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43 Articles

Hyggeligt: Comfort & Change

@Jean.Denney14 @JeanMarieDenney AS A TEEN, I lived in Denmark, and winter was long and dark; Danes spend this time cozied up indoors. Their term for this, hygge, has made it to mainstream media, particularly encompassing the Danes’ remarkable ability to actually enjoy a lightless winter. The hallmark of hygge—or to be hyggeligt—is to get comfy-cozy. Spring can be ambiguous; part of me doesn’t want to leave my comfy-cozy nest and begin the labors associated with spring, and part of me is twitchy for more fresh air. But the seasons change, and so do I. We hope this issue, along with the rest of the magazines at Ogden Publications, provides inspiration: a can-do attitude, community connections, interest in self-sufficiency, homesteading, classic machinery, and heirloom plants. Each of us at Ogden is…

Hyggeligt: Comfort & Change

“HOW DO YOU GARDEN TO FIT YOUR LIFESTYLE?”

My gardens are a blend of plants I love and find purposeful. We make the majority of our holiday gifts, so we plan our garden prior to spring planting. Some gifts may be medicinal, some culinary, or others simply fun, like a placemat made from pressed flowers. A successful garden year culminates in holiday gifts that yield more than enough for friends and family. — Jan Meyers, Media Consultant My husband and I live in a rental and both work full time, so we’ve found that container gardening fits our lifestyle. It allows us to grow what we want without feeling overwhelmed by a big garden. Plus, we have a lot of fun experimenting with different plants and learning what grows well in our limited space! — Allison…

through the Grapevine

An Educational Experience I really enjoyed Hannah Kincaid’s article on medicinal motherwort in the November/December 2018 issue. The photos are lovely, and the text is educational and thorough. She includes everything readers need to know about motherwort: how to grow it, when to harvest it, how to use it, and what safety precautions we need to take. I hope these kinds of herbs-in-depth articles will be a common feature in the future. OCOEE MILLERLawrence, Kansas Replacing Plastics I admire your magazine, and have been a subscriber for many years now. This summer, I purchased some reusable bamboo straws in Mexico, and it got me thinking that I would love to know how to create my own. It would be awesome if this were a topic you could publish an article…

through the Grapevine

Planting with Purpose

WHILE WE ALL LOVE the smell of plants returning to life and the feel of warm soil, sometimes we forget that gardening isn’t just about bringing healthy food to our tables. It also offers opportunities to connect deeply with nature: its first green shoots, its needs and cycles, and its steady growth as we tend to the plants that bring life to our doorsteps. Admire the life in your garden this year, and never take for granted this precious way you can intentionally interact with your environment.…

Planting with Purpose

Gather the Garden Basics

Easy-to-Grow Flower Collection | $20 Try your hand at growing a host of Burpee’s favorite flowers with this four-cultivar collection of easy-growing seeds. www.Burpee.com Floret Flower Farm Journal | $15 With affirming quotes and gorgeous photos of bright blooms, this journal is just the thing for garden musings. www.ChronicleBooks.com Homestead Iron Dutch Weeder | $38 Thin, sharp, and flexible, this tool, which is based on an ancient design, allows for fine weeding up close to your plants. www.MotherEarthLiving.com/Store 1000W Galaxyhydro Grow Light Panel | $100 Combining just the right ratio of blue and red light, this LED array is perfect for healthy seedlings, succulents, and houseplants. www.Amazon.com Tumbling Composter | $100 This dual-chambered design from YIMBY, while compact, results in full batches of high-quality garden compost. www.Gardeners.com…

Gather the Garden Basics

GRANTS FOR GIVING BACK Mountain Rose Herbs announced its inaugural Giving Project grant winners, each of them dedicated to bringing big dreams about herbalism to life. Alex Rae, Brandon Ruiz, Nina Lawrin, and Sam Coffman are all passionate about not only the healing power of herbs and the importance of environmental stewardship, but also about making herbal medicine accessible to all, from rural populations to urban areas. Watch their application videos and learn more about the grant at Info. MountainRoseHerbs.com/Giving-Project. GROWING STRONG Seventy-four years ago, ginkgo trees—the survivalist of the natural world—once again proved their proclivity for endurance, and we want to take a moment to highlight that strength. When an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945, it killed tens of thousands of citizens and decimated the…

www.BeeCityUSA.org WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Bee City USA, a nonprofit initiative of The Xerces Society, is dedicated to the creation of sustainable pollinator habitats in urban environments. Communities are encouraged to become Bee City USA affiliates through a team of private and public leaders that will help raise awareness about the threats facing pollinators, enhance the habitats in which they can thrive, and show how easy it can be to help. WHAT IT DOES: Ensures the survival of plant and animal species that are vital to our complex global food web. Improves a community’s environment, local food production, small business opportunities, local plant nurseries, and more. Encourages faculty, administrators, and students to champion pollinator habitats through its Bee Campus USA program.…

