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July 2026 | The Wonderful World of Sub Species

When I started my herb garden, I was impressed by the number of flavors that you could find of our household favorites- lemon anything, fruity mint, spicy basil, and hardy species that can withstand a cold winter. In the greenhouse nursery, I had found a whole forest of new foods and drinks, and not a single name that was truly unfamiliar. Gardeners throughout many years and many places have cultivated several delicious herb varieties that you can bring home and grow to enjoy in teas and desserts. These are a few of my favorites:

Chocolate Mint-

Chocolate mint is sweet, with a noticeable - but not biting - mint flavor. It is by far my favorite subspecies of mint, delivering just what I want from a mint for cooking, tea, and smoking. Chocolate Mint is a beautiful plant that grows quickly with dark green, inch-long-or-so leaves growing on purple stems that can be around three feet tall. It is also quite difficult to kill without trying. I love to include it in my smoothies (along with a few chunks of real chocolate).

Pineapple Mint-

Pineapple mint is a bright, beautiful, and delicious sub species. Its leaves have naturally variegated edges, more so towards the top of the plant (where it will eventually flower). The leaves are an oblong oval shape, and often grow to about one to two inches. It has a delicious, light, citrus flavor with a touch of mint. I love chewing on it, drinking it as tea, and including it into my tropical smoothies. It is also brilliant to stare at on a nice afternoon.

Strawberry Mint-

Strawberry Mint has a little leaf that packs a fruity, minty, absolutely delicious punch. Most leaves only grow to a half inch, but don't worry- that will be plenty enough. One little leaf will make a delicious tea. I've made candies using this tea as flavor, and it is now a fan favorite. Be careful if you're growing it in your garden - it likes to bloom early compared to other mint plants... with lots of little light pink-purple blooms.

Basils-

Fresh, potent, refreshing- what would the world be without basil? Nothing quite comes close to the beloved herb, in flavor or in reverence. There are a handful of sub species of basil to choose from, and I have found that most of those varieties only vary slightly in flavor, but largely in size and appearance, including Holy, Italian, Sweet, and Purple. One sub species, though, stood out greatly to me for its spicy, peppery taste: Thai Basil. I love including it in my spaghetti sauce and on sandwiches- you can really spice up a dish with a handful of leaves, but it's also delicious in smaller amounts. It has an enjoyable kick even for those who can't handle much heat.

Lavenders-

When I discovered the number of species that belong to the lavender genus, I was genuinely baffled. I had seen a variety in my local stores- English, French, Spanish- but there are roughly 47 species with 450 varieties of lavenders. I currently grow English lavender in my garden because it survives my zone 5 winters when planted directly in the ground. It's the kind of lavender you probably think of when you think of lavender. It's what you'd normally see on labels and in photos, with cute, purple buds on top of a long stem with smooth leaves below. I've also grown Spanish Lavender before, and while it is very beautiful - with large, reddish purple flowers and flower heads- it could not survive the cold, and it is more difficult to use in recipes, in my opinion.
Lavender varieties are similar in appearance with only small differences in the flowers, leaves, and size; if you saw one, you'd probably guess that it was lavender - although, sage is another popular plant that looks similar, with small but spaced purple flowers blooming along the tops of its stalks ...

I hope you all find yourselves with a few new herbs in your gardens and your dishes to enjoy!

June 2026 | Drying Herbs Passively

As of editing this, I've built an herb dryer to go outside made of a single drawer, 1/2" wire, and some nails. The wire makes a floor & a door and hooks on a final nail to stay shut. I sprayed it down with some white vinegar, and it's now propped up on a few pieces of wood on top of another container. It's been working great so far.
You can also use a string to hang your -large- herbs, or hang them right off a nail head, if you want.

You can dry plants indoors or somewhere outside- a porch works well. Good ventilation and warm air are best, but you really only need somewhere with dry air and no direct sunlight; use a cloth if you need to block the light.

It's best practice to harvest herbs in the morning before the sun dries out the plants. Pick a day that is dry and warm, or at least not humid or rainy- too much moisture during the drying process will result in brown leaves and poor quality. I've found that the first day or so is extremely important for getting well-dried, green herbs.
Wash the herbs in cold water before you hang them. Letting them soak in ice water is the best method, try your best with large herbs- I finish mine with a rinse of cold water, give them a little shake, and they're ready!

