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When I was a wee lass living with my parents, I would come up with a list of herbs that I was going to grow in my garden. Dad in his infinite snarkiness responded “I’m going to plant things we can eat!”
Don’t get me wrong, there’s something magical about seeing a bean vine twirl and anchor itself, but I was also that quirky black girl who imagined growing the ingredients to make a potion of immortality!
I want share three little pieces of myself rooted in hope: the imaginative mind who somehow finds the kingdom through the ring of mushrooms, the rational mind yearning to root the imaginative through studies and proof, and my memories of friends and family.
I sometimes wish that I were lucky to have a great grandmother who would walk beside me and tell me tales about what this that and the other herb was used for, but it looks like I am the great-grandmother-to-be in this branch of the family.
…and like a great grandmother, I have some homemade treats that I think you will love! Check out my store Earthen Decadents for lollipops and more!
A little fun fact…
Did you know that North Carolina has three state fruits? These state fruits are blueberry, strawberry, and grape!
The State Fruits of North Carolina
You know, when I read NCPedia about the state fruit, the rhetorician within chuckled at the arbitrary delineation between a fruit and a berry. And yet, I remember political stories my dad about what counts as a vegetable as opposed to a fruit, not even in the name of scientific integrity but rather the what the designation means for taxes between territories and states. For North Carolina, though, I’m pretty content with their designation of Red Berry and Blue Berry, but singling out a Fruit as distinct from a Berry is peculiar. But okay!
The State Red Berry of North Carolina
The state Red Berry of North Carolina is the strawberry. I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t until recently as a young adult that I gained an appreciation, if not a full blown affinity, for strawberries. The trigger for the interest began with my attempt to learn as much as I could about women’s health. Apparently, certain studies have shown that certain types of strawberries may be a boon to women’s health.
The State Blue Berry of North Carolina
Now, in my opinion, the crown jewel of North Carolina is the state Blue Berry, quite literally the blueberry. To be fair, my bias comes from some of my memories of my grandmother back when I was a child. My mother’s side of the family comes from the Coharie region of North Carolina, specifically Roseboro. My grandmother lived in the countryside and her home was surrounded by woods with just a few neighbors. One of the first things she introduced by brother and I to were patches of blueberry bushes that seemed to be growing wild all around the property. I also remember some of the very rare times we went blueberry picking with my mother. Blueberries are often lauded for their antioxidants, anthocyanins specifically, but I generally love their cooling flavor. Odd as it sounds, I am most proud to have the blueberry as my state Blue Berry (or fruit).
The State Fruit of North Carolina
As my grandmother told us the names of the treasures teeming in the perimeter of the land, she introduced us to Scuppernong grape vines, which to this day is relatively easy for me to spot. At one point, she made a batch of wine and shared it with my brother and I. Scuppernong grapes, in my opinion, require a mature palate. Again, its a fruit that I only grew to appreciate as an adult, and every now and then I yearn for its juice. Some may not know that Scuppernong grapes are actually just a green variety of the Muscadine grape. Both seem to have a high amount of anthocyanins, and muscadine grape extract’s antitumor effects were studied relatively recently in 2022.
I Haven’t Quite Reached Great Grandmother Yet But I’m on My Way!
I hope that you find my little explorations in the herbal world to be engaging and helpful in the long run. North Carolina is a beautiful state, and the United States a magnificent country, and Earth a mysterious orb, with wonderful, delicious mysteries that are situated right at our feet.