Herbal medicine. Wild food. Education.
Juniper berries (actually fleshy cones) are a popular wild harvested spice. They are often used to flavour meats and are used to flavour gin. Medicinal usage centres around their aromatic and antimicrobial properties. Juniper berries are useful in treating digestive
I absolutely love stinging nettle, it is one of my favourite spring time greens. Why? Because it is absolutely delicious. Nettle is also a plant that doesn’t give up its leaves without a fight – it has stinging hairs that
In Alberta there are two common species of native juniper shrubs, Common Juniper (Juniperus communis) and Creeping Juniper (Juniperus horizontalis). Both have been documented in ethnographic studies as having been traditionally used by First Nations. Common Juniper grows circumpolar and
This last week I had the pleasure of visiting a friend in Portland, Oregon. What a welcome vacation. I was taken by the incredible diversity of vegetation. In addition to a lot of native plants and unfamiliar species, there were