PLANTING PLAYLIST

“Sunflower” ALICE PEACOCK “A Morning with the Roses” RICHARD DWORSKY “We’re a Lot Like Trees” PAPER LIGHTS “Green” BENRECTOR “An Olive Grove Facing the Sea” SNOW PATROL “Lavender Fields” A SILENT FILM “Bloom” THE PAPER KITES “My Little Georgia Rose” BILL MONROE & HIS BLUE GRASS BOYS “Whose Garden Was This” JOHN DENVER “The Spring” SLEEPING AT LAST web extras Listen to the playlist: www.MotherEarthLiving.com/Planting-Playlist.…

PLANTING PLAYLIST

Beyond the Page

What’s the latest at the Ogden office? Book publishing! Five informative, full-length books have already been released through our new Ogden Publishing group, with 13 and counting scheduled to be published by the end of 2019. Our book team helps craft titles that are written by brand-new authors (such as 52 Homestead Skills by Kimberlee Bastien); reprinted from projects that just need a fresh voice (Natural Beauty from the Garden by Janice Cox, and Bread edited by Karen K. Will); and even gathered from years of experienced magazine contributions (Raise Backyard Chickens: The Definitive Guide from Egg to Plate, and Raise Backyard Bees: The Definitive Guide from Hive to Spoon). Already, there’s something for everyone. Both Cox and Bastien are also Mother Earth News Fair presenters, and two of the 13…

Beyond the Page

MARCH ❑ Take stock of your routine, and break out of the “same old, same old” on National Old Stuff Day on March 2. ❑ Clean and sharpen garden tools to ready for the season. ❑ Honor Learn About Butterflies Day on March 14, and get inspired for a pollinator garden this year. ❑ Speaking of pollinators, if you keep bees, it’s time for a spring hive check! ❑ The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., begins on March 20 and commemorates the 3,000 cherry trees gifted from Tokyo in 1912. ❑ Don’t forget to turn compost as the weather warms! ❑ Traditional Chinese Medicine says to support the liver and gallbladder in spring with young leafy greens and warm vinegar. APRIL ❑ As the weather warms, gradually move…

Homemade Seed-Starting Pots

Cardboard tubes from paper towel or toilet rolls Multipurpose potting mix Seeds of choice 1. If you’re using a paper towel tube, first cut it in half horizontally so you end up with two tubes. If you’re using a toilet roll, there’s no need to do this. 2. You then need to fold one end of the tube upward to stop compost from falling out. To do this, simply make four tears about half an inch long around the outside of one end, and fold the flaps up and inward to make the bottom of the pot. 3. You can now fill the pot with soil. Sow seeds directly into the tubes as normal, and then plant the whole thing out when the plant has matured. Don’t forget to label…

Homemade Seed-Starting Pots

Making Medicine in the Mountains

BALANCING ON SLIPPERY ROCKS 2,800 feet up in the Appalachian Mountains, I pluck a common spade leaf. Before I can place it in my bag, a creeping burn breaks through my gardening glove. Wood nettle, like stinging nettle, releases formic acid and histamine through its tiny hairs that cause an angry patch to spread across my skin. At that point, I decide I have enough leaves for my tincture. Strangely enough, when used topically, this same plant that harms the skin also heals it. Nettle leaf and dandelion root are two of the most common plants I collect annually for tinctures, a type of healing extraction common in Southern Appalachian folk medicine. Around the time the tulip poplar blooms orange, the women in my family gather in east Tennessee to…

