50 Our Grandmothers' Herbs | The Thread That Came Down Sideways

50 Our Grandmothers' Herbs | The Thread That Came Down Sideways

Some of us inherited the apron and the herb bundle. Some of us inherited three thousand miles and a grandmother who was at war with the dandelion. This week, in the deep hearth of Cancer season, we sit with the long thread — the women whose hands came before ours, and the strange and sideways ways the green world gets handed down. I'll tell you about my grandmother, who fled a northern Michigan farm and never looked back, who tended two rose bushes and a few tomatoes in a patch of ground the size of a doorway as though they were the only things that mattered — and who once made my grandfather pull the Ford LTD over on a hot summer afternoon so she could give a landscaper a piece of her mind about the dandelions in a lawn. She saw the devil in that plant. I see an old friend. And I'll tell you about Evelyn, who was not my blood but who was, in every way that mattered, the woman who handed me the green world. She had twelve acres in New Hampshire, decades of White Mountain trails in her legs, and she could name every plant along a dirt road — common name and Latin both — and tell you which were medicine and which were simply worth stopping for. Between the two of them, I got my whole inheritance. We'll wander through the herbs that lived beside our grandmothers' hearths whether they called them medicine or not — mint and parsley, sage and thyme and rosemary, and the wild ones at the edge of the tended world: yarrow, plantain, chamomile, and the most generous weed there is. Because here is what I've come to believe: your grandmother did not have to believe in herbalism for the knowing to pass through her. It came down in the soup pot. It came down in here, drink this, you'll feel better. And if you've ever felt you missed the handing-down — that you came to all of this alone, with no one to teach you — I want you to hear this one from someone who came to it late, and sideways, and found the thread waiting anyway. Put the kettle on. Come sit. A gentle wondering to carry with you this week: Who handed you the green world? Was it a grandmother by blood, or one by grace — or did it come to you sideways, through absence, through refusal, through one plant somebody couldn't stand? Even one name is enough. The quieter, more personal writing lives in the Friday letter. ✍️ Join my Newsletter! Each Friday, a letter arrives from the garden — seasonal stories, herbal wisdom, and the quiet rhythms of the Celtic year. You'll be the first to hear about new offerings, upcoming classes, and hands-on workshops. And every month, subscribers get the topic and the link for our free Zoom circle, where we gather to learn and linger together. It's a slow, unhurried corner of the internet. Come as you are. https://thenewenglandherbary.com/join/ [https://thenewenglandherbary.com/join/] 🌿 Herbs & Favorite Tools (affiliate links — thank you for supporting this work) Herbs featured in this Show: 1. Dandelion Leaves https://amzn.to/4vRxWSa 2. Rosemary leaves https://amzn.to/4fbp9U3 3. Peppermint Leaves https://amzn.to/4aPp1bw My favorite tea-making tools: BAYKA French Press Coffee Maker, https://amzn.to/4r4LYNH Cold Brew Coffee Filter for Wide Mouth Mason Jar, https://amzn.to/4qWQr4L Heat-proof wide-mouth mason jars https://amzn.to/4pNflmq 📚Bookstore - Brenda J. Sullivan Books https://www.brendajsullivanbooks.com/ 🌱 My Garden Journal – A How-To Garden Book for Kids Because every gardener starts with a single seed — and a little curiosity. My Garden Journal is part how-to guide, part creative keepsake, designed to help children (and their grown-ups) learn the basics of growing food and flowers while documenting their journey. Inside you'll find: * Simple planting guidance * Space for drawings, photos, and notes * Imaginative themed gardens (Harry Potter Herb Garden, Young Chef's Garden, Monarch Butterfly Garden) Perfect for homeschooling families, budding herbalists, and anyone who wants to grow confidence by growing plants. ✨ You'll be amazed at how much you — and your garden — grow when you take time to journal the journey. 🌿 Work With Me 🌙 Herbal Consultations (Now Open) Root your wellness in the wisdom of the plants — and the stars. My one-on-one consultations offer gentle, grounded guidance rooted in traditional herbalism, vitalist principles, and (if you wish) astrology. Each session begins with listening. 👉 Learn more here: https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page [https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page] ☕ Buy Me a Cup of Tea If this story brought you comfort, you can support the channel here: https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg [https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg] 🎶 Music Credits A heartfelt thank you to Alexander Nakarada for the music featured in this story. I am a Patreon supporter of Alexander's work. 🎼 Song: Planning - 320bit - September 5, 2021 🔗 https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/ [https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/] 🌿 Stay Connected Website: https://thenewenglandherbary.com/ [https://thenewenglandherbary.com/] Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thenewenglandherbary?si=f7_MB0XEz0vn0Xr [https://youtube.com/@thenewenglandherbary?si=f7_MB0XEz0vn0Xr] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewenglandherbary/ [https://www.instagram.com/thenewenglandherbary/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578148227744 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578148227744] The New England Herbary is a project of Thompson Street Farm LLC. https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/ [https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/]

