"Simplicity" does not mean "poverty". (Country conversation & feedback).COUNTRYSIDE: One of the many interesting things I have learned from COUNTRYSIDE is that homesteading can be done according to individual desire. I live on a small lot in a small town. My priority is self-reliant life with a maximum of freedom and a minimum of needs. The game plan was to own my home debt free and use all available ground for organic food production. This is now reality. The 8'x16' solar greenhouse is located in the front yard. So are irregularly shaped river rock raised beds. The landscape makes a great conversation piece. The backyard is filled with 4'x4' and 8'x8' raised beds. They are covered to keep out critters and birds. The square foot gardening method and year around mulch equals low maintenance. My goal of self-reliance called for letting go of an addiction to speed and convenience. Despite the manual labor required for the myriad of slow lane activities, I still have time for long walks, reading, to give a helping hand or just visit. This way of life is not for everybody, however it is perfectly normal when one is convinced that "voluntary simplicity is not poverty, it is psychological and material well being." This is my very own success story, my song and dance as a single, senior lady.--Sarolta Sperry, PO Box 457, Prairie City, OR 97869 Sarolta requested anyone with questions please enclose a SASE for a reply. I'd like to suggest that instead of going out into the woods to dig ginseng, that you grow your own. There are nurseries who sell plants that have not been taken from the forest. Crimson Sage Nursery, PO Box 13, Colton, OR 97017, catalog $2; Horizon Herbs, PO Box 69, Williams, OR 97544, catalog $2; United Plant Savers, PO Box 77, Guysville, OH 45735-0077. I also encourage anyone using medicinal herbs to study, study, study ... and do it safely. There are a lot of good home study courses and herbal schools you can attend.--Vanna Sheffer, 47747 Burton Rd., Shelby Twp., MI 48317 According to the United Plant Savers' website (www.plantsavers.org), the following plants are at risk of extinction: At Risk List American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) Bloodroot bloodroot: see poppy. bloodroot Plant (Sanguinaria canadensis) of the poppy family, native throughout eastern and midwestern North America, growing mainly in deciduous woodlands and blooming in early spring. (Sanguinaria sanguinaria (sang´gwiner´ē  ) (bloodroot),n Sanguinaria canadensis contains an isoquinoline alkaloid thought to be useful in reducing plaque and gingivitis. canadensis) Blue Cohosh (Caulopbyllum thalictroides) Echinacea (Echinacea spp.) Eyebright eyebright, n Latin name: Euphrasia officinalis; part used: blooming plant; uses: eye irritations, nasal catarrh; uses under research: jaundice, lung infections, impaired memory; not recommended because of cytotoxic effects; precautions: can (Euphrasia spp.) Goldenseal goldenseal Perennial herb (Hydrastis canadensis) native to woods of the eastern U.S. Its rootstocks have medicinal properties. The plant has a single greenish-white flower, the sepals of which fall as they open. The fruits grow in clusters of small red berries. (Hydrastis canadensis) Helonias Root (Chamaelirium luteum) Kava Kava (Piper methysticum) (Hawaii only) Lady's Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium spp.) Lomatium (Lomatium dissectum) Osha (Ligusticum porteri, L. spp.) Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) Sundew (Drosera Drosera genus of insectivorous plants in family Droseraceae; some species may cause cyanide poisoning. Called also sundews. spp.) Trillium, Beth Root (Trillium spp.) True Unicorn (Aletris farinosa) Venus' Fly Trap (Dionaea muscipula) Virginia Snakeroot snakeroot, name for several plants, among them black snakeroot (see bugbane), button snakeroot or blazing star, senega snakeroot (see milkwort), and white snakeroot. (Aristolochia serpentaria) Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa, D. spp.) To Watch List Arnica (Arnica spp.) Butterfly Weed ("Pleurisy Root") (Asclepias tuberosa) Calamus calamus (kăl`əməs): see arum. (Acorus calamus) Cascara Sagrada cascara sagrada (kä·skäˑ·r  säˑ·gr (Rhamnus purshiana)
Chaparro (Casatela emoryi) Elephant Tree (Bursera microphylla) Gentian (Gentiana spp.) Goldthread (Coptis spp.) Lobelia (Lobelia spp.) Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pendatum) Mayapple mayapple (māˈ·aˑ·p (Podophyllum peltatum) Oregon Grape (Mahonia spp.) Partridge Berry (Mitchella repens) Pink Root (Spigelia marilaandica) Pipsissewa pipsissewa (pĭpsĭs`əwä), any plant of the genus Chimaphila, perennial herbs of dry wooded regions in the Northern Hemisphere. (Chimaphila umbellata) Spikenard (Aralia racemosa, A. californica) Stillingia ("Queen's Delight") (Stillingia sylvatica) Stone Root (Collinsonia canadensis) Stream Orchid (Epipactis gigantea) Turkey Corn (Dicentra Dicentra a genus of the Fumariaceae family of plants; contain an isoquinoline alkaloid which causes a syndrome of diarrhea, incoordination and other nervous signs. Includes D. cucullaria (dutchman's breeches), D. canadensis (squirrel corn), D. canadensis) White Sage (Salvia apiana) Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria) Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis californica) Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon californica) Note some of these plants may be quite plentiful in some areas of the country, while quite rare in others. |
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