kerimae

Latest project off the loom, a lovely table runner in alpaca and mung silk, very classy and has a lovely feel and weight. #handwoven #madebyhand

Here are some herbal considerations to boost your broths for immune and digestive support this upcoming colder and wetter season (some are contraindicated for some health issues so pls read up on them more to make sure they're good for you, personally): ASTRAGALUS ROOT: a tonic and immunomodulator, used especially to combat frequent colds and flu. BEE BALM DRIED HERB: in the mint and oregano family, fights infection and supports the respiratory system BONESET DRIED HERB: bitter tonic, respiratory conditions CHAGA: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anti tumor actions CODONOPSIS ROOT: adaptogen, supports the immune system and digestion DANDELION LEAF AND ROOT: alterative, detoxifying, anti-tumor EURYALE SEED: tonic, digestive, in TCM relieves dampness LOTUS SEED: antioxidant used to support the immune system LYCII BERRY: tonic, nutritive NETTLE LEAF: nutritive, helps with allergies and adrenal stress PARSLEY LEAF: drying and helpful for expelling gas PORIA COCOS: immune supportive mushroom, improves the gut lining RED CLOVER BLOSSOMS: alterative, nutritive, lymphatic health REISHI: immunomodulator, helpful to resist infections, digestive health SCHISANDRA BERRY: adaptogen, adrenal and respiratory health SEAWEEDS: benefits are numerous! Use kelp, kombu, wakame, and more TURMERIC RHIZOME: alterative, anti-inflammatory, digestive #grownostr #herbalist

Another baby blanket done. Maybe this will become the weaving channel 😅 Would love to find more #herbalist #fiber #weaving #knitting #garden folk to follow

Indoor sports: weaving a blanket, this one for one of my wee grandchildren ❤️

Summer's winding down, at least the intense harvesting part (other than allll the apples). Think I'm done with cherry tomatoes in general, need to find a nice medium sized red next year. Nice first year harvest of skullcap and hops and just enough green beans left for my lunch. In the garden for fall: Italian dandelion greens, bok choi, arugula, purslane, mizuna, miner's, carrots, collards, beets, snow peas....

Boo boo salve for the year, made with calendula, plantain, and yarrow with lemongrass and lavender essential oils. Such a rich green color and scent! And yeah last year I named it "wound salve" to make it more man-friendly 😅 but females seem to use, appreciate, and set the healthy living tone in my area and they and their kids love the "boo boo" 😁 My recipe is simple: 1 cup infused herbal oil to 1 oz beeswax (and 6-10 drops of eo per ounce so it's light enough for the littles among us). And. I added (I hope) a different wallet so IF I did things right I should be zappable and zappalotable. I guess we'll find out! #herbalist

Garlic is cured and in. Next stop: separating cloves and beginning the drying and powdering process. I find making homegrown garlic powder so rewarding! In other news, Alby won't (yet) work for me here; I can't swing the monthly fees. Is anyone using a non-fee, self-custodial wallet to zap on Nostr with? Please share! #asknostr #homesteading

Finished my scrappy sweater! All done with leftover random yarns I didn't know what else to do with, including plenty of handspuns. Haven't washed it yet but just so happy to finish! It's perfectly funky for my 13yo 😅

Good reading and finishing up a wee baby blanket. Got the first garden bed turned over for fall planting. This year, drip irrigation went in; hopefully next year we can fence out the deer (currently I cover everything at dusk). First look at the bioreactor compost after a year and it's not bad but definitely not fine yet (still useable). Oh, and here's another look at why it's better to grow/raise your own food/medicine. On the left is chamomile I buy from a very respected and reputable herb source...on the right is my own, dehydrated. Which would you prefer? P.S. Chatting with Alby tomorrow--we'll see if I can get everything sorted out 🤷‍♀️ #grownostr #garden #herbalist

Harvest, dry, store, repeat... Soon I'll work on the preps: tinctures, salves, infusion blends... Currently I try to get a little weaving in when I can, too.

Harvested chamomile and lavender last few days; maybe that's why I feel super relaxed 😅 Some of the onions are bolting 😕 so are getting pulled early-ish, but the garlic looks strong and I can't wait to pull them in a few weeks. Calendula is next! #grownostr #herbalist

Tis time for harvesting and preparing St John's wort. I love it for the oil but also as a tincture during the winter blended with lemon balm for when I need a boost of "sunshine".

Welp I right out stumped the online support with regards to my zap-nonzap and they say I need further help 😂 I don't know if all this is due to my own ignorance (99.99% likely) or if there's something else. Maybe it's just God saying, "NOPE for you!" Anyhow, isn't this honeysuckle gorgeous? Did you know honeysuckle is helpful for those summer colds? Dehydrate some of them and save for an infusion when needed. If you can get your hands on some Chinese crysanthemum to grow (try Strictly Medicinal) you'd have a good traditional blend.

The harvest is on, blanching/freezing a large batch of purple sprouting broccoli. I'm behind, especially with the herbs 😫. I need a room sized dehydrator this time of year! Just learned that half the internet isn't human anymore. I think my world is going to shrink even more now, and that's ok by me. What do you think? https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/uncategorized/2025/04/hi-robot-half-of-all-internet-traffic-now-automated

Cleavers are growing around here. They're edible, high in vitamin C and silica; I like them chopped and added to soups. The leaves are also useful for the lymphatic system. Out in the field, it's useful for sunburns or fresh wounds--just don't use too hot of water to infuse them into before making a compress and of course if you're dealing with a burn, let the infusion cool down (a lot!) first. Second pick are greens picked both from the garden and the field. I thank God for all the food growing all around me!

Got comfrey? One of the many medicinal and nutritive plants to be grown on the homestead used both for leaf and root. It's true that comfrey contains varying amounts of PA's (the root more so) and thus might seriously harm some folks with liver damage (especially with long term use), but skeptical herbalists disagree about tossing out hundreds of years of effective, traditional use. I suggest doing your own study and/or working with a clinical herbalist before using any herb internally. Comfrey is one of many on the regulatory agencies list to be cautious with. For more info, search Paul Bergner for his take on the comfrey controversy. Do you use comfrey in any way?

I'm so thankful for the home garden. Lots to eat already, and more on the way, Lord willing (please keep the deer away). I'm hoping this will be the year to put in a drip, although spending time in nature with a watering wand isn't a bad use of time. This year I'll be experimenting with letting my favorite salad greens go to seed to save them. I've never done that. But once upon a time, I'd never kept a garden, either.