Chris Young and Susan Ottaviano
162. The Healing Powers of Nature with Chris Young and Susan Ottaviano, co-authors of The Green Witch's Guide to Magical Plants and Flowers
Today’s guests are Chris Young and Susan Ottaviano, co-authors of The Green Witch's Guide to Magical Plants & Flowers: 26 Love Spells from Apples to Zinnias, a practical guide on how to bring more love and contentment into your life using elements of nature. In this book, the authors help you unlock the secrets hiding in your garden, transforming everyday flowers, fruits, and plants into delightful foods, bath salts, herbal infusions, soaps, sachets, tinctures, and more. Chris, a lifelong gardener, shares his belief that all plants are magical, while Susan, a chef, artist and performer, tells us how to bring plant magic into the kitchen. Join Mary and Emma as they uncover the secrets hidden in gardens and discover how everyday flowers, fruits, and plants can be transformed into powerful tools for self-care and enchantment.
This episode is brought to you by Dirty Labs: Use code "GOODDIRT" for 20% off your order!
Topics Discussed
• Welcoming Autumn
• Fall Flowers Including: Goldenrods, Calendula Marigold, Black-Eyed Susans, and Zinnias
• Lifetime Love of Plants
• Magical Herbalism
• Recipes for Oils, Candles, Soaps, Tinctures, and Sachets
• Imbuing Magic into the Food We Eat
• The Magical Properties of Apples & Basil
• Strawberry Vodka Recipe
• Strawberry-Basil-Lemon Water Recipe
• Aroniaberries (Chokeberries)
• Plant Potency
• How Acid changes Flavor
• Being a Food Stylist
• Habitat Gardens & Pollinator Stations
• Milkweed & Monarch Butterflies
• Being a Green Witch in New York City
• Green Spaces in a Big City
• The Love Food Movement
Episode Resources:
• Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham
• The Theodore Payne Foundation
• Listen to The Good Dirt: 151. "Lawns into Meadows" with Author Owen Wormser on Regenerative Agriculture
• Listen to The Good Dirt: 138. The Urgent Need for Restorative Gardening with Mary Reynolds
• "Picture This" Plant Identification App
• Doug Tallamy & the Homegrown National Park
• "Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard" by Douglas W. Tallamy
• The Lady Farmer Guide to Slow Living
Connect with Chris Young & Susan Ottaviano:
• Susan's Website: https://www.susanottaviano.com/
• Chris's IG @plantymcflowers https://www.instagram.com/plantymcflowers/
• IG @2greenwitches : https://www.instagram.com/2greenwitches/
• Links: https://linktr.ee/2greenwitches
• TikTok @2greenwitches : https://www.tiktok.com/@2greenwitches
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🌻 About Lady Farmer:
• Follow @weareladyfarmer on Instagram
• Join The Lady Farmer ALMANAC
• Email us at thegooddirtpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail! Call 443-459-1950 and ask a question or share what the good dirt means to you!
Original music by John Kingsley. Editing and podcast production by Fast Forward Production.
