Want to read this email on the web? Click here. We need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. ~Sue Monk Kidd With arms full of crates, I made my way to the open car trunk in the rising heat of what promised to be another sultry day. Once relieved of my load, I paused momentarily to fact-check myself. What had begun as a joy-filled morning of flower and herb harvesting had shifted into a drive to complete a mission. Tension stretched across my...
13 days ago • 3 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. Albert Einstein Dear Reader, The row of Bodegold Chamomile intercropped with onions was long overdue for a first cutting. It's nearly unimaginable that something so dainty and small could carry such potent medicinal gifts. The sweet lemony scent penetrated the air as I filled my basket. I wondered how this simple yet profoundly soothing sensory experience could be...
20 days ago • 2 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. Dear Reader, In March 1986, the opening of a McDonald’s near Rome’s Spanish Steps sparked a protest. The protest grew and over time developed to what we know today as the Slow Food Movement, a grassroots network of activists in more than 160 countries. Although it did not curb the rise of fast food establishments, it built awareness around culturally significant foods and their preparation. Today, the program extends to support for growing those...
27 days ago • 3 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. Dear Reader, It’s full-on summer, and the hours spent among the garden beds, at home, or in the forest require a careful balance of sowing, tending, and harvesting. All three tasks hold equal importance and are interdependent. One can’t exist without others. On good days, the pace can take on a waltz's one two three, one two three rhythm. But when resilience is low, temps soar, and predator bugs outnumber the beneficial ones, the glide of the...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. Dear Reader, After several hours of hilling potatoes and plucking garlic scapes, I paused to write this week's letter. The visible results, so satisfying, led me to test my physical limits. The much-welcome gusts of wind, in contrast to the previous day's oppressive heat, signaled a storm brewing somewhere, so symbolic of our current times. I’ve tended the garlic beds since late October, and the potatoes just since early May, but the...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. You’re not stuck, you just forgot you can change your mind― J.R. Rim Dear Reader, The final set of propagation grow lights went dark this week, signaling an end to the big spring push. That doesn’t mean there won’t be another round, but for the moment, nearly two thousand plant babies have graduated from the nursery into the wild, wonderful world. The glow of the full-spectrum lighting illuminated our warm basement propagation area since early...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders. Henry David Thoreau Dear Reader, The month of June blew in with blustery skies, near-freezing nights, and downpours. Like one would expect, some spring plantings thrived, and others simply paused their growth, waiting out the storms for sunny days and warmer soil....
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. Dear Reader, It’s here! The Art and Science of Gemmotherapy: The Complete Guide is now available in print and I could not be more excited to share it with you. There is a limited supply of signed copies available for you here at the Gemmo Store with free shipping. Unsigned copies are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org. Here’s what you will discover within the full-color, artfully designed 277-page reference guide: A...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view. ~Mary Ann Evans (George Elliot) Dear Reader, It’s Gemini season. Can you feel the shift? So many ideas are popping in, forming passing word clouds that are almost too quick to catch. Oh, but do. It's too soon to know how they might be put to use, but you won’t want to miss this shower of insights and new perspectives. Late last week, Lois, Christine, and I enjoyed...
2 months ago • 3 min read