This year we have an insane amount of knot grass, or knot weed coming up.  This is probably due to the lack of rain, since knot weed thrives in dry compacted soil.  So whenever I get a boon of any type of plant, I have to check out its medicinal properties.  

Of course the mainstream app says it is toxic.  We know how that goes.  But online herbalist indicate its beneficial effects for the lymphatic system, as a diuretic and healthy support for the kidneys, as well as a great herb for urinary tract infections.  It is even indicated in cancer prevention.  It would make sense.  A lymph cleansing herb would ultimately help the entire immune system get rid of the unwanted toxins in the body.  With all that is in our air and water these days, we need all the cleanses we can get!

So check in your yard and see if instead of grass you have Knot Grass!!
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I have suffered from anxiety and depression my whole life, and so when my garden offered me up a huge bounty of evening primrose, I couldn't deny God's little nudge to take responsiblity for some of the greater amounts of angst I have been holding since the looming closing of the Community House Network as an official 501c3.

The plant is biannual, and pretty much everything on it is edible and medicinal.  I have another post on the plant that will give more information, but this one I want to share the latest efforts I have made to utilize this natural alternative to anti-depressants.

I am highly resistant to the idea of taking any pharmaceuticals, after having spent my first career studying neuropharmacology and the effects of these ubiquitous drugs.  So I have utilized meditation, instead of medication.  It does work, but these days I seem to need a little boost.  I am usually not depressed until October, and so when the depression started to close in in May, well that was not good.

I have known about alternatives like evening primrose oil and st. John's Wort for years.  But it is only recently that I have been interested in growing these things and foraging medicinal herbs.  After the incredible success of the wild lettuce curing my life-long insomnia, I am ready to take personal responsibility for my mental health.  

So I started with making a tincture.  I harvested some of the young shoots, primarily because I had to weed them out of my garden. Herbalists have done research on which phase of the plant development has the best medicinal properties, but I guess I will just experiment and see what happens.

The most wonderful thing about the process was seeing how brilliantly green the tincture became after only 2 days.  The leaves of the young plant were already turning white, and so I decided to strain it and give it a try.

I put one half tablespoon into a cup of strong tea, and started that way.  It is intersting because I started to feel a little better.  With the success of that small amount, I started a regiment of 3 cups of tea a day with 1/2 table spoon of tincture in each cup.

I have to admit, maybe it is a placebo effect, but I am starting to feel like there is a slight possibility that I won't feel like each day is a complete chore.  

I will give you updates as the time goes on.  

The bee colonies continue to collapse across our nation, and our hive was no exception.  But the good thing is that I can make salves.  I had an exceptional amount of lemon balm this summer, and made tincture and infused olive oil.  Lemonbalm, like so many herbs, is wonderful for the skin.  

It makes me laugh when you listen to foragers talk about the benefits of these plants many have referred to as weeds, because they are cure-alls.  Especially when it comes to skin conditions.  Now think about the number of ads you see on TV about ecsema and psoriasis, and so many other unsightly skin conditions.  Well these weeds cure them all!

So I had a great time making salves with our bees wax.  One part infused olive oil, one part coconut oil, and a few grams of beeswax to give it the right consistency. It is so amazing, I experimented with every scent I could imagine.

But I think, the lip balm is the best of all.  Have you ever looked at the list of toxins in your average tube of lip balm.  Yuck.

Hope to make some with the kids at our new location this summer at the Art Garage. 

I love February because it means I get to start planting again.  I love to start with potato chits that I have saved from the year before.  When you grow potatoes, there are lots of these little ones that become seed potatoes.  No need to buy seed, just put the little dudes in an egg carton in a dark cool area and then in February you are ready to go!

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We made it through 2025, and it was filled with lots of ups and downs.  It looks like we will be moving to a new location in the new year, and so we will be bringing new garden boxes with us on the journey.  

This new location, Anaprana Healing Studio is focused on healing body, mind and spirit. What is more healing to the body, mind and spirit than nature?

