Ohana Farm and Market

We recently watched a documentary called "The Hermit of Treig" about a hermit in Scotland who has lived by himself for 40 years before opening up his life to be interviewed.  He had become very proficient at feeding and housing himself.  But I couldn't help noticing that he still wasn't 100% independent from other people at any point in his life.  He still needed supplies -- clothing, equipment, material, etc.  His dependence on the outside world become especially obvious after age started to catch up with him. So what does "Sustainability" mean? For myself, in years past, this has meant I worked one job, paid my bills, and didn't have to worry about much else. If I was hungry, I'd go to the grocery store or to some casual dining place such as Chipotle. If a pipe broke, I would call the plumber.   However, this has changed drastically over the past few years. Now my idea of sustainability is growing as much grass as possible and other foraging materi...

Goldenrod proliferates along the roads and anywhere it is allowed to grow here in central Texas. It tends to thrive at about the same as Ragweed and, interestingly, acts as a counter effect to the famous allergy causing weed.  Ironically, Ragweed is commonly mistaken for Goldenrod, so watch out! Be sure to look closely at some online examples of flower close-ups to make sure you're getting what you think you're getting. The easiest way to take advantage of the medicinal qualities of Goldenrod is to process it into a tincture.  A tincture is a concentrated extraction of an herb or plant, made mostly of alcohol (the extracting agent). Right now we are freeze drying a large amount of Goldenrod, and I also transplanted a bunch of it in the yard.  It's a perennial so hopefully it will come back strong next season, and we can harvest it right here on the property next time.