EarthHeartSinging

Cleavers

Cleavers (Galium aparine) is a common wild plant in this region usually found in moist areas and often but not always in areas with some shade. It will soon bear its tiny white flowers. It is best picked just before the onset of flowering. It goes by many names and it has some look alikes so make sure you are identifying it correctly. Sometimes referred…

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Wordcount: 467

Cilantro Pesto

It had been a long time that I had been hoping to make a batch of this awesome cilantro pesto that my dear friend Nancy has been gifting me with for years. It finally happened. I had an early harvest of cilantro this year that had self-seeded from last year’s late Fall crop. This, together with an abundance of parsley that had overwintered well thanks t…

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Wordcount: 323

Ground Ivy

Ground ivy is at its peak of beauty right now, and you probably have some growing in your backyard. You may recognize its heady aromatic fragrance, even if you don’t recognize its name. It is often called Creeping Charlie and is also referred to as Gil-over-the-ground, Alehoof and Catsfoot to list but a few of its many names.

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Wordcount: 538

Seasonal Allergies and Histamine Issues

For many people, Spring ushers in allergy season with the flowering of trees and the arrival of tree pollens. For some people, allergic symptoms may be limited to seasonal or environmental allergies. There are natural medicines and treatment approaches that can be very helpful in addressing these types of allergic symptoms…

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Pasta Sauce with Artichoke Hearts

Artichokes are such an amazing superfood. The leaves of the plant are particularly bitter are used medicinally with great benefit to the liver and gallbladder. This plant is in the thistle family, which is well known to benefit the liver. The artichokes themselves are milder in flavour, a great source of inulin (which helps feed the good bugs in the gut…

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Wordcount: 451

Violets

After the crocuses have passed, violet blossoms are among some of the first blooms to appear in this region in early Spring. It has been said that they "bloom out of sheer exuberance”, and I can feel that presence this time of year. I’ve noticed them peaking out from sheltered spots over the past number of weeks and showing up in patches throughout are…

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An Introduction to Gut Health and the Microbiome

It seems you can’t talk about health these days, without addressing the gut. Gut health and the balance of our gut microbiome is foundational to our overall health and wellbeing. Although much research has come out on this topic over the past few decades, understanding the importance of gut health is not new. While my own introduction to this comes from…

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Wordcount: 1544

Stinging Nettles

Stinging nettles, another harbinger of Spring. High in minerals, stinging nettles are extremely nutritive. They are one of the most food like nutrient dense herbs and make a great Spring tonic, supporting general drainage and elimination. They work well seasonally in recipes, in place of spinach or other dark leafy greens. Try them in

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Wordcount: 562

Stinging Nettle Soup

Stinging nettles are such a wonderful Spring tonic food. I find soup a great way to get them into the diet. They have a mild flavour yielding a soothing comforting bowl of soup that’s great on a cold Spring day. A third pound nettle leaves is quite a bit so make sure you harvest enough. The shrink down significantly when cooked. While you can certainly…

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Wordcount: 331

Dandelion

The humble dandelion. I so much look forward to its return every year. It’s the first of the wild greens that I begin to harvest in early Spring and to me, it marks the beginning of the green and growing season. It has been foraged as an edible wild green in many cultures and makes a great Spring tonic. It is mi…

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