State of the Homestead

Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/Lzsa0jKpLeE

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Have you ever started looking into medicinal herbs and quickly found yourself overwhelmed? I know I did.

When I first started learning herbal medicine, I thought I needed an entire apothecary full of herbs and a shelf full of books before I could confidently use herbs for my family. The more I studied, the more complicated it seemed. Looking back, I realize there were a few foundational principles that would have saved me years of confusion and helped me get started much sooner.

In this video, I'm sharing the 8 herbalism principles I wish I had known when I first began my herbal journey.

You'll learn:

🌿 Why you only need a few herbs to get started
🌿 How local herbs are often the most valuable herbs
🌿 Why you don't need to stress about teas vs. tinctures vs. capsules
🌿 How herbs work differently than pharmaceuticals
🌿 Common dosing mistakes that keep herbs from being effective
🌿 Which groups of people require extra caution with herbal remedies
🌿 How to safely build confidence with herbal medicine
🌿 Why learning to trust your body's feedback is so important

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the years is that herbalism isn't about knowing hundreds of herbs. It's about getting to know a few herbs really well and actually using them. Experience teaches us far more than another book on the shelf ever can.

If you're new to herbal medicine, I hope this video encourages you to stop overthinking it, start simple, and begin building confidence one herb at a time.

Check out the accompanying blog post for more information: https://homesteadingfamily.com/herbalism-for-beginners/

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MORE ABOUT US!

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo

Grow, Preserve & Thrive with us!
Visit us on our blog: https://www.homesteadingfamily.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamily
Instagram: https://instagram.com/homesteadingfamily
Rumble: https://rumble.com/HomesteadingFamily

A few highlights you don't want to miss are our FREEBIES!!

Healthy Healing at Home – Learn how to confidently use herbal medicine in your home with this FREE 4 video workshop: https://homesteadingfamily.com/HHHyt

Your Best Loaf – A Free 4 video workshop teaching you how to make great bread at home, every time, regardless of the recipe you are using: https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-bread-workshop

Meals on Your Shelf – Can along with me! Learn to can and put jars of a delicious meal on your pantry shelf with this FREE video series: https://homesteadingfamily.com/MOYS-free-workshop

FREE PDF DOWNLOADS:
- Homesteading Family's Favorite Holiday Recipes - Grab all of our family’s favorite holiday recipes. https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-holiday-recipes
- 5 Steps to a More Self-Sufficient Life - Simple steps anyone can take wherever they are to start a more self-sufficient lifestyle. https://homesteadingfamily.com/5StepsYT
- Thrive Wellness Checklist - A simple guide for healthy living: https://homesteadingfamily.com/TWC_YT
- Permaculture for Your Homestead- An introduction to permaculture with some strategies for applying it to one’s homestead and garden.
https://homesteadingfamily.com/PFYH_YT
- Carolyn’s Cottage Garden herb list - Carolyn’s favorite herbs for growing at home.
https://homesteadingfamily.com/CGHL_YT
- Carolyn’s Make-Ahead Breakfast Casseroles - These easy casseroles are a life-saver for busy weeks! https://homesteadingfamily.com/MABC_YT
- Your FREE Guide to Preserving Eggs - Grab your guide to preserving eggs with multiple methods. https://homesteadingfamily.com/Eggs_YT
- 5 Steps to a Healthy Garden - Get an explanation of what makes healthy soil and 5 steps you can take to improve your garden. https://homesteadingfamily.com/5StepsGardenYT
- Save the Crumbs- Several Recipes for using bread leftovers, a less committal entry to bread than the workshop. https://homesteadingfamily.com/STC_YT
- Fearless Fermenting- A simple guide on basic lacto-ferments. https://homesteadingfamily.com/FF_YT
- Fermenting Tomatoes - Easiest and fastest tomato preservation: https://homesteadingfamily.com/FT_YT
- Preserving Culinary Herbs - Downloadable, step-by-step directions to drying, freezing, and salting culinary herbs. https://homesteadingfamily.com/PCH_YT
- Render Your Own Lard - Grab these easy instructions on how to render your own lard. https://homesteadingfamily.com/RYL_YT
- Grandma Lynn's Blueberry Buckle - A delicious dessert anytime of year: https://homesteadingfamily.com/BB_YT

Watch the full video/interview here: https://youtu.be/Lzsa0jKpLeE

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Have you ever tried to identify a plant, opened a field guide, and immediately felt overwhelmed? You're not alone.