Some herbs will pull out by the root; after washing off the soil, wrap the string around the base of the stem, above the root. When you hang the plant, the main stem should hang upside-down towards the floor.
Other times, the stems of herbs are cut, leaving the root to continue growing. In this case, you'll need to use the petioles and the stem to hang your plant. I like to wrap the string underneath and around an upside-down "y" in the stem, or if I don't have one of those, partway around the stem, underneath the petioles, then turn the stem of the plant the rest of the way, avoiding a leafy mess. Repeat this step, adding extra wraps around the petioles until you feel certain the wind - or gravity- won't take out your bundle. I prefer to hang my stems about five or so inches apart from each other on the same string, letting them drape down several feet from the ceiling. I find this method leads to drier herbs and less frustration fighting gravity and strings. Another method is to hang all of the stems in a single bundle, which I use for small harvests- otherwise, I lose too many pieces to the floor.

I prefer to only cut my sting after my garland of herbs is ready. Keep about 3-5 inches of string at the top of your bundle to use to hang it later, and secure the last herb with a knot. Make a second knot on the top of the 3ish inches you left; I prefer a lasso-style knot that will tighten over the nail, so I don't have to hold up heavy herbs while trying to make tiny knots, and I can pull the knot down the string to easily remove my herbs.

Let the bundles dry. This can take one very hot afternoon or several weeks. Timing is important! Just remember that moisture grows problems like bacteria and mold- we want to remove as much moisture as quickly as possible! Once it is dry to the touch, it is ready to be de-stemmed and jarred. Destemming helps remove any hazardous moisture; always keep an eye out for any moisture buildup on the inside or bottom of your jar, or you could grow mold. Herbs are safe and delicious for multiple years when completely dried.

Make sure your pets don't have access to your plants- several garden herbs are toxic to pets- and that the plants stay out of direct sunlight.

Some herbs that I recommend hang-drying are catnip, sweet marjoram, mint, and balm- these leaves are thin or small, and they can be hung easily by the petioles, stems, or roots. Thick or woody herbs take longer to dry properly; I recommend drying herbs like basil, rosemary, and sage on particularly hot days, (or you may have to put them in the dehydrator, if that is an option) that way there is no opportunity for moisture to cause havoc.

Stay Safe and Have Fun, Gardeners!

May 2026 | Sweet Marjoram

While reading through a couple of older herb books, I quickly realized how beloved Sweet Marjoram was to the everyday cook and gardener, and that I definitely had no idea what it was. To be honest, I have seen the name before on a garden stake, and I certainly overlooked it at the local nursery, where I bought some this year. Sweet Marjoram, also known as Knotted Marjoram and Pot Marjoram received much praise throughout early botanical writing and recipes- it even has a place on Thomas Jefferson's list of "Objects for the Garden", 1794.
Sweet Marjoram has a very sweet, refreshing scent and was historically used in soaps and to flavor drinks, meats, soups, breads, and more, as well as for its medicinal benefits. It grows in beautiful spirals of tiny, pale leaves with cute, round buds that will later grow tiny white flowers. Mine lasted the whole growing season trimming the flowers off of the tall spiral branches as they appeared, only a couple of times during the summer. It handled the Michigan fall cold as well as my rosemary, meaning very well. It also didn't cause any fuss during the summer heat in the sunniest part of the herb garden.
Another name for the crowd favorite Italian herb, Oregano, is actually also called "Wild Marjoram"- and you would not believe what these old books have to say about it. "[Oregano] flowers and leaves are strongly aromatic when crushed or dried, and the colonists used it for tea; but as a flavor herb wild marjoram does not compare favorably with the delicate annual sweet marjoram, Marjorana hortense." - (Notes on the Marjorams by Helen Noyes Webster, Pg 81 of Herbs for Use and Delight by The Herb Society of America) The same books that held Sweet Marjoram to such a high regard talked about Wild Marjoram- Oregano- as if they'd never heard of it! It is incredible how our pallets have shifted away from one plant towards the other, and how quickly we can bring a whole species in and out of popularity within a century.
Before frost hits, one Norwegian writer recommends their traditional method of pulling marjoram by the root and hanging it to dry upside down along with the rest of their fall harvest. Herb lovers all over the world saw marjoram as a delightful favorite of their gardens, a staple plant, really.
To give credit, everyone I asked about Marjoram did say that they knew what it was, just that they had never used it nor knew how it was used. I do hope that I can see more Marjoram being called for in modern recipes, because I am very excited to start experimenting with this extremely sweet garden herb!

America, H. S. of. (1974). Herbs for use and delight. Peter Smith Pub Inc.

