Ode to Lammas/Lughnasadh
I often look to ancient nature or earth based celebrations as inspiration for how I approach the season. I find this very useful in parenting as well, as it gives me ideas for baking, books, crafts and themes to guide us through the summer months but with more...
Ideas for Summer Nature Crafts- Nature Kids Series
With the thermal mass of the land and the sea at its warmest now there are many days of mellow summer ahead. The undeniable effect of the sun on our lives makes it a great theme for crafting with children. We enjoy making golden paper suns and hanging them around the...
The Art of the Garden Bath
A beautiful summer gratitude ritual is running a Garden Bath. I have talked about garden baths before in some of rituals and rhythms episodes because it is such a simple but divine thing. With summer being a time when many herbs are at their best and the garden is...
Tips for Tantalising Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a popular plant to grow thanks to their delicious fruit, but they can be prone to blight and low cropping. The way to avoid these issues is to keep up their maintenance. With a bit of work you’ll find your tomato plants will flourish and give you a...
Rose Sponge Cake for Summer
I have to have a cake to celebrate summer, I adore baking and sweet things so it seems inevitable that I should find an excuse to bake something and the mid month of summer seems like a perfect reason to me to get out my cake tins. My cake of choice in July is most...
Things to Spot in Nature in July
Apart from the glorious flowers, there’s lots to enjoy outdoors this month, so for those of you who enjoy nature spotting or journaling here are a few things to look out for. -As the nettles go into flower, the butterflies start to lay their eggs on the leaves. You...
Honeysuckle Cough Syrup
Of all the plants growing in July the two I am enjoying the most are the elderflower which sadly are beginning to fade and shed their tiny petals, and the opulently scented honeysuckle. Both of these flowers are quite dominating with their scent. They are not blossoms...
Ode to July
July in Ireland is perhaps a little different to other countries, where the heat can dictate the entire day and the sun is high and hot in the sky. As I’m recording this episode a heat wave is predicted for later on this month and personally I cannot wait. The last 4...
Growing Cucumbers
Homegrown cucumbers are a taste sensation in contrast with their supermarket counterparts and well worth growing at home. There are many varieties of cucumber to chose from but my favourite is the Burpless Tasty Green which is suited to growing in a polytunnel,...
How to Create a Summer Basket for Children-Nature Kids Series
I often mark the start of the season or a main celebration with a seasonal basket. This is a great way of getting children really excited about a certain time of year and also teaching them about the seasons. You can be really frugal with this idea and really not...
Hi I’m Becky! I’m a family herbalist, gardener and mama living on our sustainable farm in Northern Ireland. I came across the concept of slow living and living in tune with nature when I was diagnosed with hashimotos and realised I needed to reconnect back to nature and learn how to nourish myself from within. Since then I have studied herbalism and natural skincare and garden with a focus on edibles. You can catch me monthly on BBC Radio 2 & I’m currently writing my first book to be published in 2022.