Mofardin's Garden

10/26/2022

Here's a short clip of our Ashwagandha harvesting action.

10/26/2022

We had a beautiful Ashwagandha harvest. Around 100 plants and one of the easiest herbal roots I've grown and dug up! PM me if you or any of your herbal loving friends would like some local grown Ashwagandha roots :)

09/11/2022

I'm getting so excited because it's almost time to harvest Ashwagandha! It's my first year growing this powerful plant but I have used it for many years. The root has been used traditionally in Ayurvedic practices and is considered an adaptogen. An adaptogen is "a natural substance considered to help the body adapt to stress and to exert a normalizing effect upon bodily processes." Basically, this is something safe to use daily, is said to support your body by reducing nervous tension, and build energy but also help with insomnia.

Ashwagandha is not necessarily the yummiest of roots but makes up for it with it's benefits. It's commonly brewed in teas or the powder is taken in capsules or added to a food, like an herbal bonbon.

Please reach out if you are interested in purchasing some. The harvest will be around the first frost in October!

Check out this link for more Ashwagandha herbal information:
https://theherbalacademy.com/beginners-guide-ashwagandha/

08/23/2022

It’s GARLIC time!
I have 6 big and beautiful specialty varieties available.

Besides being delicious, garlic has also been known to boost your immune system so stock up before the winter season. Here’s some brief descriptions of these varieties if you’re interested in them for specific uses but know that they’re all perfect for any of your garlic needs from raw, cooked, dried or planted for next year! Support a local small-time business and PM me with any order questions. We can arrange a pick up or drop off depending on location :)

$1.5/head or $7/lb
We can do bulk prices if you’d like a larger amount for planting or stocking up.

Pehoski Purple: hardneck, 5-7 large cloves (can be more depending on conditions), hot and pungent raw but mellows out nicely when cooked

Georgian Fire: hardneck, 6-8 large cloves, pleasantly hot raw, delicious roasted

Russian Giant: hardneck, 3-6 fat cloves, mild flavor, sweet, nutty

Chesnok Red: hardneck, large elongated cloves, good for baking, very aromatic

Inchelium Red: softneck, layers of cloves, around 12-20 total, great for any culinary use, roasting makes it sweet and mellow

Lortz Italian: softneck, medium to large flat round head, averages 7 easy to peel cloves, flavorful, bold and spicy

07/19/2022

A beautiful harvest of calendula, yarrow, chickweed and plantain currently infusing in olive and jojoba oil. I'll be using this to make an all-purpose salve later this summer. 💚 what plants can do for us!

07/12/2022

The marshmallows are flowering! This lovely and towering plant is what originally made the sweet treat....marshmallows :) The roots are very mucilaginous and have been known to help with sore throats and a great alternative to slippery elm bark (which has been over harvested). Our first harvest of the roots will be this fall after two years of growth. Reach out if you would like to be added to the list and we will let you know when it's available. Check out this link for more marshmallow uses. https://mommypotamus.com/marshmallow-root/

05/03/2022

A sea of garlic! I'm happy to share that we'll have garlic available this summer. I have a special affinity to this plant and eat it in some form just about every day of my life. Not only is it delicious and nutritious, but has been known to boost the immune system and lower blood pressure. There will be 6 big and beautiful varieties: Chesnok Red, Russian Giant, Georgian Fire, Pehoski Purple, Lortz Italian and Inchelium Red. Yum :)

04/04/2022

Spring is here and It's time for Valerian! I'll be harvesting a small amount this week and letting the rest stay until the fall. It's such a potent smell, sweet, florally, pungent and quite awful to some people, hahaha, but I personally can't get enough of right now! If you haven't had a chance to use fresh Valerian root, or have and want more, reach out to me this week if you'd like some to explore and work with.

10/23/2021

Yellow Dock- I have strategically allowed it to grow throughout the garden as long as it did not interfere with any cultivated plants. It was a fun hunt this week to find and dig them all up! The roots range in color from a strong yellow to a pale cream yellow. The young leaves in the springtime are lovely added with other springtime greens but the fall is better for a root harvest. It is very bitter and astringent so I would not necessarily say eating a side of it like Burdock would be tasty....but better to mix in with other herbs for a decoction or making syrup, vinegar or tincture it to benefit from it's useful qualities.

10/23/2021

It's been a busy week working on the roots harvest. We got the last of the Burdock out. I did an experiment this year with some planted in a bed tilled extra deep, some planted in a "Gobo box". That is the more traditional way it is grown in Japan and makes for an easier harvest. Fresh Burdock is delicious roasted with other fall veggies, or on it's own like in Kinpira Gobo. This is a recipe similar to one I use. I don't always add carrots and if I don't have Mirin or Sake on hand, white wine or rice vinegar have made good substitutions.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/kinpira-gobo-braised-burdock-root/

I'll have fresh Burdock available at the Local Roots Hootenanny tomorrow. Message me if you can't make it and would like to have some in your life :)

10/19/2021

Come shop, hang out and swing by my table next weekend to get some herbs for delicious teas and medicine making this winter!

Have you heard? It’s gonna be a HOOT! The Local Roots Farm: Harvest Moon Hootenanny is happening next Sunday, Oct 24th!

Join us at Local Roots Farm for a day of fall flavors, local beer, wine, food & fare for purchase, live local music and a unique bizarre; a vendor and craft market displaying local entrepreneurs! See you rain or shine from 11-5pm! Click the link to our website for more information.

https://localrootsfarmrt18.com/harvest-moon-hootenanny

10/14/2021

It's Burdock time! The harvest has begun. I'll be working on this for most of the next week so lots of fresh roots available for anyone local, the rest will be chopped and dried and available for all.

A brief overview- Burdock is a mild bitter, high in Inulin, a prebiotic that feeds beneficial intestinal flora (like Dandelion and Chicory root), high in B6 and minerals like iron, calcium and magnesium. It's also been said to be a useful herb for skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne.

Dried it can be tinctured or used in teas and soup broths adding yummy nutrition and balance to your body during the winter months.

The roots are harvested fall of the first year or early spring of the second. After that it will send up a flowering stalk with those ever familiar "burr" flowers that stick to everything. It actually is what inspired the invention of velcro!