49 The Lavender Drawer

There is a drawer in every house that remembers. Open it, and something rises to meet you — soap and sunlight and something older than both. This week, in the heart of Cancer season, we visit the lavender, standing at her fragrant peak in the July garden. We follow her long thread through history: the Roman baths, the washerwomen who were themselves called "lavenders," the London street sellers crying their bundles up to the windows, and the linen drawers of our grandmothers. Along the way, a heatwave drives your host from a camper to a screened tent to a quiet room in a small Vermont library — and teaches, all over again, that home was never the walls. Home is the tending. As the Strawberry Moon wanes toward the New Moon in Cancer, we close with the gentlest of practices: one drawer, emptied and blessed and laid with lavender, so that some cold January morning, July will rise up to meet you. Pour a cup of something cool, find a bit of shade, and come sit a while. The gate is open. ✍️ Join my Newsletter! Each Friday, a letter arrives from the garden — seasonal stories, herbal wisdom, and the quiet rhythms of the Celtic year. You'll be the first to hear about new offerings, upcoming classes, and hands-on workshops. And every month, subscribers get the topic and the link for our free Zoom circle, where we gather to learn and linger together. It's a slow, unhurried corner of the internet. Come as you are. https://thenewenglandherbary.com/join/ [https://thenewenglandherbary.com/join/] 🌿 Herbs & Favorite Tools (affiliate links — thank you for supporting this work) Herbs featured in this Show: 1. Dried Lavender Buds https://amzn.to/4f0z92q [https://amzn.to/4f0z92q] 2. Live Herb - Lavender (6 Per Pack) https://amzn.to/4eOJRc0 [https://amzn.to/4eOJRc0] 3. Lavender Journal Notebook by Brenda J. Sullivan https://amzn.to/4eVLiWf [https://amzn.to/4eVLiWf] My favorite tea-making tools: BAYKA French Press Coffee Maker https://amzn.to/4r4LYNH [https://amzn.to/4r4LYNH] Cold Brew Coffee Filter for Wide Mouth Mason Jar, https://amzn.to/4qWQr4L [https://amzn.to/4qWQr4L] Heat-proof wide-mouth mason jars https://amzn.to/4pNflmq [https://amzn.to/4pNflmq] 📚Bookstore - Brenda J. Sullivan Books https://www.brendajsullivanbooks.com/ [https://www.brendajsullivanbooks.com/] 🌱 My Garden Journal – A How-To Garden Book for Kids Because every gardener starts with a single seed — and a little curiosity. My Garden Journal is part how-to guide, part creative keepsake, designed to help children (and their grown-ups) learn the basics of growing food and flowers while documenting their journey. Inside you'll find: * Simple planting guidance * Space for drawings, photos, and notes * Imaginative themed gardens (Harry Potter Herb Garden, Young Chef's Garden, Monarch Butterfly Garden) Perfect for homeschooling families, budding herbalists, and anyone who wants to grow confidence by growing plants. ✨ You'll be amazed at how much you — and your garden — grow when you take time to journal the journey. 🌿 Work With Me 🌙 Herbal Consultations (Now Open) Root your wellness in the wisdom of the plants — and the stars. My one-on-one consultations offer gentle, grounded guidance rooted in traditional herbalism, vitalist principles, and (if you wish) astrology. Each session begins with listening. 👉 Learn more here: https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page [https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page] ☕ Buy Me a Cup of Tea If this story brought you comfort, you can support the channel here: https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg [https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg] 🎶 Music Credits A heartfelt thank you to Alexander Nakarada for the music featured in this story. I am a Patreon supporter of Alexander's work. 🎼 Song: Planning - 320bit - September 5, 2021 🔗 https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/ [https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/] 🌿 Stay Connected Website: https://thenewenglandherbary.com/ [https://thenewenglandherbary.com/] Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thenewenglandherbary?si=f7_MB0XEz0vn0Xr [https://youtube.com/@thenewenglandherbary?si=f7_MB0XEz0vn0Xr] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewenglandherbary/ [https://www.instagram.com/thenewenglandherbary/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578148227744 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578148227744] The New England Herbary is a project of Thompson Street Farm LLC. https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/ [https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/]

