Smoke Signals

Grandma:  "What is it?" Kids:  "Just more of Dad's bugs." (☉_☉) The Chief has been growing from seed, raising and cultivating our food & medicine for more than 15 years.  He is the green thumb, not I.  He prefers to be recognized as a seed sower, and by the size of our family, this rings true, in more ways than one.    So this is why you can find our home literally filling up with ladybugs, fruit flies (to feed the ladybugs), worms (yup- we have a worm farm), praying mantises, green lacewing eggs, assassin & pirate bugs.  Oh MY! ...Just when you think the mini fruiting chamber (mushroom cultivating) in your bedroom is getting a bit wild.   What do all the bugs have to do with growing food and medicine you may wonder. Well we are only as healthy as the food we eat, no? The food we eat is as healthy as the soil it feeds on and the environment it thrives in. In other words, healing the land is part of healin...

So I began juicing cannabis a couple weeks ago. Having been wanting to do this for a very long time.  And I reported, even advertised, that this was a great way to get all the super beneficials that this plant has to offer without a "lift" whatsoever.  Because there really are some that do not want that "lift". Personally I have never done well with THC (the psychoactive cannabinoid in 'Marijuana').  Being a somewhat high energy (strung?) type, I wanted to like it and receive that unwinding or chilled out effect.  However for me it was the exact opposite.  I feel like my body is under attack and I get anxious, thoughts racing and even feel nauseated.  ✧*。ヾ(｡>﹏<｡)ﾉﾞ✧*。 So I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is not the case when I smoke a hit or two of CBD hemp flower.  I can actually relax!  As time went on however I came to find that too much CBD also did what THC did to me!  Since I formulate CBD products, I use ...

As the Cannabis 'industry' takes off we are experiencing many avenues left to be (re) discovered, at least for the masses. One of the issues that a grower (both those for fiber & those for flower) will encounter is what do we do with all the trimmings or fan leaves as they are known by growers. See most people embrace the Hemp industry with the sustainable/holistic vision in mind.  It's a good fit, no? ....And then they come to the trimmings. ..... Many will stuff them into a paper bag and toss them out!◖|◔◡◉|◗ That seems crazy, am I right?! Sure you can place them around your plant(s) for nutrients but some may find they have an abundance of them, especially if you are in the pruning is best category of growing. It may surprise you that the fan leaves are desired by almost as many as the flower. The issue here is many prefer them fresh and unless you know a grower, this can be almost impossible.  (⌣_⌣”) Yet, I do encourage you to make attempts to contact a...

This season the chief planted some deer proof garden flower mix & North American wildflower mix. He knew us girls would love it and it was beneficial for keeping the deer at bay as well as invoking pollinators. Hard to believe that the all these beautiful photos came from these 2 seed packs! As they began to bloom, he soon noticed something was eating the flowers off the long stems of an unidentified hairy flower bud. But wasn't this suppose to be a "deer-proof flower mix"? Σ(･ิ¬･ิ) We were intrigued and had to find out what was so delicious. ...Would we even get to see any bloom? As space would allow, I matched some shirely poppy flowers to the hairy stems and leaves that were munched at. What was taking a liking to it, was yet to be caught. As my green blood got the best of me I instinctively (perhaps foolishly) nibbled at one of the soft as a rose petals 'to see what I could see'. It was pleasant, as my palate is also of t...

Many of us are either sick or experiencing a loved one's sickness.  Either way the pain of illness is close. Smoke Signals is a place to share information that encourages one another.  We believe that we have been given everything we need to live and abundant life.  This is our mantra because we want it to sink in. It's true! We advocate WILD EDIBLES on our side bar, to the left, for many reasons. 1.) FREE medicine! It's wise & true that every seed bearing plant has been given to us for fruit and it's leaf for medicine. "Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." "Eat the rainbow" 2.) It's more than just a medicine or a food.  It's a holistic way of living. It's a symbiotic relationship. It's synergy!  We were created to consume these plants just as they were created for us to consume. It goes in a harmonious cycle. We give off carbon dioxide, they give off oxygen. They adapt to the ever ch...

If you have been following us on our other social media platforms you may have gathered we are submerging ourselves in the fungi kingdom. Since this kingdom is still so mysterious we decided to share our adventure with you in a series called, Mushroom Appreciation. Here we will try to expound on the benefits of this kingdom although so vast.  We hope to encourage wild foraging and even pass along some cultivating do's & don't s from our own experiences. Typography Illustration by chrystakay.com In our first series we are talking about Turkey Tail. Why?    Immune-Boosting Benefits of Turkey Tail Mushroom Packed With Antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds that help inhibit or reduce damage caused by oxidative stress.  Contains Immune-Boosting Polysaccharopeptides. The specific polysaccharides are “Kresin” (PSK) and “Peptide” (PSP). May Improve Immune Function in People With Certain Cancers.  May Enhance the Efficacy of Certain Cancer T...

It is trending, ditching the plastic.  Just as smoking tobacco has become "dis-tasteful" to some, plastic has become to others.  ...But unlike tobacco's counter part, it is only natural to desire to see cleaner beaches, roads and forget about how much trash is put out each day. The Native Americans had many practices set in place with their respect and wisdom for the land and its resources. And as history goes, the industrial age brought great expansion and has inevitably landed us to today where technology allows for us to see just what all our advancements have actually done. It is kind of a catch 22 in a way.  And now we are found in a cusp, so to speak.  Are we going to continue the way we have been going for the last century? Many find this revolutionary.  Opportunities arise for catching the wave.  But for some it brings a tidal of anxiety and uncertainty. As a family that continues to grow, we get all of the above.  We do. And hav...

"At the end of the day, your feet should be dirty ...."  (~Shanti)  Your feet are your carriage.  Your only carriage.  And they often go for long periods of time with no attention whatsoever.  Especially in the colder seasons when they are covered up by socks and shoes for the better part of the day.    Personally I do my best to be barefoot as much as possible.  I just delight in the feel of the earth on my soles.  In the picture below my feet were getting a tranquil, enchanting, zen-like experience from this lush green grass like stuff surrounding our garden. I'm not so sure about 'grounding' or 'earthing' as it seems a bit woo-woo for even me but I do know that this just feels great!  And perhaps there may be something to it hence the reason why I hate shoes.   Buddha says, "The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground."  And just maybe we feel a sense of belonging when our feet engage with the soil?...