Helping families grow food, cook from scratch, preserve the harvest, and build practical homesteading skills—one lesson at a time.
Everyday Herbs
Learn It. Grow It. Use It.
Herbs don’t have to be complicated and you don’t need to know every plant growing around you.
Start with a few. Learn what they look like, where they grow, how to use them, and build from there. Before long, you’ll start seeing useful plants everywhere.
Start with one plant. Learn it well. Then add another.
My Herbal Quick List covers some basic herbs worth getting to know and gives you an easy reference to keep on hand.
If you’re going to grow, forage and dry your own herbs, eventually you’re going to have a whole lot of jars filled with green stuff. Trust me. Label them. Grab my free printable herbal tags to help keep your home apothecary organized.
Learn It.
You don’t have to know every herb out there.
Start with a few. Learn what they look like, where they grow, what they’re traditionally used for and how you can actually use them in your everyday life.
Where Do I Even Start With Herbs?
You might be surprised by how many useful plants are already growing around you.
In this video, I talk about some simple herbs to start learning, basic foraging, dandelion, lavender and plantain, and a few of the ways I use herbs around our home.
And my biggest advice?
Pick one.
You don’t have to learn 50 herbs. Start with something easy like mint or lemon balm. Learn how to identify it, grow it and use it. Then move on to the next one.
New to Herbs?
My Introduction to Herbs Workbook is over 40 pages designed to help you start learning the basics without making herbalism complicated.
My free Herbs for Kids Workbook includes simple herbal learning activities, coloring pages and a bookmark to help get kids interested in the plants growing around them.
If you want to start learning herbs one plant at a time, Calendula is a great place to begin. It’s beautiful, easy to grow and one of the herbs I come back to year after year.
This is the plant I go running for when someone gets stung.Legit running!
Plantain in real life: While removing mammoth sunflower seeds, something sharp got me in the crook of my thumb. Within minutes it was swollen, turning blue and hurting like crazy.
My first thought? Get me the plantain.
I grabbed a leaf, chewed it into a quick poultice and put it on the area. That’s exactly the kind of practical herbal knowledge I want people to learn — recognize the plant, know where to find it, and know how you personally use it.
Learn About Yarrow
One herb I’m really glad I know.
Yarrow is beautiful, easy to grow, and one of those plants that proved to me why learning what’s growing around you actually matters.
One day at the river, knowing Yarrow came in pretty darn handy.
This is what growing herbs actually looks like around here — not a perfectly manicured herb garden, but a whole lot of useful plants growing together.
Come walk through my mid-summer herb garden with me as I show you what I’m growing, what I’m harvesting now, what I’m leaving for later, and some of the ways I actually use these plants throughout the year.
And if you’re just getting started? Pick one herb. Learn it. Use it. Then add another.
Use It.
Growing herbs is great. Knowing what to do with them is even better.
Learn how to harvest, preserve and turn the herbs around you into things you can actually use.
Harvesting Herbal Roots After Frost
Harvesting herbs doesn’t end when summer does.
After our first frost and freeze here in Northern Michigan, I head back into the herb garden — this time for the roots.
Come along as I dig comfrey, dandelion, elecampane, echinacea, marshmallow and valerian and talk about why I grow them, when I harvest them and what I plan to make with them.
Harvest & Dry Your Herbs
Not sure when to harvest your herbs or what to do with them once you do?
Start with my free Harvest & Dry Herbs Quick Guide — a simple one-page reference you can download and keep handy.
A Note From Laura: The information shared here is for educational purposes only. I am not a medical professional. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using herbs, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a health condition. You are responsible for how you use this information.
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