On April 21st I was lucky to get to sit in on Nicole Telkes’ basic and more advanced herbology classes that she teaches for her school, the Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine. We talked a lot about taxonomies and botany, and along with Sam Coffman, who teaches herbology for The Human Path, I learned some new techniques for treating illnesses such as Lyme Disease. After class, we did some dry goods canning and talked about plans for many of The …

It’s amazing what a little rain and warm spring weather will do! Last year I planted a small raised bed garden in the backyard of my duplex apartment. I had a couple tomato plants, herbs and peppers, but not much else. As the summer progressed, I got a little bit of food out of the effort but the record heat and drought really did a number on my plants and overall the garden wasn’t particularly successful. Cue Spring 2012. Unlike …

Carla and Stephanie, teachers at the Austin-based Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine, led our eager group on an early evening plant walk in the Muller Development in East Austin. I’ve posted the brief comments they made about each plant, to the best of my ability. Please note that many of these plants have fantastic medicinal qualities, but if you’re new to herbal medicine you should take care to learn more about the plants, the preparations and uses, before diving in. …

I happen to have a great fondness for turtles, as they seem so elegant and peaceful and wise. On a beautiful spring day like today, it’s important to stop and appreciate the small things in life, like the flowers popping up everywhere with their seductive brightness and fragrance, the heavy rains watering our parched soils, the warm breezes… and turtles. Below are a few photos of the campus turtles I took over my lunch break. That’s all… no recipe or …