48 After the Sun: Cancer's First Whisper

The morning after the longest day, something turns. You can't see it — the garden is still roaring, still climbing toward its peak — but the sun has already begun its quiet journey back toward home, and with it, so do we. This week we cross out of the solstice and into the tender, homeward season of Cancer, walked across the threshold by lemon balm: Melissa, the bee-herb, the gladdening one, the plant that has comforted tired hearts for two thousand years. We sit with her folklore and her gentle medicine, we watch the low golden Strawberry Moon come up full in Capricorn, and we ask the old, honest question that moon holds up to us — how are you balancing the hearth and the hilltop, the home you tend and the work you climb toward? No homework. No striving. Just an invitation to come in from the long bright climb, put the kettle on, and let yourself be, for one evening, a woman who is home. ✍️ Join my Newsletter! Each Friday, a letter arrives from the garden — seasonal stories, herbal wisdom, and the quiet rhythms of the Celtic year. You'll be the first to hear about new offerings, upcoming classes, and hands-on workshops. And every month, subscribers get the topic and the link for our free Zoom circle, where we gather to learn and linger together. It's a slow, unhurried corner of the internet. Come as you are. https://thenewenglandherbary.com/join/ [https://thenewenglandherbary.com/join/] 🌿 Herbs & Favorite Tools (affiliate links — thank you for supporting this work) Herbs featured in this Show: 1. Dried Lemon Balm Leaves https://amzn.to/4annVn5 [https://amzn.to/4annVn5] 2. Organic Lemon Balm Extract https://amzn.to/4f2FBHc [https://amzn.to/4f2FBHc] 3. Lemon Balm Live Plants - 6 pack https://amzn.to/4eP1OYh [https://amzn.to/4eP1OYh] My favorite tea-making tools: BAYKA French Press Coffee Maker, https://amzn.to/4r4LYNH [https://amzn.to/4r4LYNH] Cold Brew Coffee Filter for Wide Mouth Mason Jar, https://amzn.to/4qWQr4L [https://amzn.to/4qWQr4L] Heat-proof wide-mouth mason jars https://amzn.to/4pNflmq [https://amzn.to/4pNflmq] 📚Bookstore - Brenda J. Sullivan Books https://www.brendajsullivanbooks.com/ [https://www.brendajsullivanbooks.com/] 🌱 My Garden Journal – A How-To Garden Book for Kids Because every gardener starts with a single seed — and a little curiosity. My Garden Journal is part how-to guide, part creative keepsake, designed to help children (and their grown-ups) learn the basics of growing food and flowers while documenting their journey. Inside you'll find: * Simple planting guidance * Space for drawings, photos, and notes * Imaginative themed gardens (Harry Potter Herb Garden, Young Chef's Garden, Monarch Butterfly Garden) Perfect for homeschooling families, budding herbalists, and anyone who wants to grow confidence by growing plants. ✨ You'll be amazed at how much you — and your garden — grow when you take time to journal the journey. 🌿 Work With Me 🌙 Herbal Consultations (Now Open) Root your wellness in the wisdom of the plants — and the stars. My one-on-one consultations offer gentle, grounded guidance rooted in traditional herbalism, vitalist principles, and (if you wish) astrology. Each session begins with listening. 👉 Learn more here: https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page [https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page] ☕ Buy Me a Cup of Tea If this story brought you comfort, you can support the channel here: https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg [https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg] 🎶 Music Credits A heartfelt thank you to Alexander Nakarada for the music featured in this story. I am a Patreon supporter of Alexander's work. 🎼 Song: Planning - 320bit - September 5, 2021 🔗 https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/ [https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/] 🌿 Stay Connected Website: https://thenewenglandherbary.com/ [https://thenewenglandherbary.com/] Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thenewenglandherbary?si=f7_MB0XEz0vn0Xr [https://youtube.com/@thenewenglandherbary?si=f7_MB0XEz0vn0Xr] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewenglandherbary/ [https://www.instagram.com/thenewenglandherbary/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578148227744 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578148227744] The New England Herbary is a project of Thompson Street Farm LLC. https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/ [https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/]

