Wild Walk: Monarda

By Jill Henderson

There is nothing quite as enchanting as a chance encounter with a wild patch of flowering monarda. The electric colors of their shaggy, upright flowers light up the shady places they prefer; dazzling the unprepared eye. Once familiar with the sweet oregano-like scent of this delicately delectable herb one can often smell a colony of monarda long before seeing it. And if the scent doesn’t give it away, the sound of buzzing bees will.

A Gardener’s Odyssey

By Jill Henderson

It was a chilly night in February when my husband and I left our home in Missouri for a six month tour through Southeast Asia. We had just sold our farm, replete with herb, flower and vegetable gardens, fruit trees and berries, all neatly edged in native stone.

Just Itching for Summer

By Jill Henderson

Summer is a fabulous time to explore and hunt for wild edibles or to hike along a cool river, but people around these parts generally avoid venturing into overgrown and untamed places during the summer months because of the ticks and chiggers. How does one even begin to tell outsiders and visitors to our fair

A Walk On the Wild Side: Elderberries

By Jill Henderson

The long, hot days of summer can sometimes be uncomfortable, but they are also a time of abundance in the natural world.  One look around reveals a myriad of fruiting plants, shrubs, trees and vines laden with nutrient rich foods and medicinal leaves and flowers.  And all it takes to fill one’s winter larder is a short walk about the landscape and a keen eye.   July is a particularly bountiful month in which one of my favorite wild edibles, the common elderberry, begins to set and ripen its delicious, nutritious and medicinal fruits.