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Current News |
09-01-09
Back in the spring, I had a lot of fun providing a bit of wilderness survival consulting for the Man versus Wild show when they filmed here in Alabama. It was filmed at Little River Canyon/Ball Play Swamp area and provided something of a challenge for the crew due to the wide variety of weather we were having at the time. After shooting wrapped up, Jane and I were invited to the after filming get together where Bear Grylls and I had this picture taken. All in all, it was an interesting experience. Bear turned out to be an exceptionally nice guy and is very personable and easy going. 09-05-09 Added a short clip about Plantain taken this summer as students from The Southeastern Institute for Traditional Herbal Medicine were taking a plant identification walk at a local cemetary. 09-01-09 I have uploaded some new plant videos from my new DVD called, "Southern Medicinal Plants". I am going to add a page to the website with various videos as I film them as well as having a section of podcasts. Visit http://www.youtube.com/southernherbalist to see the newest uploaded videos. I will also be adding more podcasts to this site as well. Be prepared for a lot of new changes and an updated list of classes by this weekend. I am planning on adding a series of videos this weekend on the Swine Flu and its potential ramifications on our health as well as civil liberties. 03-25-09 I don't know how it is for most of you in the cold north but here in the Deep South, it is absolutely beautiful. the woods are filling rapidly with an assortment of wildflowers and medicinal plants. Bloodroot leaves are getting larger now that the blossoms have begun to fall. The Trilliums, Black and Blue Cohosh, Wild Ginger, Alleghenny Spurge and a host of other plants are rapidly spreading across the forest floor. It is a glorious time to get out and ramble in the woods. For the next few days, it is going to be very rainy here in Alabama and this just means that it will cause another explosion of color both in the woods and in the surrounding fields. On the Survival/Homesteading front - I have really been putting an emphasis this year on getting the gardening in order, planting a wider assortment of blueberries, thornless blackberries, apple rees etc... along with the usual cabbages, tomatoes and other vegetables. As Jules Dervaes says, "Resistance is Fertile!". It is our duty as Americans to be as independent and self-sufficient as possible. One of the best ways we can do this is by taking control of our food supply so that we are less dependent on food brought in from thousands of miles and even continents away. America has become dangerously dependent upon outside sources of food and it is just a matter of time before we find ourselves held hostage to other countries for our food just as oil has a stranglehold on our economy now. As a net importer of food for the first time in our history, we are critically close to a dangerous tipping point in our food supply. It is up to us as individuals to retake control of our lives and the best thing we can do is to begin to garden. For years, on an off I have been doing a series of newsletters and occasional podcast about the issues of herbal medicine, homesteading, survival gardening and survivalist topics in general. Over the next few weeks, I have decided to again put more emphasis in these areas. Back in the 1980's when I began homesteading seriously, those of us in this are we thought to be radical dooma gloom naysayers. It is amazing how, 20 years later, our predictions are actually beginning to be taken more seriously. As the podcasts and the Youtube videos ramp up, I hope you take the time to listen, watch and send in show ideas. Whether it is gardening, survival skills, homesteading, firearms or whatever, we will try and cover it for you. Keep tuned in through the newsletter and here on the website for new podcasts and videos as they become available. Until then, check on the podcast on my herbal mentor Tommie Bass at http://thesouthernherbalist.com/thesouthernherbalist.html and keep tuned for episode #1 of the new podcast series in the next few days.