47 Litha An Herbalists Threshold

It's the longest day of the year — and at the edge of every hedgerow in New England, an old guardian is blooming right on schedule. This week, we sit with elderflower: the threshold tree, the doorkeeper, the one plant in the old hedgerow lore you never cut without asking first. We talk about her folklore — the Elder Mother who watches over her own wood, the fairy king said to ride past on Midsummer's Eve, the doorway she's long been said to keep between this world and the next. We talk about her medicine, her cordial, and the old custom of "liquid light." And we talk about a small, true story of loss and rediscovery — an elder tree once grown and unexpectedly lost, and a small patch found this very week again, on land that was never mine. Tonight's First Quarter Moon in Virgo asks something quieter than celebration: not to manifest something new, but to check the map on what's already begun. There's no homework here. Only an old doorkeeper in white bloom, a moon asking you to look honestly at where you are, and a seat that's always saved for you, right here, beside the hearth. ✍️ Join my Newsletter! Each Friday, a letter arrives from the garden — seasonal stories, herbal wisdom, and the quiet rhythms of the Celtic year. You'll be the first to hear about new offerings, upcoming classes, and hands-on workshops. And every month, subscribers get the topic and the link for our free Zoom circle, where we gather to learn and linger together. It's a slow, unhurried corner of the internet. Come as you are. https://thenewenglandherbary.com/join/ [https://thenewenglandherbary.com/join/] 🌿 Herbs & Favorite Tools (affiliate links — thank you for supporting this work) Herbs featured in this Show: 1. Dried Elder Flowers https://amzn.to/3SyHgLW [https://amzn.to/3SyHgLW] 2. (Book) Elderberries: The Beginner's Guide to Foraging, Preserving and Using Elderberries for Health Remedies, Recipes, Drinks & More https://amzn.to/4xDXrI1 [https://amzn.to/4xDXrI1] 3. Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic Water – Premium Mixer for Cocktails and Mocktails, 6.8 fl oz Bottles, https://amzn.to/4eBh4Yy [https://amzn.to/4eBh4Yy] My favorite tea-making tools: BAYKA French Press Coffee Maker, https://amzn.to/4r4LYNH [https://amzn.to/4r4LYNH] Cold Brew Coffee Filter for Wide Mouth Mason Jar, https://amzn.to/4qWQr4L [https://amzn.to/4qWQr4L] Heat-proof wide-mouth mason jars https://amzn.to/4pNflmq [https://amzn.to/4pNflmq] 📚Bookstore - Brenda J. Sullivan Books https://www.brendajsullivanbooks.com/ 🌱 My Garden Journal – A How-To Garden Book for Kids Because every gardener starts with a single seed — and a little curiosity. My Garden Journal is part how-to guide, part creative keepsake, designed to help children (and their grown-ups) learn the basics of growing food and flowers while documenting their journey. Inside you'll find: * Simple planting guidance * Space for drawings, photos, and notes * Imaginative themed gardens (Harry Potter Herb Garden, Young Chef's Garden, Monarch Butterfly Garden) Perfect for homeschooling families, budding herbalists, and anyone who wants to grow confidence by growing plants. ✨ You'll be amazed at how much you — and your garden — grow when you take time to journal the journey. 🌿 Work With Me 🌙 Herbal Consultations (Now Open) Root your wellness in the wisdom of the plants — and the stars. My one-on-one consultations offer gentle, grounded guidance rooted in traditional herbalism, vitalist principles, and (if you wish) astrology. Each session begins with listening. 👉 Learn more here: https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page [https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page] ☕ Buy Me a Cup of Tea If this story brought you comfort, you can support the channel here: https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg [https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg] 🎶 Music Credits A heartfelt thank you to Alexander Nakarada for the music featured in this story. I am a Patreon supporter of Alexander's work. 🎼 Song: Planning - 320bit - September 5, 2021 🔗 https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/ [https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/] 🌿 Stay Connected Website: https://thenewenglandherbary.com/ [https://thenewenglandherbary.com/] Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thenewenglandherbary?si=f7_MB0XEz0vn0Xr [https://youtube.com/@thenewenglandherbary?si=f7_MB0XEz0vn0Xr] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewenglandherbary/ [https://www.instagram.com/thenewenglandherbary/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578148227744 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578148227744] The New England Herbary is a project of Thompson Street Farm LLC. https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/ [https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/]

