Join me for an inspiring visit to Friends of the Trees Botanicals, where father-son duo Skeeter and Ashley Pilarski are growing over 80 species of medicinal herbs on a quarter-acre permaculture plot in Chimacum, Washington. You'll hear about soil-building tips, how the farm supports wildlife, some of the plants they grow on the farm, and about the productive hedgerows they cultivate for free on the Finn River orchard. This is part of my Hands on Plants video series, featuring herbalists, foragers, farmers, and plant lovers around the Pacific Northwest and beyond. I hope you'll follow along as I visit more inspiring people, and leave supportive comments and likes to keep me going. Friends of the Trees Youtube Channels: https://www.youtube.com/@PlantWizardSkeeter https://www.youtube.com/@friendsofthetreessociety8540 🔗 Learn more about Friends of the Trees Botanicals: https://friendsofthetreesbotanicals.com/ 🌱 Support this series + get access to monthly herbal classes: https://www.patreon.com/backcountryherbalist 🎥 Subscribe to follow along as we visit more inspiring plant people. #herbfarm #permaculture #medicinalplants #friendsofthetrees #planttour #herbalism #nativeplants #backcountryherbalist #handsonplants

I hop on my bike to search for black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii) berries—one of my favorite late-summer wild foods. In this video, I show you how to find them, how to tell when they’re ripe, how to identify them confidently, and what makes them special as both food and medicine. I also share some tips on ethical harvesting and what to look for in their natural range. If you're curious about herbal medicine, wild food foraging, or just want to feel more connected to the land around you, you're in the right place. 📚 Check out my books: - Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest: https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/edible-plants-of-the-pacific-northwest - Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest - https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/medicinal-plants-of-the-pacific-northwest 🌿 Support my work & join my monthly live classes on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thebackcountryherbalist Thanks for watching! Don't forget to subscribe if you want to learn more about wild plants, folk herbalism, and reconnecting with the land. #foraging #hawthorn #herbalism #wildfoods #blackhawthorn #crataegusdouglasii #pnwplants

Join me for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Oxbow Native Plant Nursery, where native plants are grown from seed and sold at their native plant sales and stand. We dive into ecotypic seed sourcing, seed treatments, biological pest control, and why growing native plants from seed matters. This nursery really goes above and beyond to be a force for good in the plant world. Whether you're a gardener, land steward, or just curious about native plant production, this tour is full of insight and inspiration. Links mentioned in the video Neonicotinoid-free (systemic insecticide) nursery list - https://pollinatorpathwaynw.org/neonic-free-nurseries/ Xerces Society for Invertebrate conservation - https://xerces.org/ 👇 Chapters: 0:00 Intro to Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center 3:40 Ecotypic Seed Sourcing 4:27 Seed Stratification and Scarification 9:14 Seed Germination 12:45 Fertilizers + Pest Management 15:08 Biological Pest Control 17:21 Cultural Pest Control 18:26 Chemical Pest Control 20:44 Where the Plants End Up 23:42 Why They Don’t Use Systemic Insecticides 27:59 Greenhouse + Shade Cloths 29:02 Irrigation and Watering 31:27 Snowberry 35:34 Why Grow from Seed 📍 Learn more about Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center's Native Plant Nursery: WEBSITE: https://www.oxbow.org/native-plant-nursery/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/oxbowcenter/?hl=en 🌱 Support my storytelling and slow media work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thebackcountryherbalist 🧡 Thanks for watching! If you love native plants, ecological restoration, or thoughtful farming, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more videos like this. #NativePlants #OxbowFarm #EcologicalRestoration #SeedSourcing #NativePlantNursery #BiologicalPestControl #PNWPlants

What’s it really like to run an herb farm? 🌿 In this video, I visit Ben, the herbalist-farmer behind Root Digger Farm in Olympia, Washington. As he prepares his monthly CSA boxes full of fresh medicinal herbs, we chat about his journey into farming, what keeps him inspired, and the deeper mission behind his work. We cover: – Why Ben started farming herbs – What his herbal and farming education looked like – The realities and challenges of small-scale herb farming – Mulching, soil care, and habitat stewardship (yes, even pocket gophers!) – The vision he holds for a stronger, more connected medicinal herb grower community – What a CSA is, and why he chose it as the model for his business Whether you’re an herbalist, aspiring grower, or simply curious about what it takes to grow herbs for a living, this conversation will nourish and inspire. 👉 Learn more about Root Digger Farm and sign up for his CSA: https://rootdiggerherbfarm.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorpodFAPscVDntkz2jWqmshfDFelrTcGyGUpE76GSWqwFf6rKZP 📘 Grab a copy of my book Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest: https://amzn.to/4ewPAD7 ✨ Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe if you want more videos like this!