In this episode, I'm joined by Rachel Parks of Botany in an Hour to talk about a simple approach to botany that can completely change the way you look at plants. Instead of trying to memorize thousands of individual species, Rachel explains how learning a handful of plant families can help you become a better gardener, herbalist, forager, and homesteader.

We discuss why understanding plant families is often the missing link that makes plant identification easier, how this knowledge can improve your gardening decisions, and why even young children can quickly learn to recognize common plant groups once they know what clues to look for.

Whether you're interested in medicinal herbs, foraging wild plants, improving your garden, or simply understanding the plants growing around you, this conversation will give you a practical framework for learning botany without feeling overwhelmed.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Why plant families are easier to learn than individual species
• How botany can improve your gardening and companion planting
• The connection between plant families and herbal medicine
• Simple clues for identifying plants in the mint family
• Why plant family knowledge can make foraging easier
• How understanding plant relationships can help you learn faster
• Using botanical knowledge to recognize patterns in food sensitivities
• Why plant diversity matters in the garden

Resources Mentioned:
🌿 Save 20% on any Botany in an Hour course with coupon code: HFPODCAST20
https://botanyinanhour.com/
🌿 10 Questions You Need to Ask to Identify Any Flowering Plant:
https://botanyinanhour.com/2025/05/07/10questionstoask/
🌿 Best Botany Resources for Kids:
https://botanyinanhour.com/find-the-best-botany-resources-for-kids/
🌿 Read the accompanying blog post: https://homesteadingfamily.com/learn-botany-for-beginners/
🌿 Read the 10 Reasons Why Every Homesteader Needs to Learn Plant Families here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/10-reasons-every-homesteader-needs-to-learn-plant-families/

Thanks to Farmhouse Teas for sponsoring this podcast. Be sure to check out their herbal tea selection for delicious iced tea for summer! Use coupon code "HSPodcast" for 10% off your purchase (one use per customer): https://homesteadingfamily.com/HFteas-favorites

Time Stamps
0:00 - Introduction
3:19 - Farmhouse Teas
5:36 - Main Topic

#Botany #PlantIdentification #Herbalism

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MORE ABOUT US!

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo

Grow, Preserve & Thrive with us!
Visit us on our blog: https://www.homesteadingfamily.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamily
Instagram: https://instagram.com/homesteadingfamily
Rumble: https://rumble.com/HomesteadingFamily

A few highlights you don't want to miss are our FREEBIES!!

Healthy Healing at Home – Learn how to confidently use herbal medicine in your home with this FREE 4 video workshop: https://homesteadingfamily.com/HHHyt

Your Best Loaf – A Free 4 video workshop teaching you how to make great bread at home, every time, regardless of the recipe you are using: https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-bread-workshop

Meals on Your Shelf – Can along with me! Learn to can and put jars of a delicious meal on your pantry shelf with this FREE video series: https://homesteadingfamily.com/MOYS-free-workshop

FREE PDF DOWNLOADS:
- Homesteading Family's Favorite Holiday Recipes - Grab all of our family’s favorite holiday recipes. https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-holiday-recipes
- 5 Steps to a More Self-Sufficient Life - Simple steps anyone can take wherever they are to start a more self-sufficient lifestyle. https://homesteadingfamily.com/5StepsYT
- Thrive Wellness Checklist - A simple guide for healthy living: https://homesteadingfamily.com/TWC_YT
https://homesteadingfamily.com/PFYH_YT
- Carolyn’s Cottage Garden herb list - Carolyn’s favorite herbs for growing at home.
https://homesteadingfamily.com/CGHL_YT
- Carolyn’s Make-Ahead Breakfast Casseroles - These easy casseroles are a life-saver for busy weeks! https://homesteadingfamily.com/MABC_YT
- Your FREE Guide to Preserving Eggs - Grab your guide to preserving eggs with multiple methods. https://homesteadingfamily.com/Eggs_YT
- 5 Steps to a Healthy Garden - Get an explanation of what makes healthy soil and 5 steps you can take to improve your garden. https://homesteadingfamily.com/5StepsGardenYT
- Fearless Fermenting- A simple guide on basic lacto-ferments. https://homesteadingfamily.com/FF_YT
- Preserving Culinary Herbs - Downloadable, step-by-step directions to drying, freezing, and salting culinary herbs. https://homesteadingfamily.com/PCH_YT

Grab my FREE guide to preserving eggs here: https://classes.homesteadingfamily.com/PreservingEggs

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Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/-eRHIXODs4g

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