Skeenah Valley Farm

07/26/2026

06/22/2026

That's it Y'all!! I have to say something about this before I explode. Have you done an herb book search on AMAZON lately?

I just did, and I was on the fourth page of books before I came to a book that I know was written by an actual practicing herbalist. Let alone the fact that almost all of them looked like they were AI-generated.

There are thousands of titles being released, with many of them being AI-generated from information floating around on the internet. If AI is pulling from written information on the internet, we know that it is NOT all accurate. I'm not saying all of them are bad, but many of them could have mistakes in them that can have real consequences when we're talking about using plants.

This may be splitting hairs for some, but there is a huge difference between information and wisdom.

Information is everywhere and can be generated in seconds these days, but it is not always based on experience. With experience comes wisdom that is earned minute by minute, day by day, hour by hour, year by year. Wisdom is cultivated precept upon precept over a lifetime.

Herbal experience comes from years spent with plants and people. Studying, tasting, growing, foraging, making formulas, making mistakes, and learning from them.

The most treasured books on my shelves aren't written by someone trying to make a quick buck; they are written by passionate herbalists who believed this work was worth preserving. They are people who have spent decades in the field and at the bedside while wrestling with success and failure. Good things come with time. Herbal practice and wisdom are no different. You get what you invest in.

We have a choice. We can invest in REAL things and REAL relationships that build wisdom, or we can drown ourselves in a deluge of information that robs us of the joy of learning and the nuances of what it is to practice Herbalism.

I challenge you to buy books from real herbalists. Attend classes. Learn from people who have walked this path before you. Support the teachers, growers, and practitioners who have invested decades into this work.

**The picture is for attention and is of an elecampane in bloom.....more information on elecampane in the future.**

06/11/2026

It is a dark day for our public lands. Senate Republicans just forced through a "Trojan horse" amendment to the Wildfire Prevention Act (S.140), aimed at destroying the landmark 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

By tacking this poison pill onto otherwise bipartisan legislation, they are threatening to strip essential protections from 45 million acres of our most pristine national forests across 37 states. This move isn't about wildfire prevention, it’s a transparent handout to logging and mining interests that ignores the fact that 99% of Americans want these wild places kept safe. And that over 50% of our national forests are already roaded.

​This assault on our forests is the culmination of a long term goal by the Trump administration to dismantle conservation safeguards for corporate profit. Since last year, the administration has been working to obliterate the Roadless Rule, which has protected our cleanest water sources and most vital wildlife habitats for over two decades. Opening these backcountry areas to industrial road-building and logging will only increase wildfire risk, since most fires start near existing roads and permanently degrade the wild heritage that belongs to all of us, not just industry. We must demand that Congress reject this reckless rollback before our national forest wilderness areas are lost forever.

What are your thoughts on our great national forests and this issue? Drop them below