Newsletter #78

Wilderness where people are insignificant, where wildlife just ignores you, where you feel that the ecosystem is functioning and full of life. That really makes the heart soar. ~ Isabella Tree, writer

Hello Friends!

A warm welcome to all new subscribers, and heartfelt thanks to my loyal paid subscribers!

The pace has picked up to a whole new level here at River’s Edge Farm, my climate-resilient mini farm in the Hudson Valley. We’ve had so much rain over the past month that everything is growing like crazy — weeds included!

I’ve been updating my garden journal daily with notes on what I’ve planted and where, what’s thriving, and the garden structures I’ve built to support sweet peas, gourds, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, peonies, and clematis. I’ve also made covers to protect the strawberries and sugar snap peas from snackers (voles and field mice).

Birds are nesting in the many birdhouses I’ve hung near the garden, and mason bees are emerging from the houses (ones I made) and are hard at work in the fruit orchard, buzzing among the dandelions and flowering wild plants. The area around River’s Edge Farm is a haven for wildlife — their habitat is left undisturbed, just as it should be.

I love the quote above because it reflects exactly how I feel walking these grounds.

In this issue, you’ll find:

• A petition I hope you’ll take a moment to support — it’s about protecting wild areas for those who have no voice.

• An article on the benefits of stinging nettles and a soup recipe

• How to tell which foods are fake

• The latest addition to the Cabinet of Green Curiosity

• A moving film by the recently turned 99-year-old David Attenborough

Onwards!

#1- Stinging Nettles

Stinging nettles were the bane of my existence when I was a child exploring shady- woody gardens. I certainly didn’t feel the reverence for them then as I do now!

Did you know that Stinging nettles have a long history of human use, dating back thousands of years. It has been valued for its medicinal properties, as well as for its utility as fiber and food. Nettles were referred to as survival food back in the 18^th century because many people found they had just about run out of food by the end of winter, and nettles were the first edible foods to come up in the spring.