Return To Our Roots
Welcome to the outdoor Apothecary
The Outdoor Apothecary inspires naturally minded people to live with the seasons, become self-reliant, connect with nature, and protect their health through herbal living. We love celebrating “the old ways” of living to bring blessings to ourselves, our families, communities and to Mother Earth. We offer articles, tips, recipes and ideas on practical self-reliance, simple herbal remedies, foraging, gardening and reconnecting ourselves to our natural world and sacred ancestral traditions.
About Me: Barbi
I’m a bookish “earth mother” who loves to read and walk in the woods. I’m a wildcrafter & herbalist, avid gardener, collector of nature specimens, and field guide enthusiast.
I spent most of my childhood exploring our natural world and I’m now devoted to reviving the ancestral wisdom of plants as medicine and healers. I love spending hours outside tending to my gardens, gathering plants and herbs, being in nature,and learning skills of self-reliance like homemade soapmaking.
I give deep thanks and gratitude to my Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck family for inspiring me to honor our Mother Earth by dedicating myself to studying and sharing ancient lifeways and reviving the wonderous arts of plant medicine and nature connectedness. I sincerely hope you’ll join me on this journey.
Rewild Your Life
Connecting with nature is more than a walk through the woods. It’s about being conscious of seasonal changes, becoming attuned with the plants around us, and relearning the nature-language we’ve forgotten through our modern lives. We believe that incorporating the “old ways” of doing things, growing and harvesting our own food, and having a do-it-yourself spirit, promotes self-sufficiency and is an important part of leading a healthier lifestyle, closer to nature.
We hope to provide you with a foundation to rewild yourself through aligning with the cycles of the seasons and to help you in discovering the energies of the seasonal cycles.
Nourish Yourself with Nature
Free 29-page Guidebook to Celebrating the Seasons
A Guided Workbook to help you celebrate nature’s seasonal cycles with mindfulness and meaningful intentions – our gift to you! Learn how to live a mindful nature-connected life.
Recent Posts
10 Delicious Fiddlehead Recipes to Celebrate the Freshness of Spring
There are many amazing and unique ways to use fiddleheads. Here are 10 fiddlehead recipes for when you have an abundance of this awesome wild plant!
10 Easy Nettle Recipes You Don’t Want to Miss
10 amazing nettle recipes to try today. Nutr itious and delicious.
Foraging For Stinging Nettle And 5 Amazing Benefits You Didn’t Know
The health benefits of stinging nettle and how to find, identify, harvest, and prepare them.
Branch Weaving: Create a Unique & Whimsical Nature Craft in a Weekend
Looking for an easy and unique nature craft for all skill levels? Try branch weaving.
How to Turn Your Yard Into an Amazing Certified Wildlife Habitat and Botanical Sanctuary
Why and how to turn your yard into a certified wildlife habitat and botanical sanctuary.
Observing Earth Hour: 10 Easy Ways to Go Beyond
Earth hour explained: 10 ways to go beyond to help our planet every day.
World Water Day: 10 Ways You Can Protect Groundwater
Let’s celebrate World Water Day with a list of ten ways you can begin to protect groundwater at your home.
The 3 Best Tips Used by Experts to Forage Fiddlehead Ferns Successfully
How to safely identify, forage, harvest, and prepare fiddlehead ferns.
Living By The Moon for Amazing Benefits and Nature Connection
Discover how living by the moon can help you live in rhythm with nature, understand its effect on your health and well-being, and help in your spiritual growth.
Hot Cross Buns: A Gift for the Spring Goddess
Many people are surprised to learn the history of hot cross buns and how they relate to the spring Goddess of fertility. In celebration of the beginning of spring, I’m going to share a recipe for hot cross buns to help you celebrate Ostara.
Forest Bathing: Discover the Extraordinary Healing Power of Nature
Learn the ancient art of forest bathing – the practice of immersing yourself in nature and consuming it with all of your physical senses.
20 Practical Slow Living Tips for a Purposeful Life
Learn what slow living means as well as ways to incorporate techniques into your daily life to help you live more intentionally.
Staghorn Sumac: How To Identify, Harvest, And Use This Wild Plant
Learn How To Identify, Harvest, And Use Staghorn Sumac – Plus 2 recipes.
Foraging Wintergreen: Tips For Finding And Using This Delicious Herb
Identifying wintergreen, as well as its benefits and uses. Learn the challenges in foraging for this herb and tips on how to avoid common mistakes.
Bare Root Fruit Trees – The Cheap Way to Grow Your Own Fruit
Bare root fruit trees are cheaper than container-grown trees, easier to plant and the first-year survival rate is much higher. In this article, we explain what bare root trees are, how to plant them, and how to care for them after planting.
Quick And Easy DIY Disinfectant Spray Using 3 Common Kitchen Ingredients
Make your own all-natural DIY disinfectant spray. It’s cost-effective, smells great, and is better for your health.
Most Effective DIY Sleepy Time Tea Recipe
If you’re like me and strugle to fall asleep and stay asleep, then this DIY sleepy time tea recipe might be just what you’re looking for.
How to Make a Ginger Bug for Healthy Homemade Sodas
There’s no need to buy store-bought sodas when you can make your own homemade fermented sodas at home with ginger bug. This free-range culture is easy to catch and maintain so you can make probiotic sodas all year round.
Usnea Tincture Recipe: Discover How this Medicine Can Stop a Cold in Its Tracks
Make this dual-extract Usnea tincture recipe to have on hand when you feel a cough or cold coming on or In times of acute immune response. Usnea is most effective when taken in the form of a dual-extract tincture.
100+ Links for the Beginner Herbalist: Resources and Educational Opportunities
A (url) list of essential tools, resources, and educational opportunities for the beginner herbalist.
12 Easy Herbal Bath Tea Recipes to Elevate Your Bath to Therapeutic Heights
Elevate your bath by taking a relaxing soak with these 12 simple herbal bath tea recipes.
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