Making Medicine in the Mountains

Nettle Tincture

This creek-loving plant might sting on contact, but generosity resides just beneath its ornery exterior. Fresh nettle leaf tincture is so abundant in vitamins and minerals that it’s a popular daily tincture to promote overall wellness. Packed with vitamins A, C, K, and B, as well as minerals, such as iron, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and copper, nettle is a phenomenal advocate for blood and respiratory health. The plant also has anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, anti-hemorrhagic, and anti-allergenic effects. I make sure to incorporate nettle’s health-giving properties with my meals three times a day. A dosage of 0.2 to 0.6 teaspoons of nettle tincture three times daily is an excellent healer for general weakness, low blood pressure, skin complaints, anemia, respiratory allergies, asthma, or rheumatism. It also improves prostate health and…

Nettle Tincture

Dandelion Root Tincture

This unassuming weed has a bad reputation as a nuisance, when deep down it’s a detoxifying super plant. The root contains inulin and levulin, which balance blood sugar, as well as taraxcin for digestive health. The leaves contain vitamins A, B, C, and D, as well as minerals iron, magnesium, zinc, calcium, and manganese. Dandelion is there for me when I can feel that last glass of wine from the night before, but it’s also suitable for the occasional detox of the liver — hangover not required. Just 0.8 to 1 teaspoon of dandelion tincture taken three times a day can act as a blood purifier, digestive tonic, and diuretic, as well as aid liver function. 1 Garble in the springtime by pulling the dandelion plant up, root and all.…

Dandelion Root Tincture

Revitalize Your Complexion with Clay

I SPENT MY ADOLESCENT YEARS surrounded by hundreds of acres of undeveloped woodlands. My grandfather taught me the names of Georgia’s native trees and plants, and the uses and healing properties of different barks, roots, leaves, and flowers. At a young age, I already considered myself an herbalist, and those wild woods were my workshop, where I explored everything nature had to offer. I always loved the gurgling brooks best; they meandered quietly through the woods, displaying bountiful, visible veins of whitish-gray clay. Being crafty, I’d dig the cool, malleable clay out of the banks and find a wide variety of uses for it. Clay is an incredible multipurpose natural resource, and though it’s primarily quarry mined today, my primitive methods of harvesting clay from those brooks — by hand,…

Revitalize Your Complexion with Clay

Living Well with Endometriosis

WRITER’S NOTE: I use the word “women” in this piece to reference people who can have endometriosis, but I understand it isn’t 100 percent inclusive, and inclusion is important. Endometriosis also affects some transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people. People don’t generally get excited to talk about the symptoms of their incurable illness, but mine is one of my favorite topics. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t lead with it when I meet a new person at a party, or accost people on the street with this information. But I do jump at the chance if I even get a whiff of someone showing interest in my stage 4 endometriosis. I’m not excited to share because the symptoms are fun and exciting — they’re not — but because the information is an…

Living Well with Endometriosis

Common Symptoms of Endometriosis

Pain, including extreme menstrual cramping; chronic pelvic, lower-back, abdominal, or leg pain; pain during or after sex; painful bowel movements or urination Excessive bleeding, either as heavy periods or spotting between periods Gastrointestinal symptoms, including bloating; nausea and vomiting; diarrhea; constipation Urinary frequency, retention, or urgency Fatigue Infertility Allergies and other immune-related issues are also commonly reported…

Common Symptoms of Endometriosis

Managing Endometriosis

There is no cure for endometriosis, though a range of management and treatment techniques have been developed. For symptom management, over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium, may ease painful menstrual cramps. Hormone therapy in the form of hormonal birth control pills, patches, or injections may offer pain relief by controlling hormone fluctuations. Hormone blockers — including gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists and antagonists, and aromatase inhibitors — temporarily induce menopause, which can limit the growth of extrauterine endometrial tissue. Hormone therapy may affect fertility, and typically comes with side effects that may be undesirable. To treat endometriosis, doctors may recommend ablation surgery, in which endometrial tissue is destroyed with lasers. Laparoscopic surgery is another minimally invasive option. In some cases, a hysterectomy or oophorectomy (removal of the uterus and…

Preserve Farmers Market Seconds

THE MATH IS ASTONISHING: When it comes to the simple arithmetic of hunger versus domestic food production, hunger shouldn’t exist in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans waste up to 40 percent of the food they produce every year. And yet, this same agency tells us that in 2016 more than 41 million Americans were food insecure, 13 million of whom were children. This egregious imbalance isn’t limited to the U.S. Globally, we produce enough food to feed 10 billion people, and yet close to 1 billion go without. While we’re not want for enough food in total, production and distribution will need to change dramatically before these numbers can balance out. There’s waste at each level of food production: on farms, in supermarkets, in…

