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About Me

About Me

Meet the Nitty Gritty Mama, Devon!

I am an herbalist, farmer, cook, and forager. I get my hands dirty and am not afraid to do things the "hard way". Sharing my Nitty Gritty Life with you! Read More

Devon

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  • I feel like English daisies festooned with water with water droplets are prettier than a bouquet of long stem roses any day. I have always rather loved the sweet little lawn daisies that dot our yards each spring, but these gussied up cultivars are extra sweet when it’s all gloom and doom on the news. We have been working feverishly to increase the self sustainability of our homestead. To be honest, we had gotten lazy and projects had been delayed for “better weather” and “more money.” But current events have certainly snapped me back to my commitment to source most of our food and medicine from our property. Although my focus is quite practical at the moment, I am certainly trying not to forget to add simple beauty to the gardens - and these lovely English daisies offer more than even meets the eye. Bellis perennis was used as a wound herb - packed into cuts and punctures and applied to bruises, sprains, and strains in days gone by. I like to refer to English daisies as the poor man’s arnica. But right now, it is salve for my tired soul. #bellisperennis #yarddaisy #englishdaisy #garden #greenhouse #herbs #herbalist #herbalism #herbalmedicine #gardentherapy
  • Bee Balm is not only a gorgeous herbal and wildflower -- it is an herb that M O V E S. This warming, stimulating, diffusive herb is an excellent remedy for boggy, stodgy and a heavy, wet persistent cough. This is an herb for the times we are living in right now, my friends. Tap link in bio for link to post. https://nittygrittylife.com/bee-balm-herbal-steam/ #beebalm #monarda #monardafistulosa #monardadidyma #herbs #herbalism #herbalist #herbalmedicine #medicinalherbs #healing #garden #herbgarden
  • 🥖 When the world is out of bread, we bake. 🍞 I am so glad to have this skill to rely on when the shelves remain empty. While I do succumb to the convenience of grocery store bread more often than I would like to admit, nothing beats the flavor and texture of homemade sourdough. The aroma wafting through our home this morning is a particularly reassuring scent during uncertain times and panicky news cycles. I don’t have a perfect boule recipe on my site, perhaps one day I will - but do check out @butterforall for her amazing sourdough knowledge and recipes and @growforagecookferment for her simple “no-knead” sourdough recipe. This is a conglomeration of the knowledge of those ladies, splashed liberally with my kitchen intuition. This loaf is crafted with 50% @kingarthurflour bread flour and 50% @jovialfoods einkorn flour, leavened by only a well loved sourdough starter. While I do not grow or mill my own flour, bread making is an essential skill when taking steps toward self reliant living. #baking #bread #breadbaking #bake #sourdough #ferment #selfreliantliving #kitchenskills
  • I have been thinking all day about what my social responsibility is as an herbalist and a blogger with a modest but strong social media presence. Honestly, I have cried. I don’t know where to start or even if I should. I have theories and thoughts and ideas about how to address this global health crisis and maintain food security in uncertain times. I hear a sharp call to action, to be a place of thoughtful conversation and perhaps some comfort. But it all feels so damn heavy. Because it is. I worry about saying the wrong thing, not being clear enough in my messaging, not making the right ascertains. I worry about people thinking that I am trying to capitalize on fear. I worry about not being enough. So today I sit in a place of analysis paralysis coupled with busy hands. I am a couple hundred words into a post on victory gardens, I have formulated an outline for a video on antiviral herbs, I’ve done laundry, baked, and now plan to put a nutritious meal on the table for my family. Sigh... Yesterday I taught a class homemade wound spray to a precious few people. We talked a lot about common sense and plant medicine (while maintaining an acceptable amount of physical distance). I I bought a flat of these English daisies, a fancy cultivar of the tiny daisies that dot our lawns. A medicinal plant in plain sight. Maybe we need to spend more time looking for healing in plain sight. #englishdaisy #bellisperennis #herbs #herbalist #herbalism #herbalmedicine #medicinalherbs #garden #gardening #gardener #healinggarden #herbgarden #victorygarden
