Her entry begins:
We grow and preserve a lot of our own food, so it’s a natural step to start concocting homemade beverages as well. No one wants to hear about canning applesauce but everyone wants to know more when I mention Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation by Stephen Harrod Buhner.Laura Grace Weldon lives on Bit of Earth Farm with her family. She writes mantras on her feet, poems on beehives and words all over mannequins, although she makes a living writing on more
I’m familiar with Buhner’s deep connection to the natural world after reading several of his rambling yet powerful books. In fact, I keep The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature in my backpack. That book is best in small doses, read outdoors.
This work is more focused but informed with the same passion. As Buhner unveils ancient approaches to the sacred through plant fermentation, I’m discovering more about indigenous approaches to knowledge. I’m also learning some radical history. Beer was made around the world for healing, religious ceremonies and daily use. Certain plants were intentionally included to give beer stimulating, aphrodisiacal, euphoria-producing, even psychotropic properties. Hops...[read on]
conventional surfaces. Her essays appear in numerous anthologies as well as publications such as Farming, Geez, New Awareness, Mothering, Natural Life, Grit and Cleveland Plain Dealer. Her poems have most recently appeared in Christian Science Monitor, Atlanta Review, Mannequin Envy and Dirty Napkin.Free Range Learning: How Homeschooling Changes Everything (Hohm Press, 2010) examines the power of holistic education.
Learn more about Free Range Learning, check out Laura Weldon’s blog, and find out what’s up on the farm.
Writers Read: Laura Grace Weldon.
--Marshal Zeringue
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