About tedmanzer
I grew up in Old Town Maine and got a B.S. at the University of Maine in Plant Sciences/ minor in Botany. From there I moved to West Virginia and earned a M.S. in Agronomy at WVU. I also met my wife there. She grew up in rural WV as the daughter of tenant farmers who raised cattle and hogs. Their lifestyle at times was one of subsistence and I learned a lot from them. I've always been a foraging buff, but combining my formal botanical knowledge with their practical 'Foxfire-type' background opened up my eyes a little more.
I now teach agriculture to high school students at Northeastern High School in Elizabeth City, NC. My wife teaches with me and we make a great team. I also write a weekly nature/foraging column for the local paper (dailyadvance.com) and frequently publish articles in several other newspapers in northeastern North Carolina. I also have written several Christian nature/adventure novels that I plan to publish eventually. One is a five book family saga I call the 'Forgotten Virtues' series. In the first book, Never Alone, a young boy comes of age after his father dies in a plane crash, and he has to make it alone. Never Alone is now available in paperback, Kindle and Nook. The second book, Strange Courage, takes Carl from his High School graduation to his recovery from a nasty divorce. The third book, Second Chances, takes Carl from his ex-wife's death and the custody of his son to his heroic death at age 59. The fourth book, Promises Kept, depicts how his grandchildren react and adjust to his death. In the final book, Grandfather's Way, his youngest and most timid granddaughter emerges from the shadow of her overachieving family and accomplishes more in four months than most do in a lifetime. I use many foraging references with a lot of the plants I profile in these articles in those books.
When we think of herbs, usually culinary uses come to mind first. We generally learn about other values later. Lemongrass is a fine example and the name fits. You can’t miss the lemon scent. Lemongrass contains chemicals used to repel … Continue reading →
My first real experience with cicadas was back in the mid-60s in Maine. I remember riding my bicycle really fast down a hill and getting smacked in the face by one of the noisy red eyed critters. It hit me … Continue reading →
For the last few weeks I’ve profiled perennial herbs. No herb garden would be complete without adding this annual one. Basil is probably grown by more gardeners than any other herbs. There are so many different types and cultivars of … Continue reading →
Many people like the pungent flavor onions and garlic provide. The problem is the flavor is often too strong. Enter chives, which can be regular (similar to onion) or garlic types. It seems no baked potato is complete without sour … Continue reading →
I think thyme is one of the most underused garden herbs. Of course thyme is a broad term as there are dozens of thyme species and even more cultivars within them. Some are upright. Others are creeping. All have culinary … Continue reading →
A discussion of perennial herbs wouldn’t be complete without including sage. There may not be a more versatile plant in the garden. Mostly that’s because there are so many different types of sage. They’re great to have in your garden … Continue reading →
Posted in foraging
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Tagged bee and butterfly attractant, diuretic, dries well, flavorful herb, hummingbird attractant, lowers blood sugar, medicinal uses, repels deer and rabbits, sage, salvia, tolerates drought, upright or creeping
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Thanks to all of you who have read my new book (Never Alone). For those of you that haven’t I invite you to go to Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com or another book outlet (locally it’s at the Museum of the Albemarle) and … Continue reading →