Finally! In spite of the snow we had yesterday, spring is officially here as fas as I am concerned. I have Trout Lily up and blooming and the Bloodroot is beginning to poke its head above ground. My favorite time of the year is finally on its way. Now is the time to get out and begin exploring the hills and hollows in North Alabama and the Deep South. I am working on a schedule of classes for the next few months. They will range from one day intensives on herbal medicine, homesteading and survival skills. Check the calendar pages in the next few days as I add classes. The Southern Herbalist/Stalking The Wild newsletter has been sent and I will be posting a copy on the website for those of you with mail accounts which won't show graphics. It has some great articles and will be followed by another newsletter by the end of the month. The Southeasern School of Herbal Medicine has a new class beginning in Rock Spring, Ga this month and a beginner class in Gadsden, July of 2009. If you are interested in either of these classes, drop me a line for an application. The Southeastern School of Herbal Medicine is now accepting application for the 2009/2010 year. This herbal studies course will begin on July 12/13th and run one weekend a month for 12 months. This intensive one year program is designed to take students from a minimal knowledge of herbal medicine to a point where they have the confidence and experience to begin their own practice. This program consists of classroom lecture, hands on practice compounding herbal formulas and intense field work. All students will have the opportunity to gain practical experience working in a local health food store along with volunteer work in a "Free Clinic" environment. Along with the herbal training part of the couse, students will be introduced to basic iridology, reflexology and have the opportunity to become certified in level I Reiki. To apply, email darryl@thesouthernherbalist.com. Cost for the 12 month program is $1,250. A detailed listing of each class can be found on the calendar/classes page of this website. 05/12/08 The Southeastern School of Herbal Medicine is now accepting application for the 2008/2009 year. This herbal studies course will begin on July 12/13th and run one weekend a month for 12 months. This intensive one year program is designed to take students from a minimal knowledge of herbal medicine to a point where they have the confidence and experience to begin their own practice. This program consists of classroom lecture, hands on practice compounding herbal formulas and intense field work. All students will have the opportunity to gain practical experience working in a local health food store along with volunteer work in a "Free Clinic" environment. Along with the herbal training part of the couse, students will be introduced to basic iridology, reflexology and have the opportunity to become certified in level I Reiki. To apply, email darryl@thesouthernherbalist.com. Cost for the 12 month program is $1,250. A detailed listing of each class can be found on the calendar/classes page of this website.
03/04/08
Spring has officially arrived! I went out in my front yard today and things were beginning to pop up all over the place. I first noticed a few Trilliums and then the Hepatica blooming. This prompted me to look a bit closer and saw that the Mayapple was just poking it's head out of the ground and a handful of Bloodroots were already showing their tightly closed buds, ready to bloom in the next day or so. This weekend, I'm going to time-lapse videotape one opening up for the spring medicinal plants video I am working on. I also have Green Violets and False Rue Anemone up as well. This makes for an exiting time for me, knowing that Spring is here and new life is ready to take over from the slumber of Winter. While Winter does have it's own special beauty, I have to admit that Springtime and it's abundance of beautful blooms has to be my favorite. Take a look at the calendar of events if you get the chance. I have a lot of classes coming up and more to schedule. I am also going to post information on the Southeastern Institute for Traditional Herbal Medicine shortly. This is going to be a one weekend a month, twelve month herbal education school held here in North Alabama. We will be starting the school in June and anyone interested in more information on the schedule and costs can e-mail me. This school will be limited in size and will require and application form to be filled out prior to attending.
02/20/08 Toothworts, also known as Crinkleroot, are one of my favorite edible plants of later winter and early spring. The leaves, and even more so, the roots have a sharp, peppery taste resembling Horseradish. In fact, you can even make a pretty good Horseradish substitute for Chinese hot mustard. A very hot tea of the leaves or roots can be used as a diaphoretic to heat the body and cool fevers. Toothworts can be found all over the place under Maples, Poplars and other deciduous trees. You will find it growing with the Hepaticas, Trilliums and other hardwoods loving plants. In my area, these plants come up in late Fall and hang around all winter. In early Spring, they will bloom and continue to be available to the forager until late Spring to early summer. On of my favorite trailside spices, Toothworts are a welcome addition to a pot of soup or even as a hot condiment on sandwiches.
