The February Resilient Roots Report
Hi there.
Welcome to my new newsletter. If you are a community-oriented plant/nature person, then I hope you will feel at home here. This is an intentional effort on my part to use a communication platform (substack) that is more aligned with my values, in hopes that it will prompt me to share my herbal musings (and more) on a regular basis.
My goals* for this newsletter are to:
Connect people doing interesting things that promote a love for nature, plants, ecosystems, and our fellow humans
Share my knowledge and perspective on herbs and health
Build community and support networks of folks invested in collective liberation
*I'm sure these goals will adapt and change over time, as everything does. As a reminder:
“All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you. The only lasting truth is change.” From Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, a must read.
Take care,
Lauren
PS: A request for gmail users (and maybe other services too?), please check your spam on a regular basis. I am finding important things in there. We have to be more vigilant and not allow these tech platforms to prioritize our communications for us!!
PPS: badass news of the week!
Coming up
Seed saving workshop Feb 10th and annual fundraiser Feb 8th with Sustainable Berea
February 15th, my friend Amy Le Ann Richardson is leading a Writing Session for Mountain Women Farmers and Gardeners at Hindman Settlement School.
Free Virtual Herbalism Conference February 16-21
Sylvatica Forest Farm has released their workshop schedule for the year
February schedule for Berea College Forest
Floracliff has wonderful naturalist events happening all the time. The monthly “first Friday” birding group is a DELIGHT
The Whippoorwill Festival is returning April 25-27!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Garden
I have historically had a hard time germinating seeds that required stratification (too much pre-planning!) until I started using the Winter Sowing Method last year. I love this method because it is hands-off and lets nature do the work; however, you need to seed right now so that the seeds can go through the cold cycle. I had excellent results last year with poppies, skullcap, calendula, and more.
I just sowed my first batch of natives into milk jugs last week: cardinal flower, hairy wood mint, downy wood mint, yellow indigo, and purple indigo. My seeds are from Prairie Moon and Fedco.
Here’s a good resource for beginners. You can also find plenty of good information by googling "winter sowing method."
here is a very un-sexy picture of the milk jugs aka mini greenhouses ready to sit on the side on my house for a few months before turning into plant magic:
Herbs
Turmeric is on my mind because we have a new high tunnel and I'm planning to grow it this year. However, one of my herbal pet peeves is the obsession with "curcumin bio-availability" that has been perpetuated by the supplement industry. Yes, black pepper can increase absorption of herbal compounds into the bloodstream, but its not the only way to make a quality turmeric extract. This paper is a good reminder that there is more to the molecular story than how much curcumin is in your blood. Gut bacteria play an important role.
I like this Turmeric monograph for the recipes at the end and her commentary on the whole form turmeric vs. isolated curcumin.
Herbs I'm taking:
My mood always dips in the winter, so I'm experimenting with Saffron extract to see if I can notice a difference. Research and clinical use shows a mood-lifting/antidepressant effect. I planted saffron corms this fall with future plans to extract my own!
I'm back into bitters, and I'm enjoying a pairing of fresh yarrow and fresh ginger tinctures to keep my blood and digestion moving and give me a bit of extra antimicrobial support.
Are you particularly jazzed about an herb you’re taking? Click this button and share!
Books
I recently finished Familiaris. For folks who love quirky characters, dogs, horses, community, homesteading, and don't mind a 900+ page book, this one's for you. Loved it.
Reading it for a 2nd time, because it's so damn important to the context of everything going on right now, Caste.
I would love to hear what you’re reading!
Disclaimers and such:
Any health info on this page is given for general knowledge and awareness and should not be considered medical advice. I have to tell you to discuss herbal medicine with your doctor before taking it, even though most doctors don't know anything about it. Please also discuss herbs with a trained herbalist, especially if you are taking medications that have a narrow therapeutic window (for example, birth control pills) or have chronic health conditions.
I am aiming to release my perfectionist tendencies, and trying hard to not re-read this newsletter a million times before sending it out. Do let me know if there’s a broken link!
That IS definitely BAD ASS news!