For those of you lighting candles, may they burn steady and bright, and for everyone feasting, we hope that your meals were/are fulfilling and your leftovers delicious! 

Mark is working out a schedule for lab work in the shroom room. This has been a bit difficult with 3 year-olds who want to help with everything, due to the time and sterility requirements, but he’s getting there! This week he is working on making our own grain spawn from liquid culture and inoculating sawdust with pioppino spawn. It’s pretty exciting stuff!

I finally got around to joining the American Herbalist Guild, which gives me access to piles of current herbalism resources! Just in time for all of the fireside reading I am hoping to enjoy this winter.

Allison of Honeymoon farm brought us several pounds of their wonderful ginger, so we’ll be busy making honey extracts, ginger bug, tincture/elixer, new batches of purple shiitake elderberry syrup and golden honey, and drying/freezing the remainder for use until next harvest. We love the warm versatility of ginger and are thrilled that it is locally available! 

The kiddos and I dug a final round of mullein (Verbascum thapsus) plants. We will use the roots for spinal and urinary tract health and the leaves for all things respiratory. We used some towering seed stalks as walking sticks on the  trek home, spreading seeds the whole way! We adore mullein.

We just finished new batches of solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum) and ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) tinctures. These plants have variable applications, but here are a couple of common uses: solomon’s seal is often used for sore, dry joints/connective tissue and ground ivy for colds and heavy metal detox.  We also have solomon’s seal oil (grapeseed and castor) ready for use in a couple of new salves, stay tuned!
Microgreens this week will be:

• Sunflower 
• Radish
• Broccoli 
• Cilantro
• Spicy mix
• Mellow mix

We will be delivering to Frostburg area on Thursday, Cumberland area on Friday, and will be at the Frostburg winter market on Saturday. Please send your orders by Wednesday if you would like delivery or to preorder for market pickup
Thanks!

Erin