My mother dosed her family with generous amounts of dandelion greens as soon as she discovered their bright leaves poking up through the thatch of the back lawn.
read moreMargaret Boyles lives in a wood-heated house in central New Hampshire. She grows vegetables, keeps chickens, swims in a backyard pond in summer, snowshoes in the surrounding woods in winter, and commutes by bike whenever possible.
It’s Dandelion Season!
April 8, 2012
Eating Weeds: Why Not?
April 6, 2012
In late March, three weeks after knee-replacement surgery (which explains my lengthy absence from this space), northern New England experienced a record-breaking heat wave.
read moreMake Your Own Styling Gel
March 8, 2012
If you use thickening and styling products for your hair, but prefer all-natural ingredients and low cost, why not make your own?
read moreAloe Vera: A Self-Regenerating First-Aid Kit
February 24, 2012
Among the easiest-to-grow houseplants, Aloe vera will decorate a kitchen shelf with quiet grace, while doing double duty as a self-regenerating first-aid kit.
read moreReusing the News
February 17, 2012
We subscribe to our local daily newspaper and a couple of Sunday papers, devouring all the sections including the funnies, the TV schedules, the want ads, and the police log.
read moreTea for Health -- and More
February 10, 2012
After water, tea (Camellia sinesis) is the world’s most popular beverage.
read moreVinegar: The most versatile product in your home?
February 3, 2012
I’ve listed vinegar as one of my baker’s dozen of household essentials; I’ve extolled its virtues as a hair rinse (after a borax “shampoo”) and as a medium for extracting the culinary and healing essences of herbs.
read moreMaking Herbal Vinegars
January 30, 2012
You’ve seen herbal vinegars in upscale food boutiques and catalogues, usually stoppered or corked glass jars with sprigs of herbs floating in translucent liquid. Gorgeous. And pricey.
read moreHerbs for Health? Think Soup!
January 25, 2012
For millennia, our ancestors experimented with the leaves, roots, seeds, fungi, lichens, barks and other natural substances around them for healing.
read moreHousehold Uses for Stale White Bread
January 18, 2012
I’ve baked my own whole-grain bread for more than 40 years (the kind food writers call “rustic”). I don’t think I’ve ever bought a loaf of bread.
read moreMid-Winter Stress Relief
January 9, 2012
Light deprivation, snow and ice storms, dangerous driving conditions, power outages, frozen pipes, the frenzy of winter holidays, overindulgence, weight gain: winter delivers a load of extra stress to those of us in the colder, darker regions.
read moreWinter Exercise: No Excuses
January 2, 2012
Motivation flagging? Live too far from a gym? No room in the house for exercise equipment? Not enough light before or after work? Feeling sluggish?
read moreGot Wood Ashes? Manage Them Safely and Put Them to Good Use
December 22, 2011
If you live in one of the nation’s cold regions and burn wood for some or all of your winter heat, you’ve got wood ashes.
read moreMake Your Own Lip Balm
December 16, 2011
Coming indoors and going out, the dry winter air causes static hair, parched skin, and—especially—cracked lips.
read moreSplinter Removal: One More Use for Raw Garlic
December 12, 2011
I’d read about using a slice of raw garlic to remove a splinter when working on a previous post praising the healing powers of garlic. But I didn’t mention it then.
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