Taking in the Midsummer Harvest

Midsummer is really the beginning of summer here in central Massachusetts. We are about six weeks off from the traditional British harvest holidays, with the cross quarter fire festivals marking the height of each season rather than its beginning. At least that’s been my experience. There are a number of sacred herbs that can be […]

Vaccinium (blueberry)

Week 45 of the PBP.

Lavender

Week 25 of PBP. The other “L” entry is also beloved for its perfume: lavandula angustifolia. The first real memories I have of this beauty are of the endless fields of lavender in Provence. Every medieval garden my family visited in the south of France had glorious lavender plants. I loved how the sticky, spicy […]

Lilac

Week 24 of PBP. There is nothing like driving past a hedge of lilacs in bloom with the windows rolled down. It’s incomparable. The only thing more fun is standing amidst them in the rain, letting the water roll down over glossy leaves and splash on your face. These are the flowers of my maternal […]

Joe-Pye Weed

I first learned about Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum or Eupatorium purpureum if you’re going by Linnaeus’s classification) on a weed walk in western Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburg. The guide told a fascinating story of how a healer named Joe Pye helped the native tribes learn how to break fevers and treat typhus with the plant, […]