A Nourishing Harvest

Exploring environmental contamination issues for safe gardening and foraging

A project of Sweet Flag Herbs

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Articles
Taking a break
Taking a break

I’m as passionate as ever about gardeners and foragers accessing the information they need to safely harvest food and medicine. And, I’m feeling led to focus on other projects in 2024.

Antibiotics in Soils + Practical Takeaways with Dr. Jane Lucas
Antibiotics in Soils + Practical Takeaways with Dr. Jane Lucas

According to Dr. Lucas, antibiotics can create “big shifts” in the function of our soils—from nutrient cycling to water retention.

Many seeds and cropping systems use antibiotics. Grass seed is often coated with an antifungal substance, which lands in our lawn soils and beyond.

Interestingly, human-tended lawns have shown the greatest rates of antibiotic resistance--even more than farms.

In this article, I’ll share my main takeaways on antibiotics in soils—including a few hopeful fun facts, and things we can do in response to this issue.

Topsoil Companies Share Sources and Practices in Response to Consumer Uncertainty
Topsoil Companies Share Sources and Practices in Response to Consumer Uncertainty

This spring, I had the privilege of taking a Newswriting and Reporting class through NYU’s School of Professional Studies. I took the class to improve my interviewing skills and learn more about journalism ethics for A Nourishing Harvest.

For my final class project, I wanted to learn more about topsoil available for sale. Where is it collected from? It is processed or amended in any way? Do topsoil companies test for nutrients, pH, heavy metals, and/or other contaminants?

Which Garden Hoses are Our Safest Bet?
Which Garden Hoses are Our Safest Bet?

When I purchased a new hose a few years ago, a “drinking water safe” label on some hoses caught my eye. Calling those hoses “safe” implies that others are not.

I recalled the interesting flavor of hose water from my childhood—the terroir of a hot summer day, perfectly paired with freezie pops. Turns out, the je ne sais pas in hose water is the taste of toxic volatile compounds. Is nothing sacred?

In 2016, Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, MI published findings from a study of 32 garden hoses.

 

Check out Sarah and A Nourishing Harvest on The Herbs with Rosalee podcast:

A Nourishing Harvest supports the safe harvest of food and herbs by exploring environmental contamination issues that affect gardeners and foragers.

Articles are free and public.

Sarah snips a leaf in the garden, wearing a mauve shirt.

A Nourishing Harvest is written by Sarah Sorci, an herbalist, gardener, and educator in western New York State.

Meet Sarah

Botanical artwork by Emma Lucille Percy @emmalucillepercy