Three years ago, I had a dream to write a book. Now I’m on my third book deal—with some ideas for a fourth book in the works. In this video, I share the full story of how I went from a self-publishing novice to an experienced published author. I’ll walk you through: 🌿 Why I chose to self-publish my first book 📚 What it was really like to edit, design, and launch on Kickstarter 💼 How I landed a traditional publishing deal—and what that meant financially 📣 Marketing wins (TV spots, bestseller lists, and hardware store shelves!) 📝 Tips for writing pitches and building author skills 💡 Why choosing the right publisher for your niche matters 📖 How my background in herbalism, foraging, and teaching helped me build a loyal readership Whether you're dreaming of publishing your first book or navigating next steps as a writer, I hope this behind-the-scenes look gives you inspiration, guidance, and real-world insight. 👉 Like + subscribe for more on wild foods, herbalism, and the creative process MY FIRST BOOK: https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/medicinal-plants-of-the-pacific-northwest-a-visual-guide-to-harvesting-and-healing-with-35-common-species PREORDER MY SECOND BOOK: https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/edible-plants-of-the-pacific-northwest-a-visual-guide-to-harvesting-and-cooking-with-40-common-species MY PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/thebackcountryherbalist #publishingjourney #authorlife #selfpublishing #bookdeal #herbalism #writingtips #creativeentrepreneur

Come wander through my wild kitchen + apothecary! In this video, I’m sharing a peek at the many foraged and handmade projects I’ve got going right now — from bubbling ferments to pine needle baskets, medicinal salves, botanical inks, and more. This is part of my seasonal rhythm: small, earthy projects that connect me to the land and invite slowness, creativity, and care. Projects featured include: • pine needle proofing basket (ponderosa pine needles and waxed linen thread) • sourdough bread • aronia berry and elderberry mead • immature pine cone wild yeast starter • plantain oil • black walnut ink If you’re curious about foraging, plant-based healing, or living more in sync with the natural world, I hope this inspires your own journey. — 📌 Want more? → Join me on Patreon for behind-the-scenes updates, recipes, and deeper seasonal stories: https://www.patreon.com/thebackcountryherbalist → Follow me on Instagram: @adiantumschool → Join my newsletter: https://subscribepage.io/vTL6LC Thanks for being here 🌲 Let me know in the comments which project sparked your curiosity! #foraging #homesteading #wildcrafting #herbalism #seasonalliving #slowliving #plantmagic

March is here and the time to harvest stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is upon us! Come with me to my favorite nettle patch and learn how to identify and harvest spring nettle, one of the most nutritious and delicious wild edible greens out there. Note that stinging nettle grows in most places in the United States, and many places in Europe and Asia as well. Its habitat will look a bit different than in the video, but its love for moist areas and soft leaf duff are consistent wherever it grows! MY BOOK There is a lot more info about harvesting nettle and its medicinal uses in my book, Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest, which is available here: https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/medicinal-plants-of-the-pacific-northwest-a-visual-guide-to-harvesting-and-healing-with-35-common-species PATREON If you are enjoying my channel and you want to be part of my Patreon community, you can check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/thebackcountryherbalist

You might think that growing stinging nettle in your garden is a crazy notion, but with all the edible and medicinal benefits it has, I think you'd be crazy not to. In this video you can learn how to propagate nettle for your home garden. I also talk a little about nettle ecology, which I think is helpful for gardeners and foragers alike to know about! Here are the articles I promised: PERRIN, R.M. (1975), The role of the perennial stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, as a reservoir of beneficial natural enemies. Annals of Applied Biology, 81: 289-297. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7348.1975.tb01644.x Alhmedi, Ammar & Haubruge, Eric & Francis, Frédéric. (2009). Effect of stinging nettle habitats on aphidophagous predators and parasitoids in wheat and green pea fields with special attention to the invader Harmonia axyridis Pallas (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Entomological Science. 12. 349 - 358. 10.1111/j.1479-8298.2009.00342.x. If you love medicinal plants and you live in the Pacific Northwest, you should check out my book, Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest: https://amzn.to/3ZExnxm If you want to keep learning with me, I have many recorded classed for sale here: https://adiantumschool.podia.com/

Foraging in winter?! It is a thing. Come learn about 4 of my favorite wild edibles that grow even in the cold weather. If you're into foraging for food and medicine, subscribe to my channel! My books - Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest: https://amzn.to/3Z4tSQB - Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest: coming in Summer 2025 - I'll let everyone know when preorders open.