256: Tammi Hartung on the Versatility of Plants.
Discovering amazing uses for herbs, weeds and other common North American plants.
Tammi is an ethnobotanical herbalist, organic farmer, author and international speaker. She has been working with plants for more than 37 years.
She and her husband, Chris, own Desert Canyon Farm, a certified organic farm in southern Colorado where they grow more than 1200 different varieties of plants.
Tammi is the author of several books including the national bestseller Homegrown Herbs, The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener, and her newest book Cattail Moonshine & Milkweed Medicine, Published by Storey Publishing.Don’t miss an episode! Click here to sign up for weekly podcast updates
In This Podcast:
Curiosity about the uses and benefits of plants led Tammi Hartung to do some pretty interesting research. She has a significant knowledge base to pull from since she loves plants and has over 1200 varieties on her farm, yet she wanted to know more and shares a little of what she found. There are some amazing surprises that blew our mind, let us know if you think so too.
Listen in and learn about:
- Desert Canyon Farm and her love of plants
- Her 1200 different varieties of plants and how she thought it was only 800 until they made a list
- How her varieties are available to be purchased
- Starting out in the medicinal plant market
- What an ethnobotanical herbalist does
- Some of the uses of the plants she grows
- Willow and some of the uses over time
- Working with nature to manage the garden space
Harvesting santolina
- Working on her newest book and selecting plants for the chapters
- Some amazing uses for cattails – you will probably be surprised!
- And uses for milkweed – including oil spill clean-up
- Glazes for pottery from plants like cottonwood
- Prickly pears with and without their wicked spines
- How she grows her potatoes and gets 30 lbs. per barrel
- Celebrating 21 years for her organic farm
- A description of her property starting with her pollinator hedge and the variety of wildlife that coexist on her land
- Hosting school groups with lessons tailored to their learning objectives
- The influential people in her life, including her great aunt, Rosemary Gladstar, and Gary Nabbin
As well as:
- Her failure – Trying unsuccessfully to grow chives for two full years by over analyzing the whole process
- Her success – Earning her livelihood doing something she really loves, and always learning more
- Her drive – Sharing the information with others and being inspired by nature
- Her advice – Think like a plant, not like a person; and if you fail, so what, move on
Producer’s note: Greg calls this advice out as Epic!
Books written by Tammi:
Cattail Moonshine & Milkweed Medicine: The Curious Stories of 43 Amazing North American Native Plants
Growing 101 Herbs That Heal: Gardening Techniques, Recipes, and Remedies
Homegrown Herbs: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying More than 100 Herbs
The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Food in Harmony with Nature
How to reach Tammi:
You can read Tammi’s blog at desertcanyonfarm.wordpress.com
UrbanFarm.org/CatTailMoonshine