  • GIVEAWAY! Do you know my friend Kris? Her forthcoming book Attainable Sustainable helps readers embrace the lost art of self-reliant living. We’ve teamed up to give one lucky person a chance to win both her book and mine! If you’ve been looking for a little inspiration to bring things a little closer to home, these two books can help you get there. To enter, just follow @attainablesustainable & nittygrittymama and tag a friend in the comments. Easy as that!✨ U.S only 18+, See official rules at http://bit.ly/2PQh7VK. Contest ends 3/11 at midnight. Winners announced on 3/13. Good luck! Want to win a copy of both? (Shipping’s on us, so US only; giveaway not affiliated with Instagram.) #giveaway #author #authors #books #booksgiveaway #sustainable #sustainableliving #attainablesustainable #nittygrittylife
  • My dear friend Stephanie @garden_therapy captured this perfect image of my daughter at this weekend’s @nwfgs 💗 I got a few side eyes and skeptical glances from folks. Who even brings their seven year old a few hundred miles away from home, in a strange big city, to hang out with plant book authors, visit inspiration gardens, and check out garden vendors? 👉this mom👈 Truth is, this young lady is in a league of her own. And I don’t mean that in a bragging mom kind of way. This kid is ALL IN for the plants. I could hardly keep up with her wonder and awe at every turn. She even did great when mama was talking shop with her peers, and sat in on several lectures without a complaint! I guess I am sharing this to say - give our littles credit! They can really show up and surprise us with their beautiful, curious minds. While I have certainly fostered an interest in plants in my children, this kid genuinely loves the botanical world. #kidswhogarden #nwfgs #daffodil #garden #inspirationgarden #gardening #gardener #gardeners
  • I don’t always post a selfie, but when I do - I do it with a cute kid... The little and I jumped on a train to Seattle for the @nwfgs this weekend! A welcome change of scenery for these farm girls. I will let you in on a little secret, this kiddo is a plant super fan. She might actually love plants more than I do. I feel like our self control when visiting all the plant vendors is going to dissolve in a flash. I *may* have already trained her to ask “do you ship?” - shhh. 🤫 Anybody else have a plant obsessed kid? Do they have a favorite plant? Tell us about them! #gardenshow #nwfgs #plantnerds #garden #gardeners #kidswhogarden #familygarden #gardeningwithkids
  • Slowly, but surely, the ole homestead is taking on the “look” of the home I desire. I am not a minimalist, and at the same time, I do desire to have a home free of clutter that wears its bits and baubles with class - and perhaps draws your eye away from the farm life detritus, unwashed dishes, unmade beds and, and unfinished business around every corner. I am not a big Valentine’s Day person - but when my husband asked if I wanted anything this year - I was direct. There were a pair of faux rusty footed bowls with metal obelisks in the pharmacy window of our little town and I wanted to fill them with plants. So, here is the larger of the two, filled with a pair of phalenopsis orchids, rosy maiden hair ferns (Adiantum tenerum) and a couple purple waffle (Hemigraphis alternata) plants. I think the effect is lovely - if I do say so myself - and reminds me of our Pacific Northwest rainforests. So while I am eager to get back outside and I am watching my herbal planters slowly spring back to life - more house plants it is. #orchids #phalenopsis #maidenhairfern #purplewaffleplant #houseplant #decorating #homestead #reclaimingthehomestead
  • I have been dying to build this succulent centerpiece since I saw a simple cream colored bowl type container. I think the muted pastels of these succulents from @leafandclay are the prefect way to punctuate the late winter blues. Perhaps some would say I have over planted this bowl, but I only intend for this to last a season after which I will pop these beauties out and give them new container homes. Also, this is NOT a sponsored post, I am just super pleased with my @leafandclay purchase. #gardening #indoorgardening #succulents #echeveria #senecio #hawthornia #sedum #sempervivum #winterblues

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