02/18/08
Please check out the calendar of events for listing of classes. Beginning on Feb. 28th, I will be teaching a four week series on the basics of being your own herbalist. The classes will be held in the nature pavillion at DeSoto State park and will be held every other Thursday for four weeks. I will also be conducting an herbal medicine making intensive on the weekend of March 22nd. On the 23rd., we will have an all day edible and medicinal plant walk at Little River Canyon. This is a "make and take" class and will consist of plant walks to identify medicinal plants and the practical application of making salves, liniments and tinctures. 01/23/08 Check out our calendar of classes page. Through the month of May, there are a lot of great edible/medicinal plant walks, primitive skills classes, lectures and even a class on building a cob stove. Now that January is here, Spring is just around the corner and it is time to get out in the woods! If you want to attend any of the classes, please e-mail darryl@thesouthernherbalist.com for more information. 01/03/08
It's about 16 degrees outside, the fire is going strong and the odor of homemade sourdough bread is filling the house! It doesn't get much better than this. I'm trying out a new bread recipe and when it finishes cooling, it is going to meet some olive oil dip and yummmmm!
It is amazing to see how nature has made that subtle shift to early winter. The plants of autumn are rapidly losing their leaves as they prepare for the long rest ahead of them. At the same time, plants such as Chickweed, Queen Anne's Lace, Yellow Dock and Henbit are rapidly shooting up and blooming. This is their time of the year as they make the most of these cool, rainy days. Here in North Alabama, we are finally getting some much needed rain and as the soil greedily drinks it up, I look out my window and don't see a cold, dreary day - rather, I see life rejuvenating itself. Give it a few more days and all of this cool weather will cause a flushing of the Oyster mushrooms on the Poplar trees and it will be time to gather them by the sackful. While I have to admit that, in many ways, Winter is my least popular time of the year, it does have it's own stark beauty and there certainly is no limit to the number of available edible and medicinal plants to be found. The link to subscribe to the Southern Herbalist and Stalking The Wild newsletter is now active and you can sign up to receive your first issue. 11/23/07
Whew! It surely has been busy the last few days!!! Jane and I went on a quick trip to Sedona, Arizona and the Grand Canyon. Got to let her see a pretty awesome canyon and get a few days R and R before hitting the grind again. We saw a lot of great sites, some interesting plants and even some Desert Big Horn Sheep running up and down the sides of the Canyon. I still don't understand how they do it without falling. They were at the visitor center about ten feet away from us and the next thing you know, off the side and running around about a mile above the bottom. It made me dizzy just to look at them scampering about the cliffs with certain death awaiting if they slipped. Arizona is a fun place to go and for a desert region is incredibly diverse in both plant and animal life. I was looking at one interesting tree which resembled a 30 foot tall twisted Holly and finally realized it was a Fremont Barberry. There was enough berberine in that tree to treat a lot of liver conditions. I didn't realize they got that large.
I'm finally getting the new website up and running, although a few kinks (well, maybe several) have to be worked out until it is fully operational. I still haven't seen where the Stalking The Wild... DNS numbers are pointing in the right direction. I just hope that everyone remains patient while the big switch takes place. I really like the way the new site is looking and would appreciate some feedback as to what you the reader think. Please e-mail me at darryl@thesouthernherbalist.com and feel free to critique things. If you look at the sidebar on the SH and STW pages, you will see that, now the articles will download as adobe pdf's and you will need acrobat reader, a free program to read them. I am also in the process of putting together a monthly newsletter which will be available by subscription (free). Once I get back from a trip this week Jane and I are taking to the Grand Canyon, I'll post more information here and will have a subscription link up and running. Please take a look at the classes and calendars link for plant and primitive skills classes coming up for the winter. They will be kicking off soon! |
Spring is coming on rapidly here in North Alabama. All of the winter plants have been up and blooming for several months now and the earliest of the Spring plants are just now poking their heads up out of the ground, preparing to make the most of the rains we are having. Just today I noticed the Hepatica in bloom, the Black Cohosh has already begun to come up and plants such as Crinkleroot (Toothwort) have been up for quite some time and will be blooming shortly. The photo to the right is Chickweed (Stellaria media) and I will be posting an article soon on this wonderful medicinal AND edible plant. It is one I consider one of the top ten herbs I use for everything from skin salves to bladder infections and is very tasty as well!