Brightside Acres

02/22/2026

Did you know that the word "capricious" is related to the latin word for goat, "capra"? Why do I love goats? For their whimsical, antic, often delightful nature. They also appreciate human contact. And I know this sounds like some kind of projection, but the goats I've known have a crazy good sense of humor. 🥰

02/10/2026

Since this epic weather event began on January 24, we've seen more deer than ever before. And more turkey than in many years.
Also this healthy bobcat, viewed from an upstairs window.

01/31/2026

The snow in the forest alongside Old Pike Road is frozen hard and the deer can't get traction trying to climb up or go down. So they are staying along the Pike and we just have to drive very slowly. Here is a group of 6 bucks today.

12/16/2025

We'll be there with hot Wildgrown herbal teas for sipping! 🫖

🎄🎁Join us on December 19th for a Christmas Market!🍪✨

12/01/2025

What a wonderful evening it was!! A perfect way to begin the season. Thank you!!🎄

11/25/2025

Come see me at the delightful Hillsboro Pub 4-7 November 30. I'll have teas, goat milk soaps, healing salves and fruit preserves from Brightside Acres! 🎄☃️

08/09/2025

We'll be there, too! With herbal teas, fruit creations, and goat milk soaps! It's an incomparable opportunity to interact with the artists and craftspeople of Pocahontas County. 🌻

"Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble."
William Shakespeare

- Check out Brenda's Brooms

10/04/2024

On many fall mornings at Brightside, the air is thick with low clouds such that you can't see far at all. You'll start to think it's a dreary day ahead. But this doesn't last. The light is just right there.

You can't see far in thick fog. But the light is just right there.

09/24/2024

Our favorite time of year is emerging at Brightside Acres. Enjoy this 1-minute video of a uniquely Pocahontas County fall day.

Our favorite time of year is emerging.

08/22/2024

Apparently I have lived a very sheltered life!! Although I've been gardening for over 30 years, I've never seen this critter: a To***co Hornworm. At first I thought it was a Tomato Hornworm, but they have a black horn on the tail. This horn is definitely red. Wow! What a munching machine! For weeks I've been very confused. I go out to the garden and the tomato plants are pruned back, starting at the top. Leaves and stems appearing as if browsed by a deer or a goat. But my garden is inside a 10-foot solar electric fence with a couple feet of hardware cloth along the bottom. Unless the gate is left open, there's no way-in for my four-legged friends. And trust me, the gate has NOT been left open. What could be doing such damage?? Alas, it's this exotic-looking fellow. Does anybody have experience with Hornworms?🌻

08/21/2024

It's Scarlet Bee Balm season! One of the very best times of my year. As I'm processing dried plants, I truly wish you could smell the enchanting aroma that fills my kitchen, a unique combination of citrus and spice. Wonderful in the wild, the aroma grows more complex when the dried plants are ground. When steeped in hot water, the flavor is at once warm and refreshing, exotic and comforting. If you've never tasted it, you'll love it! Everyone does.

This gorgeous plant grows wild along forest edges and stream banks throughout the Alleghenies. Sometimes called Oswego Tea, Scarlet Bee Balm was introduced to early immigrants by the Native American tribe as a substitute for the black tea often in short supply. In a 2022 abstract, the National Institutes of Health recognizes Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) as containing phenols identified for their antioxidant properties and their positive impact on our immune and nervous systems. How cool is that!! These mountains contain miracles. 🌻