The Herb Hunter

This month we celebrate the glory of black cotton wood with 4 recordings made between 2016 and 2019.

Its a fitting start to the podcast as it was the beginning of the herb hunter radio show all those years ago and indeed where I got the first flash of insight, on a cold crispy January morning as I crept through the sandy black cottonwood groves on the bank of the great Skagit river.

And indeed this is the first recording I ever made, its very stilted, way too slow and hesitant as I had yet to hit my rhythm. And even though it can make me cringe its good to hear the progression as the show matured, something which I hope you to will enjoy and be along for the ride.

Looking through the undergrowth for fallen branches from these giant deciduous tress felt like I was stalking prey, the early morning frost lending clarity and calmness to my first of the year harvest. Funnily I began to hear the voice of the great David Attenborough in my mind, describing the scene and suddenly realised that commenting on the behavior of trees could be just as interesting as animals.

That began the beginnings of this very modest 5 minute show, recorded in the field, street, waterways, bush and forest, mostly off the cuff and always with my wonderful dog Bill, who’s collar you can often hear jingling in the background.

All the websites mentioned on the show have now faded and no longer exist - however all my contact info for herbal and other inquiries can be found here and any resources mentioned can be found here.

I hope to add recipes and resources to go along with these podcasts but I’m sure that will wax and wain, feel free to inspire conversation with questions and inquiries. Mostly I hope you enjoy these windows into the wild and get an idea of how a practice of constantly caressing nature, touching the earth, sensing the other brought me to a place of belonging, of being held and coming home.

Much love

the herb hunter