Getting Back To Our Roots
When we think about herbs today we mostly think about seasoning our food. Or perhaps we imagine a nice cup of peppermint or chamomile tea? And who can resist a bar of handmade lavender-infused soap? Our Colonial ancestors enjoyed some of the same herbs we do today. Yet herbs were certainly useful for things beyond tea and perfume. A well-stocked medicine cabinet would contain dried herbs for poultices or a soothing drink. Herbalism generally developed out of family home remed
Wisteria and the American Wüster Family
It's wisteria blooming time here in Philadelphia! Every spring, these beautiful fragrant flowers flow down the woody climbing vines attached to many of our city’s cultural institutions. But sometimes a plant is more than just a pretty flower, as these vines have been winding through our history since English botanist Thomas Nuttall named it in the early 1800s. Part of the legume family, American wisteria is different from its Japanese counterparts, and with a very different h
