Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. Random.org generated a winning number and the giveaway goes to Erin O! Congratulations.
It’s the season of harvests, abundance and giving thanks and it’s time to celebrate! I am celebrating another bountiful year of growing and gathering. I look over at my shelves and see they are full to bursting with jars filled with so much wild and herbal goodness. The bright orange calendula flowers are so cheerful and heartening. I can’t help but open the jar of goldenrod and breath deep its perfume. The crimson berries of sumac recall the steamy day I gathered them just ahead of the rain. There are jars of plants steeping in oil, infusing into honey and sweet elixirs. My freezer is full of berries, wild fruit juices and apple sauce, wild greens and hundreds of grape leaves waiting to stuffed and rolled up. The sight of all this fills me with joy and gratitude.
In fact, each day for months now I often find myself sending a little prayer of thanks out into the universe. My mind will form just those two simple words: Thank you. Thank you. I might say it after a plant walk out of gratitude for having another opportunity to share my love of plants with people, or after a glorious day working hard at the farm, or whenever a small but important piece of the puzzle falls into place bringing me one step closer to my vision.
Starting a new business is scary, risky and frequently filled with self-doubt and uncertainty. For me it meant leaving a steady, secure day job and stepping out into the unknown to try and create a sustainable livelihood out of something I love. Every day that I am able to do that feels like such an amazing gift.
It goes without saying that I wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of A LOT of people. Some of my biggest fans are my family and I love ’em for it! Every time I talk to my Oma on the phone she’s always so excited to hear all the updates and whenever she reads about an herbal remedy in her German magazines, she clips the section out and keeps them for me. It’s the sweetest thing ever. My dad and I can talk for ages on our respective projects and experiments. He tells me about his mushroom logs and we compare notes on growing and harvesting elderberries. We’re kindred spirits. I think I need to put my mom in charge of social media, because I suspect my recent jump in Facebook ‘likes’ has everything to do with her! My mom rocks. I’ve had friends and even strangers-turned-friends help me in the garden and I can’t tell you what a boon that is. There’s my fella Andrew (formerly known as the AwesomeDudeGuy) who’s been there since before the beginning and has helped me every step of the way with moral support, tech support, heavy lifting, spirit lifting and more. He’s awesome. And then there’s you, the blog reader, the CSA member, the plant walker, farmgate customer, well wisher and word spreader. I am so very grateful for you.
And I’d like to express my thanks (and to keep the momentum and word spreading going) by having my first Giveaway!
Enter to win this package that includes Linda Runyon’s great book on wild edible foods, a 2 oz bag of Milky Oats tea grown right in the Wild Garden, a tin of Super Salve made from wildcrafted herbs infused in organic sunflower seed oil that you can use on damaged skin, sore muscles, painful joints and more and an 8 oz jar lilac switchel.
It’s the season of harvests, abundance and giving thanks and it’s time to celebrate! I am celebrating another bountiful year of growing and gathering. I look over at my shelves and see they are full to bursting with jars filled with so much wild and herbal goodness. The bright orange calendula flowers are so cheerful and heartening. I can’t help but open the jar of goldenrod and breath deep its perfume. The crimson berries of sumac recall the steamy day I gathered them just ahead of the rain. There are jars of plants steeping in oil, infusing into honey and sweet elixirs. My freezer is full of berries, wild fruit juices and apple sauce, wild greens and hundreds of grape leaves waiting to stuffed and rolled up. The sight of all this fills me with joy and gratitude.
In fact, each day for months now I often find myself sending a little prayer of thanks out into the universe. My mind will form just those two simple words: Thank you. Thank you. I might say it after a plant walk out of gratitude for having another opportunity to share my love of plants with people, or after a glorious day working hard at the farm, or whenever a small but important piece of the puzzle falls into place bringing me one step closer to my vision.
Starting a new business is scary, risky and frequently filled with self-doubt and uncertainty. For me it meant leaving a steady, secure day job and stepping out into the unknown to try and create a sustainable livelihood out of something I love. Every day that I am able to do that feels like such an amazing gift.
It goes without saying that I wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of A LOT of people. Some of my biggest fans are my family and I love ’em for it! Every time I talk to my Oma on the phone she’s always so excited to hear all the updates and whenever she reads about an herbal remedy in her German magazines, she clips the section out and keeps them for me. It’s the sweetest thing ever. My dad and I can talk for ages on our respective projects and experiments. He tells me about his mushroom logs and we compare notes on growing and harvesting elderberries. We’re kindred spirits. I think I need to put my mom in charge of social media, because I suspect my recent jump in Facebook ‘likes’ has everything to do with her! My mom rocks. I’ve had friends and even strangers-turned-friends help me in the garden and I can’t tell you what a boon that is. There’s my fella Andrew (formerly known as the AwesomeDudeGuy) who’s been there since before the beginning and has helped me every step of the way with moral support, tech support, heavy lifting, spirit lifting and more. He’s awesome. And then there’s you, the blog reader, the CSA member, the plant walker, farmgate customer, well wisher and word spreader. I am so very grateful for you.
And I’d like to express my thanks (and to keep the momentum and word spreading going) by having my first Giveaway!
Enter to win this package that includes Linda Runyon’s great book on wild edible foods, a 2 oz bag of Milky Oats tea grown right in the Wild Garden, a tin of Super Salve made from wildcrafted herbs infused in organic sunflower seed oil that you can use on damaged skin, sore muscles, painful joints and more and an 8 oz jar lilac switchel.
Here’s how to enter (Each one counts for an entry and you can do all 5 to increase your odds!):
1. Sign up for an email subscription to blog posts in the top right hand corner of site (Leave a comment on this post to let me know you signed up.)
2. Join the email list to receive the Wild Garden newsletter.
3. Leave a comment on this post sharing what your favourite herb or wild food is and why.
4. Share this on Facebook (leave a comment on the Wild Garden wall to let me know.)
5. Share on Twitter (be sure to include @TheWildGarden in your Tweet.)
Giveaway will end on Monday, October 14 at 12pm EST and the winner will be announced here on Tuesday the 15th. Best of luck and thank you!
1. Sign up for an email subscription to blog posts in the top right hand corner of site (Leave a comment on this post to let me know you signed up.)
2. Join the email list to receive the Wild Garden newsletter.
3. Leave a comment on this post sharing what your favourite herb or wild food is and why.
4. Share this on Facebook (leave a comment on the Wild Garden wall to let me know.)
5. Share on Twitter (be sure to include @TheWildGarden in your Tweet.)
Giveaway will end on Monday, October 14 at 12pm EST and the winner will be announced here on Tuesday the 15th. Best of luck and thank you!