Preserve Farmers Market Seconds

The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving

Organized by technique, The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving covers water bath and pressure canning, pickling, fermenting, freezing, dehydrating, and smoking. Straightforward instructions and step-by-step photos ensure success for beginners, while practiced home canners will find more advanced methods and inspiring ingredient twists. Tested for quality and safety, recipes range from much-loved classics — Tart Lemon Jelly, Tomato-Herb Jam, Ploughman’s Pickles — to fresh flavors such as Asian Pear Kimchi, Smoked Maple-Juniper Bacon, and Kombucha. Make the most of your preserves with delicious dishes including Crab Cakes garnished with Eastern Shore Corn Relish and traditional Strawberry-Rhubarb Hand Pies. Special sidebars highlight seasonal fruits and vegetables, while handy charts cover processing times, temperatures, and recipe formulas for fast preparation. Lushly illustrated with color photographs, this 368-page guide is…

The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving

Mold Your Own Delicious Vegan Cheese

I LOVE CHEESE. I love the savory, salty flavors and the creamy textures. I love how it pairs with a diverse variety of foods, from fruits and crackers to vegetable crudités and antipasto. I’m far more likely to crave cheese than any other food. What I don’t love, however, is how cheese makes me feel — at least the standard variety of dairy cheeses. I’m not just lactose intolerant, I’m allergic to dairy products. As a nutritionist and doctor of natural medicine, I used to console myself with the notion that most dairy products aren’t healthy options for a wide variety of reasons. But, once I applied fermentation techniques I learned over the years to nuts and seeds, I realized I could create delicious, creamy, and versatile cheeses that were…

Mold Your Own Delicious Vegan Cheese

The Cultured Cook

Detailing everything you need to begin fermenting in your home kitchen, The Cultured Cook offers recipes and tips for making vegan, gluten-free foods even better for you. From delicious plant-based yogurt and cheese, to basics such as sauerkraut, pickles, and kombucha, to tempting desserts (even ice cream!), you’ll discover ways to add fermented foods to every meal. Your body will enjoy the benefits of probiotics, as well as the increasingly recognized prebiotics, to supercharge your health. This title is available at www.MotherEarthLiving.com/Store or by calling 800-456-6018. Mention promo code MMLPAIZ6. Item #8459.…

The Cultured Cook

Back packing Meals Made Simple

THE WONDER OF A BACKPACKING TRIP can’t be beat — a running stream tumbling over rocks, fresh air, scenic beauty, and the opportunity to get away from life’s stresses. What better way to add to the day’s adventure than enjoying tasty food out in the woods? Oddly, many hikers spend a fair amount of time planning their upcoming hike and gathering the necessary gear, but give little time or thought to food preparation for the big trip. Many grab what’s quick and convenient while unaware that prepackaged food choices can adversely affect health and performance during and after a backpacking trip. If we put poor nutrition into our bodies while on the trail, we’ll get poor performance out of our bodies, resulting in a lack of energy, fatigue, poor sleep,…

Back packing Meals Made Simple

What to Avoid and Why

PREPACKAGED DEHYDRATED MEALS: They’re favored for their convenience, but they’re expensive, offer inconsistent quantities, and can contain additives and an excess of sodium. CANNED FOODS: Chicken and Spam packets are impractical, heavy to carry (your legs and back will feel it), and laden with preservatives and an excess of sodium. Conversely, fresh fruits, vegetables, and regular breads can bruise, spoil, or get smooshed in a backpack. READY-MADE PRODUCTS: Hikers often choose to carry ramen noodle soup mixes, Knorr pasta or rice sides, potato pouches, tuna and chicken packets, pepperoni, toaster pastries, oatmeal packets, candy bars, and so on. Cheap and quick, these items are poor quality and loaded with additives — GMOs, high sodium, MSG, sugar — that amounts to little nutritional value, and they’re…

