The power of plants

There are thousands of products on the market today that cure common health problems such as headaches and stomach aches, but experts say folks don't have to go too much farther than their own yards to get things that will help with these issues.

There are many herbs that provide relief for just about any health issue and because most of them can be grown in a person's garden and some even grow on their own, it's usually cheaper and easier to use them than something off a store shelf.

For Marietta resident Beth Ann Weber, the secret is in her handmade soaps and salves.

"Our skin is the largest organ of our body so anything we're putting on our skin is going to affect our system," said Weber, 42. "Many people are sensitive to synthetic perfumes and synthetic colors but many people who react and think they can't use soap or skin care products will find they can use handmade ones."

For about eight years, Weber, owner of Appalachian Heritage Soaps and Sundries, has made soaps and salves and sold them at various craft shows and festivals. Her products are also sold in a few stores.

She uses a variety of ingredients to make the products. For instance, her black walnut salve is made with olive oil, black walnut shells, plantain, calendula, thyme, beeswax, vitamin E and lavender, tea tree and thyme essential oils.

"It's anti-fungal and it's been used for centuries for toenail and foot and skin infections," Weber said of the black walnut tree.

Weber said where she gets the ingredients for her soaps and salves varies. Plantain, for example, grows naturally in her yard, while calendula is something she began growing.

The calendula - a type of marigold - soothes irritated skin, she said. Plantain, which many people eliminate with weed spray, serves the same purpose. Chickweed, she said, has similar properties.

Even wounds and bruising can be alleviated with a plant called comfrey, Weber said, and the soap she makes using a combination of jewel weed and witch hazel is ideal for healing poison ivy.

"(Jewel weed) grows wild in our region and it was a Native American cure for poison ivy and anything itchy - the stem is hollow and has a liquid in it," she said. "It grows in dark, moist places just like poison ivy, so typically if you can find poison ivy, you can find it."

Kevin Tidd, manager of Mother Earth Foods in Parkersburg, said garlic - although it has a strong odor - is one of the best herbs a person can have in their garden.

How To Harvest Black Walnuts - News


The power of plants

For instance, her black walnut salve is made with olive oil, black walnut shells, plantain, calendula, thyme, beeswax, vitamin E and lavender, tea tree and thyme essential oils. "It's anti-fungal and it's been used for centuries for toenail and foot



Patch Passport: Travel Back in Time - Crystal Lake's Dole Mansion

The house was built with lavishly, with European craftsman brought in to lay parquet floors and create interior woodwork from black walnut trees grown on the property. The property was called Lakeland Farm and included a half-mile racetrack.



Local tree farmer fights clearwing infestation

The tree farm is home to black walnuts, red oaks, white oaks, black cherries and a few pin oaks. "I'm told (the infestation) is a four-stage thing, and it takes about two years for it to move through one cycle," said Smith, who,



Homestead schedules summer workshops

Participants will have the option of using a black walnut dye-bath for a natural finish. All materials are included and tools are provided for use by the instructor. Take one class or all three: JUNE 11 - "Classic Muffin Basket," JULY 30 - "Classic



Go! Bars & Clubs calendar: June 10-16

Black Walnut Inn — Talking Machine, 179 Firetower Road, Milford, Pa., 9 pm June 11. 570-296-6322. www.theblackwalnutinn.com. Bridgewater Irish Pub and Restaurant — DJ Tony and Karaoke Kraziness, 50 Abeel St., Kingston, 10 pm June 10.




How To Harvest Black Walnuts!

Caution: Back home with buckets of pecans and black walnuts, the actual cracking process starts. The easiest nut to crack is the pecan. I have a hand operated nut cracker that splits the nut in half and provides me two perfect halves which I throw in the bowl, unless there's a worm in the shell, then I throw it in the waste bucket. Pecans are easy to crack, however a bucket full is a lot of pecans, and requires treatment in striking the nut.

Here is how I do this. I hold the enthusiast with my left hand and place this on an anvil that I possess on my workbench. Along with my left hand I hold a small three pound, short handled sledge hammer. Along with laser like accuracy I strike the walnut on the apex of the nut; a minimum of most of the time I'm correct. The hammer is heavy enough for the mind to dictate extreme caution in striking at something concerning the size of a golf ball when all of your fingers are subjected.

The spend of a walnut doesn't have give in it such as the thin shelled pecan. When you use the actual pick, most of the beef will crumble. Don't throw that aside because a little of that walnut flour makes very tasty cookies.Shelling pecans and walnuts is really an act of love. It takes work to be successful in the crop. Working with a bunch of nut products is much like working with people. You have to have patience, caution and endurance. Most of all, you have to have love.


How To Harvest Black Walnuts - Bookshelf

Nut culture in the United States, embracing native and introduced species

Nut culture in the United States, embracing native and introduced species

4. BLACK WALNUT ( Juglans nigra L. ). The black walnut ... HARVESTING THE WILD NCTS. ... Black walnuts thus handled will be found to have a whiter, ...

Organic Gardening

Organic Gardening

Harvesting "Mumsey," a member of our online community, ... To enjoy black walnuts for years to come, invest in a black walnut nutcracker. ...

Foods & nutrition encyclopedia

Foods & nutrition encyclopedia

Black walnut production is limited to trees in forests and farmsteads. ... Harvesting. Walnuts are mature and ready for harvest as soon as the tissue ...

Edible wild plants, a North American field guide

Edible wild plants, a North American field guide

Harvest: Gather ripe nuts in autumn as they fall from tree. Remove brown- staining hulls immediately as described for BLACK WALNUT (preceding). ...

Black walnut for profit

Black walnut for profit

HARVEST TIMING AND NAVEL ORANGEWORM By WH Olson, LC Hendricks, GS Sibbett, CS Davis, and DE Ramos Timing walnut harvest so that the nuts are removed as soon ...

Media Info Directory


How to Harvest Black Walnuts: 8 steps (with video) - wikiHow
How to Harvest Black Walnuts. Do you have a few walnut trees and are not sure what to do with the nuts? Here are the basic instructions for harvesting ...

Harvesting Black Walnuts
The flavor of black walnut lends a gourmet touch to cookies, breads, ... You are most likely to find walnut trees with nuts ready for harvest in southern Minnesota in early fall, ...

Harvesting Black Walnuts
Harvesting Black Walnuts,Black Walnut Hulls,Hulling Black Walnuts,Harvesting of back yard Black Walnuts,Complete Black Walnut Guide

How to Harvest Walnuts From Black Walnut Trees
If you're the frugal type like me, then you just have to love edible landscaping. Take black walnut trees, for instance. Steve Nix says that his family

How to Harvest & Cure Black Walnuts | Garden Guides
How to Harvest & Cure Black Walnuts. Black walnuts have a distinctive flavor and make a marvelous addition to breads, cakes and other baked goods. ...