Barefoot Botanicals

American ginseng seeds generously shared by @transcendingrootsapothecary who received them from @upsbotanicalsanctuary ! What a pleasant and uplifting surprise on this beautiful sunny day. Pictured first are the already stratified seeds, meaning they have been kept moist and chilled for months to mimic natural seasonal cycles. Second is the outdoor bed that I created within a tray, placed on the ground and covered with chips and leaves. Third, I have protected the tray from voles and other hungry critters with an upside down bulb tray. This will let in some light and moisture while marking the space so that I don’t forgot where I put these little babies! Now I will wait until spring and hope to find little sprouts I’ll keep you posted:)

Snapshot from a few months ago, during the warmer days of late summer. Eric is harvesting mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris. As we enter the darkest days of the year, herbs that help us connect with our intuition, something that we are all born with but acculturated away from, can help us heal these broken connections with ourselves and the world around us. Plants help us to connect to ourselves, connect to the life force of the earth upon which we live and depend, and to the other beings that we share this planet with. Drink tea, breathe in the aroma and remember what you are made of : Earth, air, fire, water, ether. We are all one.

Join Linda Shanahan, Farmer, Herbalist and RN for the 2021 Harvest Season You will receive a monthly box of fresh and dried herbs from May through October, harvested just for you Gain access to video instruction on growing, harvesting, herbal product making and basic traditional uses of each plant that you receive. Delivering to sites from New York City to Philadelphia. Will also ship anywhere in US! Give the gift of herbal knowledge and experience to yourself or so...meone that you love. Visit our website for registration! Reserve your spot now! https://www.barefootbotanicals.net/product/herb-csa/345

Opening tomorrow at 8! Supporting small businesses like ours helps communities thrive. How boring would life be if all you had were box stores? Would love to see you there!

If you want to commit to a healthier way of life in connection with our community and seasonal changes, this is a GREAT way to do it! And of course you can choose a Barefoot cocktail kit as an add-on:)

My dad. He served 2 difficult tours in Vietnam and came back feeling unappreciated by citizens of the country he sacrificed greatly for, disillusioned with his government and traumatized by witnessing the worst that humanity has to offer to this world. And yet, he continued to love and believe in the ideals of this country. Here he is, looking out on the fields that his father, also a veteran, tended. I witnessed in both of them a kind of healing experienced only through co...nnection with the natural world. My granddad kept bees, made seckle pear preserves and dandelion wine. When we showed up after a few hours long drive, he would always prop open the canister of honey combs and let me chew beeswax gum- exhilarating for me as a young child. My dad taught me at a very young age that it’s ok to drink water coming out of the side of a mountain, to the horror of my South Philly born and bred mother. It’s the little things that these men did and said that have shaped who I am today. I am so grateful to them, for the suffering that most of us will never understand, and for their commitment to something greater than themselves, a free and peaceful world for all of us.