Apr. 2026 | The Buns

This year, we have decided to incorporate some pet bunnies into our garden plans. Basil (grey) and Rosemary (white) will be helping us fertilize the garden, and will get plenty of fresh garden produce for it, including helpings of radishes & tops, romaine lettuce, wild spinach, and lots of herbs.
They'll be kept in our 3 seasons room during the colder months and outside when it's warm- similar to our garden- sometime after the last frost, once MI temperatures aren't dropping and rising like they're the dancing queen.

I've made a new compost bucket to store, compost, or move their soiled bedding and hay dust- just a 10 gallon with little holes poked into the bottom and the lid, lined with some paper and straw. Loose poops that can be swept up by themselves can either be tossed into the bucket as well, or immediately used in the garden; rabbit manure is cold, and does not need to be composted before using it. It can also be bagged to give or sell to fellow gardeners.
The compost bucket (or outdoor pile) needs to be kept slightly moist, and high in carbon material like paper, leaves, and/or wood chips for the decomposition process to work well and without foul odors.

Another goal I have for these two buns is to use their loose fur for needle felting. Basil is a Silver-Fox rabbit, and their 1.5-2 inch fur can stand upright by itself. Rosemary, a Californian, has a dense, short coat that can -supposedly- matt together well. I'll tell you, though, she certainly does shed a lot...
They haven't gotten used to the brush itself yet, but they've been liking the pets and the pet-safe cleaning wipes...
I plan on bagging, washing, carding, and poking their fur into cute little figurines, using Basil's speckled grey and Rosemary's white to make easy-to-see details. I may incorporate some sheep's wool for extra strength or bulk, but I'm hoping the mix of these twos' furs will produce some good results.
Sliver-Fox and Californian rabbits are also well-suited to my climate, and a similar size to one another - about 10lbs. If they were any bigger, they would not fit in this hutch we got for them very well, together...

I'll be posting an update on their outdoor set-up. We have plans on making a new frame for their tray to go under their hutch this week, as well as decking out their new run- for safety! And drainage!

Jan. 2026 | Neem Powder Toothpaste

I've been using Soulful Herbals' Neem Bark Toothpowder for about a year now, and I've had great results with it! I don't plan on switching back to conventional- my mouth feels cleaner even into the next morning, the ingredients are natural & actually noticeably whitened my teeth, and this will make for a great repurposed container. I've already got a list of travel ideas for it...

Art Prints

Find my available artwork, including various sizes of prints, in the Art & Decor tab here on my blog!

Oct. 2025 | þ - "Thorn"

You may recognize 'þ' if you've ever used runes before. As a rune, it symbolizes force as its raw, primal nature. Its origins are found in the oldest Germanic runic alphabet - the Elder Futhark - and remained relevant into Old and Middle English after being introduced through the immigration and language of the Anglo-Saxons. It is the letter for the 'th' sound we all appreciate but have always thought was kind of weird. þ! How wonderful! Only English and Icelandic use the 'th' sound to this day, but whatever happened to the character? In the time of transcribing monks, the calligraphy style they used often made the thorn symbol appear to be the letter 'y'. This led to the familiar phrase "ye old"... We still use this mistake when we want to allude to earlier times- like on kitschy store decor!
þ was falling out of fashion until the printing press killed it. A new, 1837 German invention, the press did not contain the letter þ, as the sound did not exist in the modern German language. That's when the two letters 'th' took the place of 'þ' forevermore...
I think we should bring it back. It's none of the Germans' business what letter we use to make our 'th' sound, and we don't depend on their technology for printing now, anyways. It perfectly fits into the pattern of 'b' & 'p', shaped to fit right between the two in visuals and in physical mouth movement. I have yet to meet anyone who thought 'th' was a good idea, yet have had the conversation about how odd it is. Bring back þ! Be þe revolution!

Cat Nip Toys

I have been having so much fun making these cute little cat toys! If you're interested in purchasing any, vistit the Clothes & Sewing tab!

If you have a design request, I would love to see what I can do for you!

Oct. 2025 | Fish & Parsely

This 'One-Pot' recipe is heavily inspired by a wild game recipe I found at an estate sale. It originally calls for catfish, and just way too much butter- but it is very versatile and easy!

Ingredients

Fish of Choice - The original recipe calls for 2lbs of Catfish;
I usually use a few filets of pollack.

Parsley - 1/3 to 2/3 Cups of Fresh Chopped Parsley.
If you want to use dry parsley, use only 1/3 of
the weight suggested for fresh herbs- and crush them thoroughly!

Butter or Cooking Oil - ~3 Tbs

Mushrooms - 1-2 Cups

Salt - 1 Tsp

Pepper - 1 Tsp

Optional - Spinach - ~1 Cup

If you're using fresh mushrooms, they will take more time
and release more water while cooking- meaning you may
want less butter in order to cook them fully!

