else. A wetland is a special gift, teeming with life and bounty and potential. It doesn’t speak the language of conformity, and it won’t shine if you try to dress it up like a corn field. Given the right care, the right plants, and a little patience, it can become something truly amazing.

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Native Plant Seed Sources and Resources

After spending many hours (and frankly, several years) searching for native plant information, seed sources, and plant sources, I created this document filled with book recommendations, tools, links to seed and plant providers, and more. I hope this resource will make it easy for you to jumpstart your own projects!

Homemade Nut Butter : A Simple Recipe

Nut butter is a staple in my house. It makes a quick snack when spread on fruit, blended into smoothies, or spooned straight out of the jar. It lends richness to soups and stews and contributes to sweet and savory sandwiches. Although you can buy nut butter in almost any grocery store, the homemade version is more affordable, fresher, and tastier.

The Year of Joy

Dear friends, welcome to this glorious new year! We survived. We made it this far. There is some really good stuff on the horizon. Yes, there will also be challenges to face, limits to test, and burdens to bear; there always are. But the sun is going to shine. Plants are going to grow. Birds are going to sing! And this year, my resolution is joy.

Starting Seeds With Cold Stratification

Most of the usual garden veggies (such as tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce) can be sown directly into warm, moist potting mix in the spring, and they will germinate and begin growing within a couple of weeks. However, many of the wilder plants such as native plants and medicinal herbs require special pre-treatment before they will begin to germinate and grow. One such treatment is called cold stratification. Cold stratification is a fancy-sounding term which only means that the seed must experience winter before it will germinate (sprout).

The American Hazelnut (Corylus americana) : A Versatile Native Nut

The American Hazelnut (Corylus americana), also known as American Filbert, is a small tree or shrub in the Birch family. Although our native hazelnut is a different species than most hazelnuts available commercially, it is widely reported that the nuts produced by our native tree taste very similar to the more widely available European species. Read the full article to learn more about this amazing native food plant!

Lessons In Rooster Husbandry: Five Years of Raising Multiple Adult Roosters

I’m doing a lot of unusual things on this farm, but by far the most unusual and most controversial feat I have attempted is raising roosters. That is to say roosters, plural, indefinitely, for non-meat purposes. In this article, I share five lessons I have learned about rooster care from my quest for the truly cruelty-free egg. These tips come from my 5+ years of lived experience raising roosters for non-meat purposes. My roosters provide compost for my gardens, feathers for my art projects, education and humility for my own character development, as well as entertainment, music, and joy. Read the full article to learn more!

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