Tag: gardening

  • The First Signs of Spring

    The First Signs of Spring

    By: Alyssa DeStefano, Social Media Intern As the unpredictable swings of late winter begin to settle, we transition into the beauty ofspring in New Jersey, where we have the privilege of witnessing the powerful occurrences that begin to unfold. If you look closely, life begins to return in a variety of meaningful ways. The dull…

  • The Journey to Spicebush Tea

    The Journey to Spicebush Tea

    By: Jonathan Kocsis, Lead Intern Our project began with selecting a good, forgeable, in-season plant. Spicebush was initially on the table, but we hadn’t fully decided on it until several days after we first started considering our final decision. It was decided that I would forage for (and dry) the leaves, while my partner would…

  • The View from 3rd Mountain: Self-Sufficiency & The Old Ways

    The View from 3rd Mountain: Self-Sufficiency & The Old Ways

    By: Derek Polzer, Rewild NJ Movement Member One of the great joys of living during the counterculture days of the 60’ & 70’ was the spirit of self-sufficiency, a “do-it-yourself” ethos! It showed up in our young lives in many ways. Our vehicles of choice were often Volkswagens; VW beetles, buses, square-backs, transports, even a…

  • Winter Woods

    Winter Woods

    By: Dare Euler, Rewild NJ Movement Member Leaves, those productive energy factories of spring and summer, lay crunchy on the ground at the mercy of blasts from northern winds. They tumble at the base of the trees they nurtured. White almost sepulchral limbs of sycamores claw at gray skies.  Yet in what at first glance…

  • The Fruits of My Garden 

    The Fruits of My Garden 

    By: Alex Mackay, Social Media Intern There’s nothing quite as satisfying as the fruits of your labor, or in my case, the plants of my garden. The idea of going to my yard and just picking the ingredients for my dinner has always been a goal of mine, and only recently have I been able…

  • Watermelon in Spring

    Watermelon in Spring

    By: Jonathan Kocsis, Lead Intern It was early one morning with frost lining the ground and the air cold and nippy as I walked through the outdoor section at my local hardware store. Surrounded by plants in brackets hanging above my head, by the new trees ready to be planted, my 9-year-old self felt as…

  • Finding Home in Saddler’s Woods

    Finding Home in Saddler’s Woods

    By: Acer Paiste, Saddler’s Woods Conservation Association, Rewild NJ Network Member When I first moved from the sprawling forests of Medford to the Haddon Hills apartments on Pyle Avenue, I felt displaced. Medford’s dense woods had always felt like a second home to me. It was a stabilizing presence in my life, nurturing me into…

  • Blooming Highways

    Blooming Highways

    By: Anna Bergen, Outreach & Engagement Intern Imagine you are driving down the highway surrounded not by concrete buildings and asphalt, but by beautiful native floral habitats. This vision is becoming a reality in New Jersey as organizations such as the South Jersey Transportation Authority have begun to plant pollinator gardens along major roadways. The…

  • “And The Corn Remembered The Land”: Utilizing Indigenous Ingredients

    “And The Corn Remembered The Land”: Utilizing Indigenous Ingredients

    By: Ty “Dancing Wolf” Ellis, Advisory Board Member Food sovereignty is among one of the top priorities as far as Indigenous People are concerned. And in a time where the markets are continuously fluctuating, relearning and reconnecting to the ways of utilizing what the Earth provides becomes critical. Not onlydoes it bring us closer to…

  • The Loop of Self-Sufficiency

    The Loop of Self-Sufficiency

    By: Anna Bergen, Outreach & Engagement Intern When transforming your backyard into a self-sustaining ecosystem, it’s best to start with simplicity. My family is trying to mimic natural cycles, within a contained space, that being my own backyard. At my house, we have a rainwater collector, which contains and stores water that can be used…