Category: In the Garden

The Original “Throat Coat” Tea

There are a few herbs known to be incredibly soothing for sore throats, but marshmallow is my hands down favorite.

Prune Basil for Longer Harvests

You may have heard that you are supposed to pinch out basil flowers as soon as they appear, and that is good advice. Once a plant begins to flower it shifts its focus to making seeds, rather than leaves. And the longer you can delay

Life in the Garden

The sweet potatoes in my garden are positively glowing this summer. They have completely filled the bed with a riot of gorgeous, vivacious green leaves. Meanwhile, in the bed right next to them, under the same soil conditions and watering regiment, the squash plants limp

Putting Up Sunshine

An Ode to Calendula I planted you a few years ago Just a couple of plants, from a friend Every year since, you plant yourself How kind of you. You choose the wayside spots, the edges, the paths, and give your blossoms to the world

Step 1: Plug it In

As a seasoned gardener, I often get asked questions like, “My _______ is turning yellow, and just won’t grow. Any idea what’s wrong?” To which my basic answer is, “Did you check to make sure it was plugged in?” We humans like big, fancy solutions,

Picking Green Beans

I have a funny history with green beans. Back in Alaska, I tried and tried to grow them, with hilariously bad (or rather, non-existent) results. Here in Eugene, they grow like weeds. Our first year I planted an 8-foot row of pole beans and consequently

The Giving Blackberry

As soon as I started gardening here, a friend started trying to convince me to plant a thornless blackberry. This is the Pacific Northwest, I said, why in the world would I plant a blackberry? Every alley is full of them, including ours. Eventually she

I Dream of Garlic

I’m not sure why, but I adore growing alliums. Garlic, onions, and leeks in the garden make me inordinately happy. Perhaps it’s their clean, straightforward form– long, strappy leaves going purposefully on their way from base to tip. Perhaps it’s the fact that, for me

Grow What You Love

Sometimes I wonder if I will ever stop learning this garden lesson– Grow what you love to eat. Not what looks pretty in the harvest basket, not what sounds intriguing in the catalog description, not what other groovy gardeners always gush about, not what I

Broccoli Bust

If you’ve grown broccoli, you know what waste of space it can be. I persist in growing it because it’s one of my kids favorite vegetables, and the homegrown stuff is truly delicious. But even when I do everything perfectly, and get a good sized

Store up summer’s goodness, in a jar!

Have you always wanted to learn how to preserve food, but felt too intimidated? This free workshop series will get you started!

Through eBooks, recipes and live online classes, these workshops will cover super simple beginner techniques, step by step, to give you the knowledge, skills and courage you need to fill your kitchen with jars.

Food Preservation 101

Free Workshop Series

How to Make Jam – October 3rd

Quick Pickles – October 10th

Freeze It! – October 17th

Meet Calamity Jane

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a mother, gardener, and educator. I live with my family in Eugene, Oregon, where our ¼ acre homestead is an abundant tangle of vegetables, fruit trees, flowers and herbs. I am a Master Gardener and Certified Permaculture Designer, but I don’t believe that these titles mean half as much as my 25 years experience of making mistakes in the garden.

I am also the homemaker of our home. I started baking my own bread when I was 14 and it sparked a lifelong love of cooking from scratch. My kitchen is a jungle of jars, with every kind of food inside. Perhaps most importantly, I spent 7 years as a full-time mama, and understand the unique challenges of trying to maintain a productive home and homestead, while also wiping up spills and breaking up fights for 12 hours a day.

I love the beauty of a handmade life, and still get a thrill of pleasure when I bring in a basket of eggs or a bunch of freshly pulled carrots. But I value authenticity even more, and I don’t like to hide the dirt under my nails. Years ago someone jokingly dubbed me Calamity Jane, not because I’m a cowgirl but because I’m a rule-breaker. Join me as I topple the edifice of Pinterest Perfection and get right into the nitty gritty details of real life homesteading!