July Giveaway

Congratulations to Florentina of Chicago for winning our June giveaway!

Our giveaway for July is sponsored by Jenelle of TNTees.  This month she is giving away a set of 2 eco-friendly reuseable produce bags.  These bags are made from recycled T-shirts and allow your produce to breath, unlike the plastic bags you get at the grocery store.  You can machine wash them and reuse them for years and they are made of cotton so will not pollute the environment.  She is offering this contest worldwide so follow the rules below to enter.  The contest ends July 31st!



1. Visit TNTees Etsy Shop and leave a comment here about any of the items the shop. Or tell us something you would like to see Jenelle create.

2. Follow the Bluegrass etsy team blog if you are not already a follower. Let us know you are following by commenting below. (one chance to win)

3. Subscribe to the Bluegrass etsy emails from this blog if you are not already a subscriber. Let us know you have subscribed in a comment below. (one chance to win)

4. Post about this contest on your own blog and leave us the link below for your blog. (one chance to win)

5. Tweet about this contest from your twitter account and leave us your twitter name. (one chance to win)

6. Make a purchase from TNTees for 3 chances to win. List the transaction ID in three separate comments below.

kentucky Wild Weeds: Ginseng

This installment is number one in a new series kindly written by our own GloryBeHerbals Jackie Alberti who was this weeks Feature Friday Interview!

Look for more articles coming weekly on Kentucky Wild weeds! THANKS JACKIE!!!!


Kentucky Wild Weeds

Panax quinquefolius, commonly known as American Ginseng is our most valuable native medicinal plant. The root has been a really lucrative product for people in our state and others, and over-harvesting has put the American ginseng on the endangered list. The state of Kentucky has very strict regulations on how to harvest and market dried ginseng root (unless it is grown on your land) so if you run across it in the woods you shouldn’t dig it up. As you can see from the picture it is quite easy to grow yourself! There are many reputable sources on the internet for buying bare roots if you’re interested in growing your own. If you have land with a wooded area, that would be an ideal place to grow it. It prefers partial shade leaf litter for compost. I have my ginseng in an area that gets only a couple of hours of direct sunlight a day and I mulch it with living mulch. It’s very happy and is getting noticeably bigger every year.

Ginseng is an adaptogen, which means that long term use helps the body adapt to stress, builds endurance and strengthens immunity. There are many species of panax ginseng (Korean, Chinese, etc.). Unlike the asian ginsengs, American ginseng has a more cooling effect.

American ginseng is the preferred species so wild stands are becoming strained from the demand.

I hope all my fellow Kentuckians will choose to raise this plant in their gardens. It will help to save one of our most valuable natural resources.