Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) is one of my favorite wild edible berries to forage, but one that I do not recommend planting in your yard or on your farm as it is highly invasive. Luckily, you can find these easily enough on old farms. Foraging these tiny berries is a super fun activity to […]

With inflation what it is today, most of us are looking for ways to save a buck here and there on food. Since gardening can be a costly endeaver after buying land, topsoil, garden tools, seeds, and putting in hours of your time into it, foraging can be a great alternative. The only expense in […]

  Common blue violet (Viola sororia) is one of my childhood favorite plants. I spent many barefoot, summer days in my hammock under a mimosa tree watching the hummingbirds flit here and there and reading novels – while eating violet leaves and flowers below me whenever I’d get hungry. I remember begging my dad to […]

Walking through a neighborhood chock full of kids and not hearing their laughter means we as a society are in crisis. I remember as a teenager feeling such utter pain knowing all I wanted to do with my life was learn as much as possible about the natural world and teach others. Oddly enough, at […]

Chicken of the Woods refers to a group of edible mushrooms in the Laetiporus genus, most commonly Laetiporus sulphureus in the eastern U.S. These mushrooms are prized for their meaty texture and flavor that resembles chicken — hence the name. One of my favorite things about Chicken of the Woods is you often find a […]

Nature is essential to growing healthy, competent children. Time in the backyard, going to a park, gardening, or exploring an abandoned woodlot all count as time in nature. For children under 5, an hour or two daily in the backyard might be enough to meet their needs. For children under 5, two to three hours […]

Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a plant I forage for most of the year and keep some dried on-hand for when it dies back in the heat of the summer. It’s used as an anemia treatment, taken 3 times a day as tea or food. This wild edible is commonly found in gardens across the United […]

Real Food, Real Calories, Real Results When people imagine disaster gardening, they picture neat raised beds and long timelines. In reality, survival gardening is messy, fast, and focused on calories, not aesthetics. If the grid fails, stores empty, or supply chains break, your yard is no longer decoration — it is infrastructure. And you do […]

One of our favorite cookbooks is The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dinah Bucholz. We made at least one dish from this book every week and have been steadily making our way through all of the recipes! If you don’t have her book and love to cook and/or love Harry Potter, this is a great […]

Making homemead wild greens pizza is super fun because pizza is such a popular food in America and it’s a great way to make it healthier, organic, and at least partially locally. I’m not always up to super long, complicated dinners especially with minding our 3 kids at the same time. My husband, David, often […]

Ramps are a commonly known wild edible plant especially because chefs love them for their flavor. The taste is reminiscent of leeks are great in a variety of dishes. You’ll find these spreading out on a forest floor for large patches, making it a great plant to know. Special Note: Plase be aware over-harvesting this […]

If you’re looking for an easy, quiet vacation with hiking, swimming, mountain biking, boating, fishing, nature tours, a more – look no further! Smith Mountain Lake State Park offers tent sites, RV sites, cabins, boat rentals, a public beach, two nature centers, and places to hike, fish, and mountain bike. We used the trip as […]

Reishi is a wild and cultivated mushroom you can find in hardwood forests in North America and Asia. It has been used for thousands of years in Eastern Asia to boost the immune system and prevent disease. If you buy it at an Asian grocery store, it will be called “lingzhi” and look like the […]

Found a highly toxic plant on my walk today in a neighborhood down the street from me! Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum). Poison hemlock is a highly toxic, invasive plant in the carrot family. It grows throughout much of the United States, including Virginia, and is commonly found along roadsides, creek banks, fence lines, vacant lots, […]

Prickly pear is a cool hazardous plants to have in your garden. The worst you’ll get is an annoying prick on your skin (or a bunch of them) that are super hard to get out, but it’s really cool to watch grow and a super easy beginner plant. It makes a great doomsday hedge to […]