March 2019 – Cutting Root Apothecary & Farm

Cherry Bark

Here, in the so called Allegheny Plateau or Valley or Ridge or Mountains – basically this area of western PA, Maryland, little parts of West Virginia, here is where wild cherry trees (and maples) dominate the forest. Here in this little forest, that is absolutely true. I love their black bark, almost purple. I love the large ones, really only medium sized trees here. And I love the spindly little ones that are reaching up for the sunlight, but not quite making it. Right now, I have a cough. So I’ve been chewing on the cherry twigs. These twigs [...]

Planting Elders

By Michelle Soto|2019-04-18T20:23:35+00:00March 24th, 2019|Gardening|0 Comments

A few weeks ago, I walked through the low field that swoops up to meet the edge of the forest past our little stream, Crooked Run. This field changes throughout the year, filling with goldenrod in fall, abloom with elder in the spring. Right now, I’m looking for those little elder bushes that push their way through this soggy ground. Elders are special. Their name implies that. Their umbrellas of huge leaves and overloaded flowers, heavy with pollinators shows us that. The little deer beds that show up underneath my elders, the empty umbels that once were full [...]