The Simple Siren Organics

•● B L U E ● A S T E R ●•

•● Aster I think are highly underrated garden plants, especially our varieties.

•● Seeds coming soon to the shop ✨️

•● A C H O C H A ●•

•● Roast them, Fry them, Stick em in a stew...this funky curcurbit is Achocha or Cyclanthera pedata. The Cucurbit family (cucumbers, squash, melons, pumpkins, luffa, etc) are some of my favorite foods.

•● Maybe because I grew up here in Ohio, and we have cucurbit foods through the whole season...which makes me always on the hunt for new varieties or relatives I did not grow up with.

•● This cucumber cousin is native to temperate South America along the coast and the Andes mountains. We plant 2-5 vines and have hundreds and hundreds of slipper shaped fruit from July until frost --- so easy and resistant to our local cucurbit diseases!

•● What do they taste like? An exact 50/50 of fresh cucumbers and fresh green beans! The smaller dark green fruits are crunchy and refreshing like a cucumber. When they grow larger and paler in color, they are fantastic for stuffing with all of your favorite ingredients!

•● When they start to look at little beige or 3" + and very soft and pale this is the time to harvest seeds. Seeds should have a thick shell, hard and dark brown to black in color for the best viability. I grew these vines from 4 year old seed and got 100% germination.

•○ F A E R Y ☆ S N A C K S○•

•● We love Cucamelons aka Mouse Melons aka Sour Gherkins and they make the best garden snack. Looking like wee melons grown by the Fae.

•● Heading into my favorite weather, cold at night, 70s at peak... large harvests from the garden, Native Asters attracting all the critters, fall perennial plantings, and putting some green friends to bed for the big cold to come.

•○DAWN GARDEN○•

The way the waking sun illuminates the garden

Flowers turned stained glass, Sky painted pastels

Framing the yawning blooms waking from

Gentle beds of shadows to the caress of daybreak

•○A N D R O G R A P H I S○•

•○ King of the Bitters! Such an easy to grow and rewarding herb. I grow this one in our grow room all Winter, and always end up with tons of volunteers in every neighboring pot...even months later.

•○ The seed pods explode when ripe if you do not catch them at the right moment 🤪

•○ Too many benefits to explain in one post. Our household has used this herb for over 10 years for Liver cleansing/protection, gut health, immune protection, flu prevention/recovery, topical applications and so much more.

•○ I love the little funky flowers, we stick them in tea blends, though most traditional use is with the leaves, the flowers have benefits as well.

•○ D A M E S ○ R O C K E T ○•

•● A spot of sun between rain storms making our Dames Rocket the main character on this mornings stage. Lovely edible volunteers that have created a natural border in our garden.

•● Many find her to be a nuisance, I think she is a beautiful, tasty Brassica that glows in the shadows in pinks and purples as the sun rises and sets. She reminds me that light can always be found in dark places if we are willing to find it.

•● Easy to see the 4 petal flowers clustered on towering spikes that explode with vibrance, a clue to its Brassica relation.

•● If you are up in time to sit with the sunrise, you will be rewarded with her lovely perfume, which disappears when the sun rises above the horizon.

•●Everything is better homemade 😍

•●Fresh Creamed Cheese, simple, easy, fresh and delicious for eating or baking. All you need is:

》4 cups of milk brought to a slow and careful boil (I often combine 2 C milk and 2 C heavy cream).

》3 T fresh lemon juice added slowly when the milk boils.

》Stir a few times, take off the heat, let curdle for about 15 min.

》Pour into organic muslin cheesecloth that is set over a bowl, fold and squeeze out the whey.

》Then you can take your hand mixer with salt and herbs if you like and beat the cheese until silky smooth or leave it curdy. I like it both ways tbh. Keep in fridge and finish within the week. This takes less than 30 minutes!

•●Grateful for hardy early Spring herbs in the garden like Dill for this round of fresh cheese.

•●Insanely grateful that we are lucky enough to have Regenerative Family Farms like for this beautiful, pasture raised milk and meats! Such a beautiful place, amazing family & healthy, happy animals. Tony and I are so glad we finally made the visit!

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Or really ^Happy New Year^ from us Slavs. Traditionally, the true new year is the renewal of the growing season, when we awake from our dark rest.

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Chickens are laying, nettles are popping...and we have morels! And it isn't even April yet. (A reason to dump your Morel rinse water right into your garden).

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A whole breakfast from our humble little urban homestead. Have you ever tried nettle quiche? Or Morel "meat"loaf? These past few weeks have been the best time in Central Ohio to grab those nettle tips. Called "Pokrzywa" in Polish, nettles are one of the most important medical and edible herbs in our culture. Highly nutritious green and medicinal herb to skin and hair care master, and textile maker, it is a foundational herb where every part is used. High on the feeling of gratitude for our beautiful world this morning.

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Image: a harvest of fresh nettle tips, sky blue heirloom chicken eggs and a handful of morel mushrooms in a handmade basket laid on concrete surface.

Some Heart Centered infusions for this time of the year! Intuitive & Aphrodite inspired Hibiscus + Raspberry truffle balm, blended with hawthorn + wild rose hips --- a vibrational heart chakra blend 💚🌺🍃 www.thesimplesiren.etsy.com

Good morning!
Just wanted to say THANK YOU! --- it's been a great season!

If you haven't done so, please check out our IG account and follow for new product features, regular updates, wildcraft adventures + special offers (like the one I dropped this morning! 😻).

January 2018 you will see special Vday offers and more! Thanks again guys, couldn't do it without you!