Our programming will come full circle with greater focus on our roots.  The Art Garage!  OK, that may not have much to do with our gardening world, except that there are so many ways we connect artistic activities with nature.  

All I know is I am excited for what this new year will bring.  

These little guys are raring to go.  Our first Zinnea seeds have been planted.  A little leggy at the moment.  Hopefully they will fill out.  These were saved from the plants in front of the Community House on Sheridan, and so they have a little warm spot in my heart.  Like taking a bit of the life that place shared with the community into our new (old) location.  

Life is like that.  One place may be torn down, and paved over, but the seeds can travel, sometimes far and wide.  Remember, one dandelion stem contains over 100 seeds.  Those seeds can fly far and wide.  So remember, you may think your impact is insignificant, but remember the dandelion. So under-rated.  This plant is a medicinal and nutritional giant.  

​We love the underdog here at the Community House.  Hooray for the Dandelions!

My stomach has been all jacked up lately, and I am ready to do a juice fast. I need to get my gut microbiome in order. Probiotics are my friend.  Plants also need probiotics to help them stave off disease and molds. So, I am going to try and make my own Lactobacillus for our plants this year. 

We have used neem oil in the past, but either I didn't do it right, or we got to the plants too late.  The lactobacillus can be applied twice a week just adding it to their water, and if mold and disease starts to break out, spraying it on the leaves. 

Since we are also considering a greenhouse soon, the practice of making and using probiotics will be that much more critical.  

I am paritcularly sensitive to molds, and so what good is it to try to eat healthy fruits and veggies when you are also consuming large quanitites of mold.

Step 1.  Rice Starch Water.
To prepare this, simply add 4 cups of water to 2 cups of rice and stir.  I did this for about 5 minutes, stirring on and off.  This gave me a nice milky liquid which I strained off.  Then keep the liquid in a cool dark place, covered with a cloth so it can breathe, and let the bacteria chow down on the yummy starch.  

​More will be revealed, when we come back with step 2.  

During these long winter nights the anticipation mounts.  Only another month and we will start to sow our seedlings.  I really can't wait.  Last year we planted some Zinneas and so I collected hundreds of seeds from the flowerheads.  

We finally completed the Revised Mission Statement for 2025 and one of the new items on the agenda is our Neighbor In Need program. This was in fact inspired from our New Year's Day event when we shared what we wanted to create in 2025.  Kev said he wanted to help beautify the neighborhood by helping people with their lawns.  

Something lit a spark!  Absolutely.  It was so disheartening to have to leave behind our beautiful community garden at the 2223 house, but we can spread some of the love and garden boxes around to our neighbors.  Starting with helping with lawncare, we can also encourage those who want to, to plant some flowers and even veggies.

I am so excited, I can hardly wait to get my seedlings going.  Funny enough, we already have one volunteer tomato who had popped up in an old planter.  I am not sure what I was trying to grow in there, but I know it wasn't a tomato.  Anyway, we will see if this early bird will make it to spring.

One thing I know for sure, if my Zinnea seeds are good, 2025 will be the year of a Zillion Zinneas!

Goldenrod is so ubiquitous you would never believe how magical this plant truly is.  It flowers in late summer, and the beginning of fall and so is a perfect end of the year harvest.  Both the flowers and the leaves are a great antioxidant, diuretic and astringent.  It has been shown to be beneficial in treating Urinary Tract Infections, which I can attest, are extremely painful.  

Instead of sitting and drinking endless amounts of cranberry juice, why not brew a strong cup of goldenrod tea? 

Collect both leaves and stems.  If you are using them right away you can make your tea with fresh leaves and flowers, no need to dehydrate them.  However, if you want to make sure you have some on hand for when winter hits, or even next summer, rinse them and put them in the dehydrator.  Once dry, crumble the flowers into a jar.  You won't believe the incredible spicy and delicious odor these blooms produce. 

Keep them in your cupboard out of the sun, and use when needed.

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