Whipbird Cottage Anecdotes

It's so easy to overlook environmental hazards when you think a particular herb or herbs would look lovely planted along a driveway, fence or near the garage or carport.

I grew up in North Queensland on a farm near the beach and summers were filled with the perfume of mango, frangipani, and quisqualis blossoms.

It's hard to resist fresh warm bread with butter and cherry jam.

Collecting seeds from your herb plants is a great way to ensure you have a plentiful and free supply on hand for years to come. Apart from these benefits you will know the quality of your own plants and that they're bound to be disease free.

How much do you know about Frankincense and Myrrh apart from them being precious gifts given to the baby Jesus by the Three Wise Men?

The more research I do the more I learn about how unhealthy our food has become over the years. Hidden food additives that we are unaware of, unhealthy raising of animals and chickens in factory farming, growth hormones in cattle, eggs from unnaturally...

Here are some of The Home Herbalist full course students' thoughts on treating their family with herbal medicine. In other words what does it mean to them to be a Home Herbalist? "I would suggest that a major cause of illness is the disconnection with...

  In days of old many women practiced some form of herbalism in the home and only sought the services from the village herbalist when she needed to treat a family member for an illness she didn't understand. Sadly, as time passed these skills i...

What a year so far. There's been so much turmoil and grief for the many people who have been affected by flooding, cyclones, and fire. My family has also been affected, which is why I am so late catching up with this blog. My husband and I lost quite ...

When cooking or making herbal remedies  I always prefer to use fresh herbs when they are available.  I also like to have easy access to them too if it's possible. So far I have seven herbs - rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, Greek basil, and oregano th...

Christmas dinner this year was typical Queensland fair - barbecued fish, chips, salads, crumbed prawns, garlic bread, and a family tradition - pavlova that I've cooked every Christmas since the early 1980s.

 My husband, Pete,  and I recently built a one bedroom cottage on our six acres of bushland on the edge of a small country town in southern Queensland. Our living room is large and is also my clinic, studio and office. There is no issue of privacy f...

I love it when Spring arrives bringing cheerful colour to the countryside after a long, very cold winter. Where grass was browned by many frosts new shoots are  emerging spreading a carpet of green dotted with pink, white, and purple wild verbena flow...

There's no doubt many of us consider the humble pumpkin as a common vegetable but the health benefits of its delicious orange flesh should not be underestimated. Pumpkin and its close relative, squash, provide antioxidant protection and may lower t...

Good things can come from bad things that happen and this is one of those stories. As I mentioned in a previous post a bush fire in January last year burnt out half of our property and came very close to burning down our temporary dwelling. Thankfully ...

This blog has certainly been neglected of late, which makes me wonder where time goes. As the routine of each night begins I can hardly believe that another day has gone by so quickly. There must be a black hole somewhere out there in the universe ...

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is one of the highest sources of antioxidants, in fact it contains more of these health giving constituents than any vegetable or fruit. The antioxidants in tea appear to protect the body against heart disease by slowing the br...

Some time ago I was fortunate enough to be invited to a morning tea at a pretty lavender farm where there is a shop selling all types of products made from lavender including lavender wine. On the menu at the coffee shop were lavender scones...of cours...

These fritters make a delightful and delicately flavoured dessert, especially when served with double cream or vanilla ice-cream.

If you have pets such as dogs, cats, and guinea pigs, you've probably noticed them eating this grass in your yard unless of course it's always maintained and there is no place for weeds or grass to grow long.

People come from a widespread area to purchase all manner of items but one of the most popular stalls is the one selling medicinal herbs and garden plants.

Over the years I have tried many herbal teas, I call them teas because they are tea substitutes made the same way as tea. Herbal infusions are used to extract the medicinal properties from herbs so they can be used therapeutically while herbal teas are...

Even before I became a medical herbalist I was interested in wild plants not only for their medicinal properties but also for food. Throughout the years I've searched for wild plants wherever I've lived or been in my travels. When my husband and I mov...

his is a little late, however, I would like to share this lovely and easy Pavlova recipe that I make every year for my family's Christmas dinner.

People often ask me what is the best way to transplant herbs. Recently I had to move my herb garden because it was in the area where we want to build our house. This was quite a big job but all of the herbs have been moved to a new area and they haven'...

Herbs have many attributes.  They provide us with medicine, add zest and taste to our food, and help us digest heavy food when added to it.  Apart form their medicinal and culinary uses they are attractive in a flower garden and  are used io make cr...

This is an easy, delicious, and healthy damper that can be used in place of bread, as an accompaniment to most meals or as a snack.

Using the leaves from the rose geranium plant gives this simple butter cake a delicate and unusual flavour.