What to Avoid and Why

Snacking On the Trail

Combinations of the famous trail-hardy GORP (which can be much more than “good old raisins and peanuts”) can satisfy hunger at rest points throughout your hike. Farmers markets, health food stores, and large supermarkets offer assorted nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, sesame sticks, dried fruit, and anything else you want for making unique snacking combinations. If you buy dried fruit from the store, avoid added sugar. Freeze-dried fruits, though very light, easily crumble into powder and aren’t worth the price. Candy bars are a favorite snack for hikers, but they can make you sluggish because of the high sugar content that raises the glycemic index. The same brands of premade bars listed for breakfast can also make wholesome snacks. When snacking on a trail, moderation is key.…

Snacking On the Trail

5 Easy Dehydrated Foods

A dehydrator removes water content, allowing hikers to safely carry a variety of foods (which can later be rehydrated for meals) through their routes with ease. No need to spend a lot, either. I use a Nesco Snackmaster food dehydrator or my home oven on the lowest temperature with the door cracked open for air circulation. 1 Fresh and frozen vegetables, such as peas and carrots, make great dehydrated additions to hiking meals. 2 Sauces, such as tomato or pesto, can be dried to a leather using the plastic sheet that comes with the dehydrator. 3 Jerky is made by slicing beef, such as London Broil, into thin strips, marinating them overnight in 3 parts soy sauce to 1 part red wine (remember to remove the air from the plastic…

5 Easy Dehydrated Foods

6-Tray Digital Dehydrator

Dry the season’s harvest for long-term preservation and snacking with the 6-Tray Digital Dehydrator from Weston. This lightweight, compact dehydrator is ideal for dried herbs, fruit leathers, jerky, banana chips, and more. The adjustable thermostat, digital display, and 48-hour timer with auto shut-off make it simple to preserve your favorite foods, and the continuous airflow ensures even drying. It includes one netting sheet for drying herbs, seeds, and other small food items, and a solid sheet for making fruit leathers. This title is available at www.MotherEarthLiving.com/Store or by calling 800-456-6018. Mention promo code MMLPAIZ6. Item #8854.…

6-Tray Digital Dehydrator

Landscaping with Medicinal Plants

Traditional landscaping can offer a lot of benefits. Plants bring beauty, shade, food, and wildlife habitats to your home, among many other ecological services. Plants can offer medicine and healing for our bodies, minds, and spirits as well. It’s just a matter of getting to know the plants we can grow and which ones can help us most. Since the beginning of time, humans have evolved with plants — the original medicine — as sources of nutrition and wellness. Modern pharmaceuticals are often formulated to mimic herbs or are created using herbs in conjunction with synthesized constituents. And the further these herbs are from their natural state, the harder it can be for our bodies to use them for healing. These single adaptogens are powerful medicine, so why not start…

The Curb Appeal Garden

A home’s front walkway often gets the most traffic from visitors and therefore requires extra consideration when it comes to beauty throughout the seasons. Plus, this space is ideal for easy access to grab a cutting from an herb or leaves for tea! The curb appeal garden includes plants that have interest year-round — whether evergreen foliage or plants with various blooming times — so there’s always something on display. Foundation beds along the front of a house tend to be narrow and compact and are best for well-behaved or low-maintenance plants. My example scenario features plants that love full sun and the extra warmth from the thermal mass of a home. Plants with fragrance and flowers placed near an entryway are more likely to be noticed and enjoyed by…

The Curb Appeal Garden

The Shade Garden

Many of us have a garden area made undesirable by shade. For these spaces, or for spaces that get only partial sunlight, you’ll want to choose plants that prefer those conditions, and luckily, some plants do! If you’re unsure how much sunlight a specific space gets, watch the area for a period of time during the growing season. It qualifies as a shade garden if it gets less than six hours of direct sunlight. 1. TALL OREGON GRAPE (BERBERIS AQUIFOLIUM): This woody shrub can grow 5 to 10 feet tall with bright-yellow flowers and edible blue berries. The bark and roots are medicinal, traditionally helping to treat jaundice, fever, diarrhea, indigestion, and more. 2. VIOLETS (VIOLA SPP.): These perennial ground covers have sweet flowers, and they’re slow-growing, but will spread.…

