Last year, during the All Things Fungi festival, I met an unusually charismatic lady who seemed to be practising some fancy plant-based witchcraft. I spotted her workshop, and indeed, the story of Cary-Anne Hornsey is as captivating as an old-school fairytale.
Her journey with plants began as a child; she lived in a cottage with an English garden, an orchard, and a pond. She spent many hours in the garden, making potions from all the plants, eventually deciding to pursue a career in herbal medicine and got a degree in homoeopathy. Throughout her studies, Cary-Anne realised the herbs she bought were growing in the wild. She developed a spiritual connection to plants, paving the way for her career.
Now, she grows herbs and vegetables at home. She quickly rewilded her suburban garden, using her foraging knowledge to incorporate medicinal weeds and allowing the seeds to spread throughout the space. Cary-Anne makes remedies with the plants she grows, calling her garden Nature’s Pharmacy. Her garden consultations focus on medicine, healing, and the client’s needs rather than what’s trendy. She usually encourages wild plants to grow and only pulls weeds once she knows what they are and their benefits. Often, low-maintenance plants like dandelions and yarrows are a great starting point.
Cary-Anne also believes in plant communication, meaning speaking to plants, asking them questions, and listening to what they have to say. You can read some words of wisdom in her upcoming book about foraging and folklore. It will be in the form of a 12-month foraging calendar with tables of plants to look for each month and accompanying potion recipes. The book also examines the magic and folklore of those plants. It will launch at the All Things Fungi Festival, where Cary-Anne will give a talk and run a workshop. If this is the year to acquaint yourself with something more profound, it’s the time to get a bit witchy; Cary-Anne has some fantastic content to offer.
Mushrooms are nutritious, delicious, and versatile, ready to be included in many meals. Catherine Sherriffs looks at some of the health benefits.
Looking for something witchy? Cary-Anne Hornsey loves plant-based medicine and is devoted to teaching others how to reap the benefits of their home gardens.
We love it when a passion evolves into a way to make money. Paul and Hayley adore mushrooms and have made a business out of them with Wyreside Mushrooms.
You can grow nutritious and delicious oyster mushrooms at home in buckets and harvest them within one month! Alex Field guides us every step of the way.
Ginger and turmeric are medicinal superfoods that can be easily grown at home. Eric Coulombe got incredible yields indoors using the Autopot system.
Mushrooms are delicious and nutritious, so why not grow your own? Alex Field shares his story about how and why he jumped into mushroom cultivation.
We love mushrooms for their medicinal properties; unfortunately, some pests like them, too! Andrea Keddy writes about pest problems mushroom growers face.
A greenhouse will extend your growing season, allowing you to plant earlier and harvest later. Adam Clarke tells us how to build one and keep it running.
Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) consists of microbes good for our guts and the garden! Luke Sumpter tells us how to make this magical biofertilizer at home.
Proper irrigation techniques can be part of an integrated pest management strategy. Andrea Keddy writes about watering skills that help keep plants healthy.
If you use a bloom booster in the garden, it likely contains triacontanol. Everest Fernandez explains what this magic ingredient is and how to use it on plants.
