Last week was not my favorite kind of week (sick - feel 100% today); however, two really GOOD things came out of being forced to stay inside:
#1 = that wonderful recipe app (Copy Me That) - been using it & LOVE it
#2 -A podcast about herbs that I actually like and want to listen to! I have tried quite a few ‘herb’ podcasts & they have been a ‘no go’ .... don’t like host(s), don’t like format, general philosophy (lot of New Age sort of stuff), etc. Below is the one I found Saturday that I really like ..... he won’t be everyone’s “cup of tea”, but he’s certainly mine.
Southern Appalachian Herbal Podcast hosted by Judson Carroll
Blog (with episode description & link so you can listen)*:
https://southernappalachianherbs.blogspot.com/
*I had a really hard time getting this to pull up using the search function on Chrome or even DuckDuckGo on my mom’s Chromebook (posting this from the CB). On my cell phone, I use Brave & that is how I got to it - makes me wonder if he’s being shadow banned, suppressed, censored. Judson obviously has political views & views on COVID that run against the ‘official narrative’ & he is Christian (has written books on Christian Medicine, History and Practice). The first paragraph from this book on the Amazon review is:
“As an Herbalist, I am often asked, “Is Herbal Medicine Christian?” simple answer is, yes. Anyone of any religion, or none at all, can use herbs medicinally. If you believe in a loving God who created the earth and everything on it including humans, there is certainly no reason why anyone of any religion should be prohibited from using herbs or find using those herbs evil. In truth, not only is Herbal Medicine compatible with Christianity, but it was Christian monks, nuns and priests who preserved the herbal knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome.”
Judson also has a video channel (rumble) where he has brief (less than 10 minutes) ‘lessons’ ... I watched one on nettles that I found interesting because as a maintainer on the Appalachian Trail for 16 years, nettles were the bane of my existence & a lot of work ... often hanging over the trail, sometimes waist high & if you get ‘stung’, it hurts & lasts quite a while. I knew they had medicinal properties - after watching this video, I might try to grow some!:
https://rumble.com/c/c-618325
He also has a substack, but that isn’t updated with much except his books:
https://judsoncarroll.substack.com/
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Why do I like this guy & his podcast?
He’s a Master Herbalist & the podcasts are chock full of info - I especially like when he relates his personal experience with various herbs. You can find episode info on his blogspot posts, too.
We generally agree on politics & religion - in the times we are living in, I try to associate with like-minded people for my own mental health.
He has a great voice/accent - he lives in the mountains of NC & my mom is from NC, so I like the way he talks & his ‘down home’ style of communicating.
I like his sense of humor.
He does a little blurb on ‘recipes’/talks about food he likes, usually at the beginning of the podcast. You can skip over it, but I found it interesting .... like what has happened to seafood in NC & why it’s not so good these days.
He is very inclusive - see excerpt below from his book.
His books appear to be well-received and I plan on getting “Growing Your Survival Herb Garden For Preppers, Homesteaders and Everyone Else (Herbal Medicine for Preppers and Homesteaders)” From Amazon link (so you can get a sense of his philosophy):
“I want to stress that this book is for EVERYONE! Whether you have a large farm designed with Permaculture principles, a homestead or a backyard garden…. If you are limited to ornamental landscaping by a Property Owners Association’s bylaws, have only a small condominium courtyard or even a container garden on an apartment balcony, you can grow the herbs you need for most common ailments.
Gardening, for many, is a hobby. For others, it is a passion. For anyone who wishes to treat themselves and their family at home with herbs, I believe it is a necessity.
In this volume, I would like to focus on just a few herbs that can be used to treat common conditions, and how to grow them in your own herb garden. The herb garden is a natural medicine chest. Through the growing season, these herbs can be used fresh. For other times, they can be carefully dried and kept on hand for easy access. Most can be used effectively as simple teas (infusions and decoctions) others may be tinctured or even turned into lozenges, syrups or capsules, infused oils, slaves, lotions or balms. The goal of this book is “Kitchen Medicine”. My sincere hope is that each individual and family may, one day, have the herbs they need growing close at hand and the knowledge to treat most common illnesses and injuries with those herbs, in their own homes. Let the doctors treat the conditions we cannot handle at home. Let us use the herbs and home remedies that served our ancestors well and enabled the human race to survive for the thousands or millions of years we have to this point!
In growing medicinal herbs, we strive to do so using only natural methods. The plants we use for medicine should never contain toxic chemicals. This book focuses on natural, “better than organic” gardening. Everything I plant is a learning process. Perhaps that is what makes gardening so enjoyable. Perhaps that is why my great grandparents lived into their late 90s and a 90-something lady I know who is a practicing, teaching Master Gardener has more energy and vitality than most folks in their 30s. God designed man to steward the earth, to be a gardener. The fall of man did not take away that role, but made it a challenge. Regardless, it is the sweat of the brow and hands in the soil that can make us feel most alive and truly human.
In the words of Joe Dirt, “Life is a garden, dig it!”
*BUMP* & *PING* to Post #53.
My weekend was spent cleaning up garden beds. The one I had dreaded doing, with the ‘Chef’s Orange’ and ‘Chef’s Black’ tomatoes is finally DONE. Those plants are ridiculous in size and range! I am now on the lookout for a decent-tasting orange Determinate variety. Dealing with MONSTER tomato plants at the end of the season is something I’m tired of; always find a way to do things easier and cheaper. ;)
I did harvest another good dozen ripening tomatoes, and a good amount of cherries off of the ‘Valentine’ plant - but she’s been pulled now, too.
Rain all week, so it’s on to indoor chores for a while. :)
The Beagles (Chief and Dolly) went on a 4-hour Volksmarch from 4-8pm last night, so both are sacked out on their beds behind me as I type. I’m already thinking about my afternoon nap with rain on the roof - and I haven’t even had breakfast yet, LOL!