46 The Sun in a Bottle| St John's Wort at the Summer Solstice

This week, the queen of the solstice finally has her hour. St. John's Wort blooms right at Midsummer — and she's no ordinary summer flower. Come out to the garden with me and meet her properly: the little windows in her leaves that let the light pass through, the red oil that bleeds from her golden flowers like captured sun-fire, and the centuries-old ritual that turns her into "the sun in a bottle" on a hot windowsill. We'll wander through the old folklore of the longest day — the hilltop fires, the dressed wells, the dew gathered at dawn, the thin night when the fairies come through — and I'll show you how this one golden plant stood at every doorway and over every cradle as the year's great protector. Then we'll look up at Monday's new moon, six quiet days before the solstice, and the gentle work of rest, release, and reset it offers right before the year hands us its longest light. Put the kettle on. The gate is open, and the light is long. ✍️ Join my Newsletter! Each Friday, a letter arrives from the garden — seasonal stories, herbal wisdom, and the quiet rhythms of the Celtic year. You'll be the first to hear about new offerings, upcoming classes, and hands-on workshops. And every month, subscribers get the topic and the link for our free Zoom circle, where we gather to learn and linger together. This Sunday (June 21, 2026) at 2 PM EST, we're welcoming the Summer Solstice together — a free Zoom gathering to honor the longest day. The link lives in the newsletter, so subscribe and I'll send it to you on the Friday before the event. Bring your tea. It's a slow, unhurried corner of the internet. Come as you are. https://thenewenglandherbary.com/join/ [https://thenewenglandherbary.com/join/] 🌿 Herbs & Favorite Tools (affiliate links — thank you for supporting this work) Herbs featured in this Show: 1. Saint John's Wort Dried Herb https://amzn.to/4emt6Vk [https://amzn.to/4emt6Vk] 2. Organic Yarrow Flower Tea https://amzn.to/49VSyzY [https://amzn.to/49VSyzY] 3. Lavender Journal: Notebook https://amzn.to/4xLAWRF [https://amzn.to/4xLAWRF] My favorite tea-making tools: BAYKA French Press Coffee Maker, https://amzn.to/4r4LYNH [https://amzn.to/4r4LYNH] Cold Brew Coffee Filter for Wide Mouth Mason Jar, https://amzn.to/4qWQr4L [https://amzn.to/4qWQr4L] Heat-proof wide-mouth mason jars https://amzn.to/4pNflmq [https://amzn.to/4pNflmq] 📚Bookstore - Brenda J. Sullivan Books https://www.brendajsullivanbooks.com/ 🌱 My Garden Journal – A How-To Garden Book for Kids Because every gardener starts with a single seed — and a little curiosity. My Garden Journal is part how-to guide, part creative keepsake, designed to help children (and their grown-ups) learn the basics of growing food and flowers while documenting their journey. Inside you'll find: * Simple planting guidance * Space for drawings, photos, and notes * Imaginative themed gardens (Harry Potter Herb Garden, Young Chef's Garden, Monarch Butterfly Garden) Perfect for homeschooling families, budding herbalists, and anyone who wants to grow confidence by growing plants. ✨ You'll be amazed at how much you — and your garden — grow when you take time to journal the journey. 🌿 Work With Me 🌙 Herbal Consultations (Now Open) Root your wellness in the wisdom of the plants — and the stars. My one-on-one consultations offer gentle, grounded guidance rooted in traditional herbalism, vitalist principles, and (if you wish) astrology. Each session begins with listening. 👉 Learn more here: https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page [https://mailchi.mp/351efb18cd6b/one-on-one-consultations-landing-page] ☕ Buy Me a Cup of Tea If this story brought you comfort, you can support the channel here: https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg [https://buymeacoffee.com/thompsonstg] 🎶 Music Credits A heartfelt thank you to Alexander Nakarada for the music featured in this story. I am a Patreon supporter of Alexander's work. 🎼 Song: Planning - 320bit - September 5, 2021 🔗 https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/ [https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com/] 🌿 Stay Connected Website: https://thenewenglandherbary.com/ [https://thenewenglandherbary.com/] Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thenewenglandherbary?si=f7_MB0XEz0vn0Xr [https://youtube.com/@thenewenglandherbary?si=f7_MB0XEz0vn0Xr] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewenglandherbary/ [https://www.instagram.com/thenewenglandherbary/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578148227744 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578148227744] The New England Herbary is a project of Thompson Street Farm LLC. https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/ [https://thompsonstreetfarm.com/] 💬 I'd love to hear how this story landed for you. Feel free to share your reflections in the comments.