The Shade Garden

The Indoor Medicine Garden

Anyone with a sunny windowsill can plant a medicine garden. If you live in a colder climate or a city apartment, this is a great way to keep plants and have medicine available year-round. Most indoor plants prefer six hours of sunlight, and there are a few other rules of thumb to follow to make sure your indoor garden is successful: Only pot plants together that share the same needs for watering and soil conditions. Use deep pot saucers to keep water from spilling out and making a mess; this will also help hydrate the roots through capillary action. Plan on fertilization during the growing season based on what makes the plant thrive. Plan on bumping up pot sizes every 1 to 2 years so the plant has room for…

The Indoor Medicine Garden

The Wild Medicine Garden

Some inconvenient areas of your garden may not be irrigated or easy to maintain. This is where you can create a wild medicine garden with plants whose natural competition with each other makes them low-maintenance; you won’t have to weed or tend to the space. Whether they’re large and unruly, have thorns like roses, or sting like nettles, these plant species may not be ideal candidates for more cultivated garden spaces where they have to be worked around regularly. Instead, plant them with plenty of room to spread in your out-of-the-way garden area, and let them take over. Using plants native to your region will be ideal, as they’ll be adapted to your local climate and soils. Non-native plants can work as well, but just make sure they won’t become…

The Wild Medicine Garden

Flourish With Adaptogens

Plants that are used for human health can be grouped into many logical classifications, and the truth of the matter is that one herb can fall into multiple categories. Take chamomile for instance: It’s definitely a nervine, as it contains chemicals that are beneficial to the nervous system. Then again, we can easily classify chamomile as a carminative, because when steeped for more than a couple minutes, it releases bitter compounds that can mildly irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach, soothing digestion as it relieves cramping. So, which is it? Herbalists are constantly devising ways to classify herbs, and this is a testament to the plant world’s continuous defiance of our ability to fully understand it. With that in mind, it’s not too surprising that we’re still inventing new…

Flourish With Adaptogens

Healing in Hospital Gardens

When we think of hospitals, we think of medical treatment, but also of the clinical, sterile environment in which that treatment takes place. More and more often, however, surrounding a hospital or hidden at its heart, is a garden. Founded on recent research and the opinions of health care professionals from centuries ago, conventional medicine is recognizing the benefits of nature in the healing process of patients. Sometimes this involves using organically grown food as preventative medicine, strengthening patients with garden-grown meals. Most times, patients are given the opportunity to sit in a quiet garden or walk a peaceful, landscaped trail as a way to recover from the stress of various treatments. From trees visible through windows to areas for children to play and learn with their families, discover how…

Healing in Hospital Gardens

SEEK SERENITY IN A Backyard Labyrinth

Some people clear their heads by running. Others practice yoga, hike to a mountaintop, or walk in silence. A labyrinth is another form of moving meditation, spiraling its participants toward its center and back out again. The non-branching path, while meandering, is singular. Where a maze confounds, a labyrinth clarifies. Labyrinths and mazes are often referred to interchangeably, but nowadays, “labyrinth” typically means a design with one path that moves from the outer edge to the center and back out again; and “maze” refers to a design with many confusing paths, dead ends, and often distinct entrances and exits. In Greek mythology, the labyrinth that Daedalus built to house the Minotaur was actually a maze — otherwise, Theseus wouldn’t have needed the thread from Ariadne to find his way back…

SEEK SERENITY IN A Backyard Labyrinth

SACRED Geometry

Rev. Lauren Artress attributes some of the healing qualities of labyrinths to the shape of their paths. “Generally,” she says, “the path is no wider than a human being’s shoulders.” The narrow path allows walkers to fall into their natural pace, and simply follow along the spiral while their minds flow through the questions they’ve brought to the labyrinth. The complex, spiraling shape of the labyrinth as a whole is also instrumental in its effect. Cultures around the world attribute symbolic meanings to spirals, finding a suggestion of movement, growth, and change in their singular path around a central point. Classical labyrinths have seven circuits, a number that calls to mind the seven visible planets, chakras, colors, and even musical tones. By the medieval era, labyrinths were often constructed with…

SACRED Geometry

BUILD A Backyard Labyrinth

Labyrinths offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with yourself, nature, and your community. They can be built to suit any budget or space, and can be temporary or permanent installations. Here’s a basic guide to making your own Chartres-style brick labyrinth — although you can apply these instructions to any style or material. You can rough out the pattern for your labyrinth with leaves or cut grass, or lay out a rope to define the path before you begin laying bricks. Consider how many people you expect to walk the labyrinth at once, as well; this will affect the size of the center circle, and whether users will be able to stay at the center for a while or will need to continue on the unwinding path immediately. TOOLS AND…

