Hing Family Homestead

Very excited about these fermented herbal sodas.
❤️🍷🌿

It's that time of year again! The hurricane killed off a couple of my Roselle plants in the flooding (that's nothing compared to others). But I am grateful to be able to start harvesting something. I truly love Roselle aka Hibiscus tea, Jamaican Sorrel.
Scientific name: Hibiscus sabdariffa.
A delightful fermented Roselle herbal soda is in the works!

I'm loving this new cold process soap recipe that I am playing with - Milk kefir, finely ground oats for a touch of exfoliation, Lavender and Lemongrass EOs, along with beeswax and honey for longevity and softness.

Took a break from herbs to get a couple batches of soap made. This one is a rich goat's milk soap, unscented for us sensitive folks. Normally I do a loaf but these will cure to a light almost white cream color which I think will look lovely in these moulds. Photos to come tomorrow when I pop them out.

Did he say save storm wood for mushrooms??? 😍

Newsletter #525, 4 October 2022 - Eat The Weeds and other things, too Don’t throw away hurricane wood! Above is plan A and plan B. In the background is a Plan A a ton of maple rescued from a lawn last summer and inoculate with several different mushroom species. Plan B is a few hundred pounds of Ian-downed oak in front that I will inoculate this week with […]

Thoughts on Bidens and chickens!
As I'm letting my chickens out to free range during the day, I am noticing that they look pretty rough from being cooped up for almost a week after hurricane Ian. They weren't able to forage their usual insect and plant diet along with their feed due to flooding. I can see the toll it took. When I see them struggling or unwell, I like to give them a little extra boost with things like dried nettles. I even give them a bit of oregano for its antimicrobial effects - an idea shared by a fellow farmer and friend who is also a fantastic clinical herbalist of Healthy By Nature. But since these herbs too cost money, it dawned upon me that there is a better, healthier way that saves me from unnecessary spending. Before my chickens were old enough to forage, they very much enjoyed offerings of Bidens alba. They went nuts over it. However, since they are old enough to free range, they turn their noses up to my gifts of Bidens bunches. I guess it's kind of like when we get sick of the same old. But that's ok because I thought of a way to incorporate this healthiness into their diet. For the areas that I plan to clear the Bidens (because they have a hard time respecting boundaries), I am going to harvest and dry. Once dry, I'll roughly blend them up and store them and add to their feed as needed. I wouldn't give it all of the time. Only when I see they need a little something extra. And now I've just saved about $20 per pound of nettles. So there ya go! That annoying bush of Bidens alba is now a super nutritious and nourishing chicken supplement for free! Be advised not to collect from areas that have been sprayed or contaminated such as near roadways or that one spot that your dog likes to p*e. Yeah, I'm looking at you Ridge (my 3 year old furry friend). 😄
I hope you find this helpful! And if you're looking for a clinical herbalist, I highly recommend Tabitha at Healthy by Nature.
https://healthybynature.life/about/

More on Bidens alba if you should be so inclined.
Green Deane, a long-time forager, shares an informative article and video on Bidens. I particularly love how he mentions that Bidens alba is the 3rd most common reliable nectar source here in Florida. If you're consuming local raw honey, you're likely enjoying a contribution from Bidens alba. And if you're looking for a way to enjoy the edible aspects of Bidens, he prepares a meal right in his video. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/F6AaozZpBok

https://www.eatthew**ds.com/spanish-needles-pitchfork-w**d/

EatTheWeeds: Episode 75: Spanish Needles, Bidens http://www.eatthew**ds.com/spanish-needles-pitchfork-w**d/Learn about wild food with Green Deane. In this video we'll take a look at a very common species fo...

Herbal Studies! 🌿🍃🍵☕
Today I am focusing on the plant Bidens alba in my herbal studies course through the Florida School of Holistic Living.
It's beneficial for me to share with you as it helps me retain the knowledge and I get to share these valuable herbal remedies with you in the process.
This herb is especially cool because it grows abundantly here in SW Florida, likely right in your own backyard. Incredible remedies just feet away from you. Many call it a nuisance w**d as it propagates easily with its well-known pitch fork like seed earning it the common name pitchfork w**d. Spanish needle is another that many Floridians are familiar with.
But don't be mad at it. Annoyingly painful as they may be when they get stuck in your shirt or socks, they make up for it with their nutritional punch and therapeutic properties. Additionally, it is an important food source for pollinators such as honey bees which makes me love them all the more being a beekeeper myself. In my neck of the woods, things get pretty dry during the winter. Many of our big nectar & pollen sources die down during the winter. Being a native plant, Bidens keeps going with very limited care.
But what properties does Bidens have? Are you ready for this? All this goodness right in your own backyard:
It is said to have these properties "antibacterial, antidiabetic, antidysentric, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antimicrobial, antiseptic, blood tonic, carminative, galactagogue, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, immunomodulant, mucus membrane tonic, neuroprotectant, prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor, styptic, vulnerary"
Quoted from the book Herbal Antibiotics: Natural Alternatives for Treating Drug-Resistant Bacteria by Stephen Buhner

How amazing is that? And yet we rip it out and throw it away. This is one of my favorite local herbs and I'll be working with it in the coming days. Stay tuned to see how I'll be incorporating it in our own herbal medicine cabinet. In the meantime, go have a look to see if you have this incredible remedy growing near you. And we can share how we utilize it together. 💚🌿☕

Just as soon as the flood waters drain...
💚🌱

Florida fall vegetable gardening is in full swing this month! Onions, carrots, greens, and much more can be planted in October. Links to text and printable versions of this 3rd edition infographic can be found at UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/plant-of-the-month/monthly-infographic.html

Urena lobata
Common name: Caesar w**d aka really annoying w**d.
It really gets on my nerves because it can really take over. And it has. It's so hard to keep up with. And if you're not a native taking over cohabitating with the environment around you, I don't want you in my garden. THEN today I came across an herbalist's post stating that some of the most annoying w**ds have medicinal purposes. Caesar w**d came to mind and I Googled away. Sure enough, it is quite medicinal. It's also edible if you're on the brink of death and don't mind chewing sandpaper (from what I've been told).
It has some good uses. For your information, from Green Deane's handy dandy website the low down on
Urena lobata:
https://www.eatthew**ds.com/caesar-w**d-sampler/ #:~:text=Decoction%20of%20the%20leaf%20is,treat%20urinary%20troubles%20and%20dysentery.

Lion's Mane going into the dehydrator! I will then powder it and use it as a supplement to hopefully nourish my brain. My hope is that it will help improve my brain function especially after experiencing the lingering effects of mental fog after having "C".

Summer garden is on its way!