The first steps I took in the Andes of Ecuador were like walking through thick molasses. Immediately I had no choice but to slow down.  Literally.  Adjusting to altitude pressure is a peculiar experience.  Though I wanted to move fast, I had no choice but to move in slow motion....

While it seems cultured foods such as designer kombucha and fermented vegetables are a health food trend, cultured foods have been around as long as people have.  Naturally fermented foods were borne out of necessity: to preserve food in the absence of refrigeration.  Naturally...

Make Your Own Medicine

Making your own herbal medicines is easy, relatively inexpensive, and requires minimal equipment.

The key ingredient in both recipes below is Elderberry.

Elderberries are known for their remarkable antiviral activity. During H1N1 2009 they were studied and found...

July is a busy month of harvesting fresh plants, both wild and cultivated.  One of my favourite herbs of the season is St. John’s Wort, the latin name Hypericum perforatum. This bright little yellow flower is named after St. John the Baptist, a holiday celebrated in June,...

This is the time of year where I’m reaping the benefits of my harvest.  Not to say harvest season is over – in a lot of ways it’s just begun! But I harvest most of my flowers between April (when dandelion begins) through July, when the sun is the strongest.

Right now,...

Naturally fermented (aka cultured) pickles produce the most delicious sour flavour thanks to the naturally occurring good bacteria.  The pickles float in a cloudy brine that is delicious. Many are known to drink this brine for the flavour and beneficial bacteria. When we had sore...

Decades ago, renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar gave the name Fire Cider to a spicy, delicious respiratory tonic made from simple kitchen ingredients.

The basic ingredients are pungent herbs like onions and garlic, steeped in apple cider vinegar which has its own health benefits too.

The first herb that captured my imagination and my taste buds was the Elder tree (Sambucus nigra). I was twelve years old, and it was the first summer at my grandparents new home in rural Ontario.  My grandfather called me out to the backyard to meet him near the bayou of the lake....

About a month ago, my very sweet cat, Leo, came home with a serious wound on his tail: It was an open, bloody, angry sore.  His tail was swollen and extremely tender to touch.  The wound looked deep.  I took him to the vet because I wanted to make sure there was no foreign material...

This recipe is from traditional healers of Mexico, who shared it with Stephen Harrod Buhner who shared this publicly on Facebook and in his (incredible) book, Sacred and Healing Beers.  Everything Buhner writes is extraordinary.  He’s a prolific, and poetic writer....

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Below I share what I do to create an Equinox ritual for letting go, and a link to my ever-popular hawthorn berry syrup (it’s very easy to make). 

There are two equinoxes every year – the...