Blog

Fall Color: Five Trees to Plant This Fall for Color Next Fall

September 18, 2023

Fall is a very special time of the year! Between the apple picking, cooler temperatures, and pumpkin spiced everything, what’s not to love!? It’s also the best time to plant a new shade or ornamental tree! While I’m hard-pressed to choose a favorite tree, here are some of my top choices for trees that provide good fall color and other benefits...

Spider Mites: How to Spot and Stop

August 12, 2023

When the Summer heat starts, I’m always on the lookout for a destructive little pest called spider mites. True to its name, this sap sucker is an arachnid, not an insect. While oftentimes an infestation will not kill a host plant outright, it can certainly weaken it to where it can be susceptible to other insects or diseases. They are common and...

Elderberry Syrup: Natures Medicine Cabinet

August 2, 2023

Ever since the onset of the Corona Virus, doctors, naturalists, and homesteaders alike have been delving deeper into the healing capabilities of elderberry. The Greek healer and physician Hippocrates called the elder plant Natures medicine chest because of all its healing benefits. Our Missouri native strain of elderberry, Sambucus...

Apples in July, A Story of Seasonal Eating

July 29, 2023

It’s not even the last day of July and I am sitting here with 2 apples on my desk straight out of the orchard. One perfectly ripe and one is over ripe. Yes, over ripe apples. In July. Our society has been programmed to believe apples are ripe in September. It fits a lovely narrative. And yes, many varieties are. But if we lean into the...