BUILD A Backyard Labyrinth

LABYRINTH FORMULAS

Most labyrinths are roughly circular, so the formulas to find the area of the path — and the amount of path material you’ll need — are quite simple. All measurements are in feet or square feet. AREA OF A CIRCLE: πr2 AREA OF A RING: πro2 – πri2 PATH WIDTH: (Dt – Dc)/n ✽ Use 3.14 for π; r is the radius of the circle. For the area of a ring, ro is the radius of the outer circle, and ri is the radius of the inner circle. ✽ For path width, n is the number of times you encounter the path, counting straight across the center. This is 22 for a Chartres-style labyrinth (11 circuits, encountered twice). Dt is the total diameter of the labyrinth, and Dc is the…

LABYRINTH FORMULAS

Composting for Small Spaces

YOU’RE TIRED of taking out trash bag after trash bag filled with stinky fruit and vegetable scraps. It feels like a waste (pun intended) to throw away so many food trimmings when you know you could be composting them instead. But you live in a small dwelling, share a home with several others, or have no private outdoor space, and composting seems like an impossible feat. Though it may feel unattainable, composting with limited space simply requires some creativity! Down in the Dirt Composting is a deliberate, accelerated decomposition process of organic materials, such as grass clippings and food scraps, which are transformed into a rich fertilizer. Mixing compost with soil gives optimal nutritional balance to plants. So, by combining sources of nitrogen (“greens,” such as fruit peelings) and sources…

Composting for Small Spaces

What to Do with Fertilizer

If you live in a small space, you may find yourself with a pile of compost but no way to use it. Perhaps you don’t have enough plants to use up all your compost, or you just don’t have any plants due to weather or lack of space. Consider these strategies to divert your excess materials while still embracing the small-space composting lifestyle. If compost isn’t used immediately, store it in a covered pile on the ground (if you have outside space) or in a covered bin or sealed bag for later use. Just make sure it stays moistened and stirred! Compost can usually store until the next season. If you know your compost won’t be used for a while, consider giving it away. Ask co-workers, friends, and family members…

What to Do with Fertilizer

Bring on the Bees

THERE ARE MORE THAN 4,000 SPECIES of native bees in North America, and while supporting European honeybees is important, helping our native population is even more so. Pollinators are responsible for more than 20 billion dollars of food crops each year, and many species are suffering from population declines due to pesticide exposure, disease, and habitat loss. Even urban gardeners with small patio gardens or containers can provide important habitat for these insects. If every homeowner and apartment dweller built a pollinator garden like this one, what a huge difference we’d make! 20 billion dollars in food crops is made possible each year in the United States through pollinators. CREATE CONTAINER & PLANT GARDEN 1 Flip the trash can upside down, and hammer the awl through the bottom of the…

Bring on the Bees

Raise Backyard Bees

Sister publication Mother Earth News has joined the fight to save pollinators, and within these pages you’ll find advice, tips, and personal experiences from novice to expert beekeepers from every walk of life and corner of the country. In Raise Backyard Bees, discover information on building beehives, installing bees in the hive, gathering a swarm, breeding queen bees, caring for bees, harvesting honey, processing honey for sale, and using freshly harvested honey in delicious recipes. This title is available at www.MotherEarthLiving.com/Store or by calling 800-456-6018. Mention promo code MMLPAIZ6. Item #9039.…

Raise Backyard Bees

Best Host Plants for Bees

✽ Aster (Aster spp.) ✽ Bee balm (Monarda spp.) ✽ Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.) ✽ Blazing star (Liatris spp.) ✽ Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) ✽ Coneflower (Echinacea spp.) ✽ Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) ✽ Dill (Anethum graveolens) ✽ Giant hyssop (Agastache spp.) ✽ Globe thistle (Echinops spp.) ✽ Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) ✽ Lacy phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) ✽ Meadowsweet (Spiraea alba) ✽ Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) ✽ Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum spp.) ✽ Nepeta (Nepeta spp.) ✽ Oregano (Origanum vulgare) ✽ Penstemon (Penstemon spp.) ✽ Sage (Salvia spp.) ✽ Sunflower (Helianthus spp.) ✽ Tickseed (Coreopsis spp.)…

Best Host Plants for Bees

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