Sometimes, I partially substitute the Parsley with another herb
like Dill, Thyme, or Oregano, depending on how I feel that day.

The pores of a metal pan will close when heated before use- it is ready to use when water immediately beads and can quickly travel around the pan like a marble. This is particularly useful for frying food. Butter is at temperature for frying when thin, white smoke can be seen coming from the surface.

How to Cook

Pre-heat your pan, then add your butter or oil, allowing it to heat slightly.

Place the fish in the pan.

Add your mushrooms to the pan, and fully cook them and the fish.

Adding herbs too early can overcook them and reduce their flavor, and adding salt too early can overdry your mushrooms and fish.

Mix your Salt, Pepper, and Parsley into the pan, then turn the stove to low or off.

Now is the time to heat the spinach in the pan, as well...

This meal is great with a bit of Parmesan or cottage cheese. It's absolutely perfect for an easy, at-home meal without much fuss.

I hope you enjoy this meal as much as I have!

Happy Cooking!

Oct. 2025 | BII

My mom found out she had 4 types of breast cancer when she was still in her 30s, and I was in middle school. Her chemo treatments were not kind to her, leaving her physically and mentally disabled after overtreatment. But that was only the end of the beginning… She, like many other breast cancer patients, was not advised on the dangers of getting silicone breast implants, despite the most vulnerable being exactly like her: having pre-existing autoimmune conditions, heart issues, or recent surgery, just like it says on the black box warning label.

The years right after her cancer treatment were hellish. Green skin, vomit, and wheelchairs, it was worse than seeing her go through chemo because this was when she was meant to be recovering. After having the implants removed, her blood pressure improved, getting her off of four pills, her skin became its normal tan instead of a sickly green, and she was slowly but surely getting her ability to withstand the heat and have energy throughout the day. Those implants were making her sick- there is no doubt about it. If you know or are anyone who has silicone breast implants and has any of these or other symptoms, spend some time researching BII - there are others who have gone through this, and they have helpful resources for you. If you know or are someone looking into getting breast implants, I urge you to reconsider different options, like fat grafting- especially if you have persistent health conditions. Flat closure is known to be the safest option! ( You don't need boobs to look beautiful, and you certainly do not need them to be a woman!)

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is an orginization that gives families the housing and resources they need to receive their cancer treatment, funds breast cancer research, and helps people prevent and detect cancer early. They host yearly marches where you and your team can fundraise to help the cause and families affected by breast cancer.

My mom and I are part of the Stand Tall Aesthetic Flat Closure group, if you would like to make a donation under our group's team. All proceeds go directly to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.

Making Strides Against Breat Cancer

Tarot Blog

View on Youtube:

I make Tarot Videos & Posts that you can check out on the Tarot tab here on my blog! They are also availible on my Youtube & JM Messages Instagram page!

Writing is my favorite way to deliver tarot messages bcause I feel like I can pack more meaning into one post.

Oct. 2025 | Infusing Herbal Butter for Baking

Herbal Infusions expand the horizon on how we use our favorite herbs in our food. What herbs do you want to further integrate into your cooking? Will it be Savory? Sweet? Spicy? There are many uses for garden-herb-infused butter; everything from desserts to breads- if the recipe uses butter or oil, you can infuse your herbs of choice to bring a delicious twist to your treats. This works perfectly with box options if you don't want to bake from scratch, and it is very easy for all skill levels to make. This spicy goodness will have you wondering why you don't infuse herbs into every recipe.

There are many great herbs to choose from, so which one should you infuse with? Savory or warm herbs like Dill, Fennel, Curry, or Sage can be great for infusing into breads and crackers, while herbs like Mint, Rosemary, or Lavender make delicious sweets like cookies and cakes. You can also infuse herbs into oil for everyday frying, or to create a cosmetic balm.

Some of my favorite pairings include:

Rosemary & Lemon Zest Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Mint & Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oregano & Olive Oil

If using dry herbs, use about 1 Tbs of (originally) uncrushed herbs or
1 tsp of pre-crushed herbs for a recipe that makes about 24 cookies or 1 box cake. I've found that close to 2 Tbs is too much to comfortably eat.

Fresh herbs are going to be 3 times less potent than dried herbs, so you will want to increase the recipe accordingly, if need be.

Crush the herbs to the size you prefer to chew. Thick or woody herbs take a bit more effort, as they need to at least be scored or squished in order to release their flavor.

