Who We Are



The past few years, the area where I live, Crawford County, Ohio, has seen a wonderful explosion of younger families who are embracing the joys and challenges of living off the land. Because of them, amazing things are happening which have been embraced by our community. Farmer’s markets have been created and on-farm stores have opened. Families dedicated to growing organic produce and naturally raised meats are meeting the public’s needs for locally raised foods. And at the heart of this movement are the women.



Ohio Country Journal is my attempt to share the essence of farm life, focusing on, but not limited to, women. My goal is to bring you into our circle of friendship by inviting you to share your stories and experiences with us. You don’t have to be a full time country woman to benefit from joining us; you just have to be you.





The full-time country women featured in Ohio Country Journal are an inspiration to anyone who dares to follow her dreams, whether it is to live in the country or to bring the country life-style to their urban neighborhoods.





Thursday, September 12, 2013

Natural Beauty

 



Denise does the decorating at one of Galion's historic homes, The Bishop Brown Cottage. For fall, she decided to forage for natural plants and asked me to go along with her. 

Along an abandoned railway, we were on the hunt for bittersweet, which dries to a deep orange center with a bright orange outer layer that peels back as it dries. We did find a small amount, which would have been disappointing except that we found loads of rose hips.

Rose hips are the berries of wild roses. They are rich in vitamin c. Tea can be made from the berries, but I've never attempted to make it. Maybe I'll thy this method from e-how food. Rose hip tea can be bought at health food stores.

When gathering wild things such as rose hips to use for decorative purposes, it is extremely important to not take it all, because these are foods that birds eat during the winter months.

Bittersweet and rose hips are beautiful in fall arrangements. Use caution when gathering wild plants. Long pants will help guard against poison ivy and protect your legs from scratches. Gloves are important because even though different types of rose hips have different kinds of thorns, they are all prickly! But most of all, enjoy the weather and have fun!

When you are home, old canning jars, flower pots, baskets of all sorts, and grapevine wreaths are but a few items to use as base supports. What ideas can you think of for making natural fall decorations?


Marcheta *(rose) hip to be natural



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