For Rosemary, I have noticed that I prefer to use more than the normal 1 Tbs. It's also not a bad idea to use lightly crushed rosemary and remove it from your butter to use as a topping on your final product (the same goes for other uncomfortable-to-eat herbs like Lavender).
Do remember to use the correct softness of butter for your recipe, not just hot, melted butter, especially if you find yourself reheating the butter to remove the herb pieces. Otherwise, be sure to crush the rosemary into very small pieces to avoid any poking or extra chewing.

Melt the total amount of butter you will need for your recipe OR measure out your oil.

You can melt the butter in a microwave-safe container or heat it up slowly in a small pot or pan.

The herbs will need to steep on top of the warm butter; do not let your herbs sit on the bottom of your container underneath the butter- the herbs won't steep properly from down there. Thick or woody herbs will take longer to infuse than thin or crushed herbs. Plan on letting your infusion sit for a minimum of 3 Hours to Overnight, or even longer.

I have also stored mine in the freezer for later use, which wasn't bad, but the texture of the butter was different, for sure. Cookies were still Bomb, though.

Enjoy!

Sept. 2025 | New Vendor at the Market

This has been my first year vending at any ~Official~ farmer's market, but two years ago, I started as a little road-side stand selling dried herbs. I worked very hard to add a large variety of goods to sell along with the dried herbs at the market- while still using Permaculture and aiming to avoid using companies, products, and methods that are not sustainable.

♦ Herbal Infused Cosmetics ♦ Handmade Clothing+ ♦ Art Prints ♦ Jewelry ♦
♦ Dried Herbs ♦ Herbal Desserts & Candy ♦ Dried Fruits ♦ Catnip & Toys ♦
♦ Natural Dyed Clothing, Yarn & Textiles ♦ Occasion Cards ♦ Wine Stoppers ♦

My Dehyrated Herbs & Snacks are sold under the Cottage Food Law. This includes food products that stay safe without Time and Temperature control. In-Person Deliveries Only!!!

About the Farmstand

Permaculture is the main focus of my business; my products are made using second hand fabrics, natural materials, and local sources - and of course, clearance items!! I do have somewhat of an exception for artwork because I do want you to love that forever <3 (and sometimes you do end up saving some perfectly useful materials from the landfill).

My products use materials like glass, rubber, and cotton packaging that are from the Earth and can easily be returned to it when its lifetime is up. I prefer to use metal or wooden displays over plastic - and they are all second hand (Thank You Joanne's!)- except for the hangers... I choose the food products I make to avoid waste as well, like making hard candies or dehydrating foods to keep them good to eat for much longer! I also find multiple uses for my herbs, like dying fibers with lower quality plants and using many leftover stems for a fertilizer called "weed soup" - ( just plant material and water), which is full of nutrients for the garden.

I love to experiment with different art mediums, including pen, paint, photography, & glass etching, among many others... I also love drinking tea and cooking with herbs - even my glass of water can't go unseasoned! I'm fascinated by the natural world and its abundant resources and interesting affairs, which I hope to share with you all!

About Me

Hi! I'm Jenasen, the owner of this blog! Welcome, and let me tell you a bit about myself... I am 23 years old ( as of writing this ), I love the arts and the outdoors, as well as video games and, mainly nonfiction, books. I have been making art since middle school, when I learned how to create a portrait through body art and makeup tutorials (Shout out to MadeYewLook on YouTube!). I learned how to code in AP Computer Science, and I won my Class Senior Awards for both Art and English during High School. Now I am coding my own websites - this blog here, and a social media site centered around writing (details pending!). I'm also writing a few nonfiction books of my own and creating a tarot deck, designed to be easy for new users.

In the future, I hope to build a straw bale home - A natural & passive style home that, if made correctly, should save me money on the house and on the bills, work super efficiently, and avoid adding to the used construction material occupying 40% of the USA's landfills, as well as the 40% of carbon pollution that real estate releases around the world.
My dream home would be on my dream permaculture homestead, where I grow my crops in the forest & alongside helpful livestock to get better harvests, nutrients, and fertilizers while getting as much out of my few acres as possible. (I'm thinking the barns and sheds are going to be a breeze, financially, although they may take a few years to fully complete.)
I'm hoping this permaculture farm will be a place to study and document (take pictures & draw) the natural environment as well as to continue to innovate the way we farm, and will introduce that innovation to others.

I've only played the magic classes in Skyrim, I'm reading a book about making a sweater from scratch, and Leonardo Da Vinci is my favorite person, ever. I hope you enjoy my new blog, I'll be trying to publish at least every two weeks, which seems like a reasonable goal for now. <3 :)

Here's to another wonderful year!